Sport

Sport Proud Puddletown’s invincible season

By Robin Potter Puddletown 1st XI capped a magnificent season in the Evening League, achieving their goal of a 100% record by defeating St Georges. Gautham Rajendar kept the Saints total down with three wickets for 16 and it took a whirlwind 44 not out from Jamie Barrett to set Puddle a target of just 116. Sam Goodhew took three for 13 in reply but Lucas Allen judged his innings perfectly with an unbeaten 69 to cement Puddle’s season with a sixwicket win. St Georges fared better against Charlton Down, Jamie Barrett starring with three wickets for 14 and then 37 not out to give them victory. Hazelbury Bryan, however, beat the Saints by four wickets, with the crucial play being the run out of St Georges’ Sam Goodhew for 64 when he was going well. Adam Fitzgerald’s 44 for Hazelbury was backed up well by his teammates to give them a four-wicket win. The most exciting game of the week came at Cattistock. Steven Tucker set the Catts up well with 45 but it needed Ollie Legg with 51 not out from a mere 16 balls to set Dewlish a decent target of 184. Crispin Brown’s 104 had his side well on course however three run outs left them agonisingly one run short. The Division III title rests between Frampton and Bere Regis, who both finished with 18 points, so a play-off on Wednesday, August 10, will decide who gets the honours. Once the last games are completed, the trophy winners, including those for most runs, most wickets, most catches and most sixes will be decided ready for the league’s presentation evening on Thursday, September 15.

CRICKET ROUND-UP CUP OF JOY: Double winners Puddletown showing off their Evening League cup medals

Wimborne & Colehill CC 1st XI 177 (45.3 overs) Dorchester CC 1st X1 180/7 (49.2 overs) Dorchester CC 1st XI won by 3 wickets – Dorchester CC 1st XI 20 points; Wimborne & Colehill CC 1st XI 6 points

Dorchester Firsts leapfrogged their title rivals with a tense three-wicket win at the Rec, with just four balls to spare. The victory owed much to Dorchester’s bowlers, who dismissed the visitors inside their allotted overs, with Jack Owens picking up three crucial late wickets to return figures of three for 21. All of Wimborne’s top and middle order reached double figures, however some disciplined Dorchester bowling meant that nobody went on to make a matchwinning score, with Mark House top-scoring with 34. Simon Mitchen (3-33) and Gautham Rajendar (2-26) helped to restrict the middle order. Evergreen Jim Ryall led the chase, scoring 40 at the top of the order, with Eral Anderson adding 26. Wimborne chipped away with some disciplined bowling and regular wickets fell. When skipper Dan Belt and Owens were dismissed in the same over to leave the home side 152 for 7, the game looked to have swung towards the away side. However a patient and welltimed 21 not out from Rajendar, with 12 not out from Jamie Barrett was enough to steer Dorchester home for a vital win.

Martinstown CC 1st XI 205 (48.1 overs) Sherborne CC 1st X1 210/2 (43.4 overs) Sherborne CC 1st XI won by 8 wickets – Sherborne CC 1st XI 20 points; Martinstown CC 1st XI 5 points Mark Roca’s excellent 94 helped Sherborne ease to victory at home to Martinstown and consolidate their fifth place standing in the Premier Division. By the time Roca fell just six runs short of a century, he had steered his side to within 23 runs of victory. Fellow opener Ryan Monk made 45, with the pair adding 109 for the first wicket. Mark Lock (39 not out) and Roger Parfitt (11 not out) saw the hosts home with plenty of overs to spare. Earlier, Martinstown had posted a competitive total, with opener Ed Nichols 50 the top scorer, and good support down the order from Tom Pope (33) and Finley Williams (40). Emlyn Kuhn was the pick of the Sherborne attack, bagging five for 40 from his ten overs, with Tim Durston returning 3-38.

Bridport Barracudas Water Polo will be playing two further matches in the open water court at West Bay in the coming fortnight, with free entry for those wanting to come along. Yeovil Spartans will be the visitors on Saturday, August 13, at 8pm, with a local derby against Weymouth and Portland taking place on Saturday, August 27, with swim-off at 7pm. Bridport first played matches at West Bay as long ago as 1898 and, with home matches generally taking place at Bridport Leisure Centre, the outdoor fixtures give an opportunity to showcase the sport to a much wider audience. Previous events have been well-supported with many spectators stumbling across the games and being captivated by the skill and excitement on show. Organiser Fred Fowler said: “The summer holidays enable us to return to our traditional home in West Bay harbour, and the games always have a really special atmosphere. The players and spectators really enjoy it. We usually have a few games here and we hope to get the Lyme Splash Water Polo Festival going again after Covid.” The Barracudas, a section of the Bridport Barracudas Swimming Club, were reformed in 1994 and have enjoyed an upsurge in interest in recent years, currently boasting 25 senior playing members as well as a further 20 juniors

The West Dorset Magazine, August 12, 2022 65 Sport Barracudas in Bay watch

POLO’S MINT: The Barracudas in action against Frome (and growing) playing through a joint initiative with the leisure centre programme. The junior sessions run on Monday evenings from 7.30 to 8.30 pm throughout the year from, with the exception of bank holidays and school summer holidays. Senior sessions from 8.309.30pm for older juniors, senior men and ladies. Fred added: “We are a very welcoming club, our aim is not only to give players the best training and playing opportunities but as with all team sports skills such as coaching can help anyone throughout their adult life. If you would like to try the sport, please pop by on a Monday evening and ask for me or contact us via uk.teamunify.com/ team/swrdbb/page/home.”

Stanley at the double for Magpies’ opener win

Dorchester Town 2 North Leigh 1 Alfie Stanley scored a first half brace to give the Magpies a winning start to the Southern League Premier campaign. Stanley’s first goal came after just four minutes, the striker applying a clever flicked finish to Shaq Gwengwe’s pass. Louie Slough was denied by the woodwork, but Stanley doubled the home side’s advantage on 23 minutes, pouncing on a loose pass and making no mistake with the finish. North Leigh scored shortly after the break to get back into contention and threatened occasionally without seriously troubling Brad Snelling in the Magpies’ goal.

Sherborne Town 1 Millbrook 0 Keynsham Town 0 Sherborne Town 4 The Zebras enjoyed backto-back wins as they started their season in the Western League Premier Division, keeping two clean sheets and with five different players opening their accounts. At home to Millbrook, George Mapletoft’s headed finish on a hour was enough to give Town all three points, although the Zebras’ defence had to be resolute as Millbrook pushed hard in search of an equaliser. Town found life much easier away to Keynsham with goals from Dec Cornish, Anth Herrin, Henry Lawrence-Napier and Josh Williams, giving them a comfortable win.

Ivybridge Town 1 Bridport Town 0 A controversial 78th minute goal from Fletcher Williams denied Edgar Marcu’s men a return from their opening league fixture. In an even contest, Williams was on hand to fire home after Bees’ goalkeeper Callum Smalley spilt the ball having appeared to have been impeded. Marcu will take some encouragement from the performance, with his team creating the lion’s share of chances to score, with Callum Arnold and Bosley Yu unable to apply the finish when in good positions.

Women and children first as club

By Stuart Wickham

stuart@westdorsetmag.co.uk The club captain of Puddletown Cricket Club has been telling The West Dorset Magazine about its thriving membership, with their ladies and youth sections in particular being a shining example to other local clubs. With many clubs struggling to re-energise ladies’ cricket following the pandemic, Adam talks about how Puddletown are managing to buck the trend by attracting even more women and girls to the sport. Adam said: “The ladies’ section is a real success story for us. Much of this is due to the hard work of the section leader, Charlotte Mandale, who is absolutely superb at getting people involved. She encourages parents to bring their sons and daughters down and give cricket a try whilst also getting them involved too. We are fielding two ladies teams – one softball and one hardball. The softball team are in the semi-final of the Dorset Port Regis Trophy league and the hardball team have one game left to play on the August Bank Holiday to complete their season. It’s a first for us, and a sign of how far we’ve come.” The WAGtails – women and girls – now boasts over 30 members, one of the largest female playing contingents in Dorset. The club currently have no chairman following David Stevens’ decision to stand down in 2021 after five years in the role, leaving Adam to take an active role in making sure that the sections within the club run smoothly. Adam was keen to acknowledge the hard work that Dave had put into the club during his tenure. “We are really grateful for what he did for the club, and without his dedication and hard work, we would not have the club we have today. We might not even have one at all.” “The club now rely on our inspirational section leads who are pivotal to our success and drive different aspects of the club. While Charlotte is doing a fantastic job with the girls, we are privileged to have Rob Snow looking after the Puffins – our junior section. We have 30 juniors playing in the U11s and U12s. Add in our 30 AllStars and 30 Dynamos and we have around 90 youngsters playing cricket.” Rob’s 15-year-old daughter, Evie, is a shining example of how Puddletown are nurturing their young talent. Adam said: “Rob came down from Scotland about 10 years ago, saw the ground, and decided to get involved. He quickly got Evie playing too and she has progressed through the ranks, from AllStars and

GREAT TEAM: Puddletown’s First XI

Puddletown Cricket Club Fact File

Ground The Club House, Puddletown Recreation Ground, Three Lanes Way, Puddletown, Dorchester DT2 8PY

Teams Saturday XI: Dorset Cricket League Premier Division Second XI: Dorset Cricket League Division 5 Evening League 1st XI: Dorchester & District Evening League Division 1 Evening League 2nd XI: Dorchester & District Evening League Division 2 Evening League 3rd XI: Dorchester & District Evening League Division 3 WAGtails; Hardball; Dorset Super 8s WAGtails; Softball; Port Regis North & West Trophy League Friendly XI; Sunday T20; Junior U12; Junior U11; Junior U10; 3rd XI; Greens; Blues

Club Officials Club Captain: Adam Barrett Club Captain: Stewart Newcombe Club Captain: Charlotte Mandale Junior Co-ordinator: Rob Snow Club Safeguarding Officer: Howard Mason n puddletowncc.play-cricket.com

bucks trend with rising membership

GUYS AND GALS: Puddletown’s Saturday First XI, left, and the ladies’ team, above

Dynamos, then into the junior and senior teams as well as representing the county on a number of occasions. Evie is now in the senior Ladies Dorset County team for their upcoming match against Hampshire. We are so proud of what she has achieved but she’s by no means the only one who has done well, as we have six juniors in county squads in total”. “For such a small club, we are immensely proud of this achievement. We couldn’t do it without a team of volunteers who are a massive part of this success. “We want to use our social media presence to engage more youngsters and can see the potential for attracting more budding young cricketers this way. “We just want to be a community-based, family friendly club, offering cricket for all.” Adam knows the importance of youth for the club’s long-term prosperity. He said: “It’s vital for us that we have these players coming through, but it takes years of hard work for them to filter into the senior ranks. We have a relatively small catchment and have often lost players to teams like Dorchester.” Puddletown are now competing against towns like Dorchester, Poole and Wimborne in Dorset Premier League, but have struggled with the step up in quality. Adam said: “We’ve come up through the leagues and it’s our first time in the Premier but it was never going to be easy. It’s such a massive jump in standard and we’re competing against towns with huge catchment areas. It demonstrates why the drive for young players is so vital, as these are the players who will guarantee that we can be sustainable in the future.” The club’s second team plays in County Division 5 and gives many of the emerging youngsters the chance to play weekend league cricket to a good standard. Despite the club’s Saturday struggles, Puddletown have excelled in the Dorset Evening League, winning the Division One Doug Read Cup and looking set for a league and cup double with an unbeaten record so far this season. Adam said: “We are really proud of what we do in the evening league. We’re the only club that fields three teams – one in each of the three divisions – and people really want to play for us in the 20-over game. We have some players who play for other clubs at the weekend but want to turn out for Puddletown midweek. Dan Belt is a good example –Dan captains Dorchester at the weekend but we are his boyhood club and he still has that affection for us and wants to play. It’s great to have players of that calibre turning out for us.” If you’re interested in playing for the club, or volunteering your support, you can contact Adam, Charlotte or Rob via the clubs website or social media pages. Website: puddletowncc.playcricket.com Facebook: ‘Puddletown Cricket Club’ or ‘Puddletown Juniors, Womens & Girls’ Cricket’ Instagram: ‘puddletown_wagtails’ or ‘puddletown_cricket’

By Stuart Wickham

stuart@westdorsetmag.co.uk Sherborne Town Ladies’ manager Jemma Tewkesbury has been speaking to The West Dorset Magazine about her hopes for the season ahead and how the recent success of England’s Lionesses is inspiring players across Dorset. Jemma combines her work with the Zebras with her job as Football Development Officer at Dorset County FA, giving her a unique insight into player trends across the county. Jemma said: “I was lucky enough to be at the final at Wembley and it was fantastic. I’m still on a high! My partner bought tickets last year and we really could not have imagined that it would be England in the final and turn out to be such an exciting game. “It feels like a once in a lifetime achievement and the team have created such a buzz which has certainly helped us. “We have been building a development squad at Sherborne this summer and saw a real uptick in interest, particularly from the semi-final stage. The Lionesses seemed to have inspired an awful lot of people to start or return to the game. We’ve had plenty of interest from former players looking to play again, which has been really pleasing, as

well as those looking to play for the first time. “We have plans at county level to double the number of players and I’m aware of a real boost in numbers across the board in Dorset, much of which I think we can put down to the performance of the womens’ national team.” Jemma is upbeat about the season ahead for the Zebras. “From our perspective, it’s been a really positive preseason. We have made a number of new signings and have had some promising players join the development squad and at U14 level. With the right coaching and encouragement, some of the younger girls can be playing for the first team in a couple of years, so we could see a really quick return on our investment in their potential.” “We’ve made some good signings in the close season and only lost one or two players, one who has decided to play for a more local side due to the travel costs, and one who we think will be off to uni.” Sherborne Town Ladies have been handed a tricky start to the 2022/23 season in the South West Regional Women’s Football League. They kick off their campaign on Sunday, September 4. They travel to Torquay United, before hosting last season’s runners-up, Ilminster Ladies, a week later. Jemma said: “It’s a testing couple of games to begin with, but we will certainly be ready. I had yet to join the club when we played Ilminster last season, and we did edge Torquay 1-0. We’re expecting them to be tough games but I’m positive that we can get a couple of good results to start our campaign. “We are 100% focused on promotion this year – it’s our big aim and I am confident we can do this with the group of players we have.” Sherborne Town Ladies are always looking for people to get involved on and off the pitch. If you would like to play, help in a voluntary capacity or support the team commercially, please contact the club.

WILL TO WIN: Sherborne ladies have been inspired by the success of the England Lionesses. Inset: Manager Jemma Tewkesbury Picture: BRENT SMITH

Zebras inspired by the Lionesses

Sherborne Town Ladies – Opening Fixtures (All 2pm KO) Sunday, Sept 4: Torquay United A Sunday, Sept 11: Ilminster Ladies H Sunday, Sept 18:

Royal Wootton Basset Town A Sunday, Sept 25:

Liskeard Athletic Womens FC H Sunday, Oct 9: Poole Town Ladies A Sunday, Oct 16: Bishops Lydeard Ladies H