Frocester eased through in the Voneus Village Cup with a comfortable 73-run home triumph against Frampton-on-Severn.
Ali Bray (56 from 58), Tai Tomalin-Hayles (43 not) and Ben Spyvee (27) top scored in a challenge of 191-8, Dan Huxstep claiming 3-31 from eight after losing the toss.
And Archie Baker (4-27) then led the charge with the ball as Frampton came up well short despite 41 from Stephan De Jager.
The win put Frocester into the last four in the Gloucestershire group as scheduled quarter-final opponents Almondsbury have withdrawn from the competition.
Kingsholm, meanwhile, will on Sunday host Marshfield in the last eight with Painswick entertaining Winterbourne and Rockhampton welcoming Apperley.
Dumbleton, the 2022 champions, will on Sunday be home to Feckenham in the Worcestershire group while Stapleton face a home Somerset & Avon tie against Wembdon.
FROCESTER will on Sunday (12th) host a practice match between the West of England and England Over 70s which will also serve as a trial (1pm).
Roger Beese, who last year led Gloucestershire to the national age group title, will skipper the West squad which also includes county team-mates John Evans, Keith Daniels, John Turton, wicketkeeper Nigel Belletty, Graham Clarke and Fred Bayliss, as well as Steve Shepherd, of St Mary Redcliffe and Somerset.
GCCL WRAP
ALI Khalid and Kaihaan Zakhil took centre stage as Gloucester AIW made a tremendous start to the new season, trumping Cinderford St John by 97 runs in Division Three of the AMS Gloucestershire County League.
Opener Khalid top scored on 82 and, with Abraar Fadra (71), dominated Sports’ challenge of 252 after winning the toss, Mark Roberts claiming 4-46.
And Zakhil then devastated Saints’ middle order, hitting the stumps four times en route to fine figures of 6-28 from eight to complete a commanding win for Sports who last year finished third.
Frampton-on-Severn, bidding to bounce straight back to Division Two after relegation, were emphatic home victors against Dymock who were rumbled for only 48.
Akshay Sreenivasan (4-18) and John Gray (3-11) led the charge ahead of Frampton closing out a six-wicket success.
Hatherley & Reddings 2nds crushed their Chipping Sodbury counterparts by 115 runs, Henri du Toit (73), Tom Coote (70) and Aditya Rathore (4-12) all shining while promoted Dumbleton 2nds saw off Fairford by seven wickets thanks to Isaac Elkins (4-18).
Around half of the scheduled matches on the opening weekend of the summer fell victim to the weather, but two results were possible in Division One including an emphatic six-wicket home triumph for Hawkesbury Upton over promoted Great Rissington.
Skipper Ben Waldron marked his Hawkesbury league debut with a return of 4-22 as the visitors folded to 75 all out ahead of Fred Bennett (35 not) steering his side to the points.
Cirencester, relegated from WEPL, struggled to total 75 at home to Chipping Campden who romped in by six wickets, Sam Groves finishing with memorable figures of 3-4 from nine overs.
In Division Two, promoted Tewkesbury 2nds dismissed Newent for just 56 before romping to a ten-wicket success in only five overs while Shurdington completed a home three-wicket derby triumph over Cheltenham 2nds with four balls to spare, skipper Tom Knight top scoring on 56 after Ben Johns had earlier captured 4-29 from nine.
One other result was possible in this division, promoted Tetbury trumping Redmarley by 113 runs with Jacob Flowers, James Job and Alex Wyer taking three wickets apiece.
In Division Four, Cranham were six-wicket victors at Woodmancote, and Corse & Staunton 2nds edged Frocester 3rds by two wickets, Jack Tyrer top scoring on 60.
Lee Mansell (3-11 from eight) pointed Whitminster towards a seven-wicket win at Minchinhampton in Division Five, and Cirencester 2nds trumped their Cheltenham Civil Service counterparts by 44 runs.
League newcomers Winchcombe, meanwhile, opened their Division Six campaign with a ten-wicket hammering of Tormarton who folded to 69 all out.
Promoted King’s Stanley picked up from where they left off last summer, defeating Apperley 2nds by 99 runs while there was a 20-run victory for Arcadian Nine Elms away to Langford 2nds for whom captain Jake Romanek’s burst of 4-24 proved to be in vain.
WEPL WRAP
THERE was no keeping Keegan Jansen Van Rensburg out of the action as Painswick made a flying start to the new campaign, cruising past Royal Wootton Bassett by nine wickets in WEPL Premier Two Glos/Wilts.
The South African began his day by holding on to three catches before claiming 2-35 from ten overs as RWB were restricted to 230-7 after losing the toss at home.
And Jansen Van Rensburg then took centre stage with the bat, hammering an unbeaten 111 off 133 (seven fours, five sixes) and sharing an unbroken stand of 215 for the second wicket with Philippe le Roux (104) in a commanding victory achieved with more than 10 overs to spare.
It was tighter at Cheltenham who held off Goatacre by five runs, Worcestershire’s Gareth Roderick cracking 107 and opener Mike Kelly 77 in a second wicket stand of 165.
Hatherley & Reddings edged Chippenham by 16 runs in a match reduced to 20 overs.
Opener George Driver-Dickerson (43) top scored in a challenge of 129-5 before the visitors were pegged back by Joel Price (3-6), Joe Tutty (2-12) and Ben McShane (2-18).
And Gloucestershire’s Chris Dent claimed 4-35 from ten and hit 46 as Thornbury saw off promoted Dumbleton by eight wickets, Josh Riggs also crashing a typically belligerent 87 from 66 (six fours, seven sixes) as a target of 157 was reached in less than 24 overs
In Premier One, Bristol held off Potterne by 14 runs in a 27-over contest, Miles Kantolinna capturing 5-16 from six overs of left-arm spin.
Frocester overcame Bedminster by seven wickets, Ryan Kilmister taking 4-25 from ten and Bikram Kumar Das unbeaten on 68 while promoted Bishopston suffered a 49-run home reverse against a Bridgwater side for whom former West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite hammered 28 from 16 balls.
Downend were eight-wicket winners at Midsomer Norton in Premier Two Bristol/Somerset while last season’s runners-up Golden Hill were edged by 33 runs at home to Clevedon despite Gloucestershire’s Ed Middleton hitting 61 and taking 2-33 from ten.
John Stilwell marked his league debut for Gloucester with a haul of 4-27 from ten, helping pave the way for a seven-wicket success over Rockhampton in the Gloucestershire division.
Tewkesbury saw off promoted Langford by six wickets, Will Lucas (4-8 from ten) and Matt Stevens (3-5) shining with the ball, and Bourton Vale trumped Frocester 2nds by six wickets, Max Shepherd (3-31) and opener Ollie Whiteley (64) playing starring roles.
Bristol West Indian Phoenix and Bristol 2nds tied a thriller in Bristol & North Somerset, both sides finishing locked on 110 runs in a 32-over contest.
Promoted Bradley Stoke edged Brislington by 51 runs, Dan Qureshi bagging 3-16, while Knowle eased past Bath 2nds by five wickets, Jack Weston blasting 46.
Nathan Browne made a debut to remember for Twyford House, the 16-year-old finishing with 4-32 from ten to help pave the way for a seven-wicket home success against promoted Stapleton, skipper Rich Trotman following up with 60 at the top of the order.
