Minchinhampton 1st XI hosted Whitminster in their season opener and with rare May sunshine and a hard Minch wicket all the signs were for a good game.

Skipper Pete Wallis won the toss and chose to bowl. Wallis himself then started where he left off the season before with a wicket 1st ball of the game as Toms played on. When veteran John Turton had last weeks centurion Cluuterbuck trapped for LBW, Minch applied the pressure. Wakely went for a duck again off Turton, but Pars Ghadali was showing his true class at the other end, putting anything slightly loose away to the boundary. The intro of Fred Gardner livened things up, as his pace was tricky and he removed Heliwell caught behind and then a sharp low slip catch by Jaime Waring off Gardner removed the dangerous Ghadali for 41. Cook with a hard hit 29 offered some lower order resistance but Jaime Waring with 3 wickets and Ross Britton with 1 wicket on debut mopped up the tail as Whitminster were all out for 119.

In reply Minch started well. Dave Gordon was elevated up the order to open with Alex Waring and the two added 30 for the 1st wicket. But when Gordon went caught behind off Ghadali and Waring went for 19 LBW off Heliwell Minch stuttered. At 30 for 2 there was 4 maiden overs on the trot and Whitminster applied the pressure well. But the gritty Pete Raphael (33) and Jaime Waring (47no) picked off the bad balls and built an 80 run partnership to settle the Minch nerves, Waring adding 3 sixes in his knock. Raphael fell caught on the boundary off Helliwell but John Wood saw Minch home to a victory by 7 wickets and with 10 overs to spare.

Minchinhampton CC would like to thank their new 2013 sponsors Red Recruitment and JCo Kitchens for their continued support.