OPENER Hari Jayasekara plundered an unbeaten 164 off just 103 as Frocester 2nds chased down a target of 246 in less than 30 overs to thump local rivals Stroud by six wickets in WEPL’s Gloucestershire division.
The left hander led the charge in style, crashing 18 fours and nine sixes as Frocester made it three wins in a row to remain eighth.
Leaders Chipping Sodbury trumped Charlton Kings, who started the day second, by 150 runs, captain Tom Laver cracking 108 from 137 (15 fours, one six) and sharing a second wicket stand of 206 with Jake Reed (83) before Lovepreet Singh struck with a haul of 4-48 from ten.
Bourton Vale moved back up to second following a three-wicket success at Aston Ingham for whom opener Nic Merrin was bowled one short of a century.
Musa Twala then held the visitors’ reply together with a match winning unbeaten 99, Max Shepherd contributing 51.
Hawkesbury Upton held off Langford by 16 runs, captain George Bailey top scoring with 84 and Kudzai Maunze capturing 5-26 from ten, while relegation threatened Gloucester ended a run of four straight defeats with a six wicket win at Thornbury 2nds, opener Dan Brabham unbeaten on 134 from 160 (17 fours, two sixes).
In Premier One, fourth placed Thornbury trumped Burbage & Easton Royal by 30 runs, captain Harry Thomas unbeaten on 72 while Tom Vermaak struck with 4-35.
Downend defeated fellow strugglers Taunton St Andrews by seven wickets, skipper Callum Loud crashing an unbeaten 70 that included seven sixes.
But Bristol succumbed by two wickets away to leaders Bridgwater and Frocester went down by six wickets at Potterne.
Dumbleton, the Premier Two Glos/Wilts pacesetters, made it seven in a row, easing past Corsham by 166 runs, Gloucestershire’s Tommy Boorman trapped leg before for 96.
And county colleague Jack Taylor top scored on 77 for Hatherley & Reddings who ended a run of four straight defeats with a 39-run derby triumph away to Cheltenham.
Tewkesbury edged struggling Chippenham by 23 runs, Louis Whitmore top scoring on 101 from 135 (11 fours) and sharing a second wicket stand of 164 with opener Josh Richards (82) but Painswick went down by 61 runs at home to high flying Royal Wootton Bassett despite George MacDuff’s 87 and 76 from Matt Conolly.
Bishopston, meanwhile, made it three in a row in Premier Two Bristol/Somerset, overcoming Clevedon by three wickets while Golden Hill defeated Weston-super-Mare by 89 runs, John Colley tidying up with 4-25 from eight.
Knowle, who began the day at the top of Bristol North Somerset, dropped to fourth following a 17-run reverse away to bottom side Bristol Pakistanis, Soban Irfan (4-32) and Umair Javed (3-39) inflicting the damage.
Bristol West Indian Phoenix and Twyford House are once again level on points at the top.
BWIP were 61-run victors at Bristol 2nds while Twyford won by three wickets at Pak Bristolians.
Frenchay slipped into the bottom two with a 13-run loss away to Bedminster 2nds, and in the final game Brislington won by 32 runs at Bradley Stoke & Almondsbury, Will Thomas unbeaten on 84.
Image courtesy Brian Rossiter