Bradninch 2nd XI really could not have done any better than they did on the opening day of a new Tolchards Devon League E Division East campaign when they beat visiting Kentisbeare 1st XI by six wickets – and the win was as emphatic as the margin of victory suggests.
It was a success built on a fine all-round performance with first, the ball and then the bat. Indeed, in recent seasons we have been unable to report a BCC 2nd XI batting effort that has seen each one of the six batsmen who were called into action, getting into double figures.
Skipper Chris Acton lost the toss to his opposite number, Harvey Sanders who wasted little time in choosing to bat first on what looked a ‘road’ of a wicket prepared by BCC groundsman Peter Woodman.
The Kentisbear skipper opened the batting along with Pete Kittow and the openers made superb progress, despatching opening bowlers Ankit Badwal and Ryan Shrewsberry with consummate ease. Indeed, the Kent opening batsmen saw their side to an impressive 76 from just a dozen overs before first change, the ageless Paul Nott, claimed the first wicket of the new BCC 2nd XI league season thanks to a catch held by Liam Reed which saw Pete Kittow dismissed for a 30-ball 34.
Sanders was joined by former BCC club youth coach Scott Chappell, brother of BCC 1st XI skipper Gary Chappell, but, just seven runs were added before Kentisbeare skipper Sanders became the second wicket to fall, in his case being caught by Ryan Shrewsberry off the bowling of Sam Franks – a wicket on debut for the new man who last year was in the colours of neighbours Cullompton CC.
That left the Kentisbeare batting effort on 83-2 after 13 overs and it was soon 101-3 with the leg before that saw a swift end to the Scott Chappell batting effort – Paul Nott claiming his second wicket with a straight delivery.
Richard Norman and 16-year-old Jed Findlay then put on 45 for the fourth wicket which came when Norman, having faced 39-balls, feathered a Ryan Shrewsberry delivery into the safe hands of Ninch wicket keeper Dave Penberthy. Norman was out for 23, leaving Kentisbeare on 146-4 after 26 overs.
Young Findlay then laid into the 27th over – hitting Ankit Badwal for a six and a four, but, having got himself to an impressive 39 off just 43 balls, the teen holed out to Liam Reed off Ankit Badwal and, in the same over, Badwal struck again to send Justin Gillett back without troubling the scorers and, suddenly, the Kents were 166-8 after 29 overs.
14-year-old Joe Gillett was in at nine and he and Tom Martin added 17 before Gillett was caught by Ninch vice-captain Jason Dowrick off the bowling of skipper Chris Acton and Acton struck again in his next over, this time ending the Tom Martin stay at the wicket, last years Kentisbeare skipper bowled by Acton for 22.
That left last man. Phil Chappell, who used to grace Kensham Park with great gusto – he was every bit the archetypical ‘dot-ball’ bowler in his Ninch days – and he and teenager Connor Findlay added what looked, in the context of the contest, to be a vital 20 runs for the final wicket before young Findlay was bowled by Chris Acton for 14, leaving Chappell senior as the not out visiting batsman with nine runs to his name.
Kentisbeare were bowled out for 226 with 17 balls remaining of their allotted 45 overs.
In terms of the Bradninch bowling effort, Chris Acton (three for 29 from six overs and one ball) and Ankit Badwal (3-28 from nine overs) were the principle wicket takers. However, this was very much a team effort with the ball and special mentions must be made of the shifts from first change Paul Nott (2-26 from nine), second change, Sam Franks, who impressed on his Ninch debut with figures of 1-48 from nine and Ryan Shrewsberry, turning his arm over for the first time in a couple or years to send down his full nine overs – impressively in three shifts, each of nine overs, and operating both from the Tennis Court End and the Mill End. Liam Reed was the sixth bowler used and he went for just three singles when he sent down the 43rd over.
The Bradninch reply was launched by Will Birley and Paul Nott and they mirrored the fine start given to the visiting batting effort by their openers. Indeed, Birley and Nott went one better as they first passed the 76 put on by the Kentisbeare openers, taking the run chase into three figures before Birley perished to a catch behind held by glovesman Scott Chappell off the bowling of fifth change Jacob Lewis. Birley was sent back with 35 to his name, hitting seven boundaries in his 71-ball stay at the crease.
Two overs later Nott, who had cruised to an excellent half century from just 59 balls (10 fours) then also fell in similar fashion to Birley, caught by the Kentisbeare glovesman off Lewis to leave Ninch 123-2 after 27 overs.
The platform for a successful run chase had been set by the openers and Ankit Badwal, at three, and Sam Franks at four, put bat to ball with great effect. Badwal was brutal in his treatment of Phil Chappell, rifling a brace of sixes and a pair of fours in a single over, racing to 32 off just nine balls before he holed out to Kentisbeare skipper Harvey Sanders and trooped back with 34 to his name from a dozen balls faced.
That was not the end of the hard hitting though for next man in was another making his Ninch debut, Josh Richards, and he had raced to 29 before he too fell to a catch held by wicket keeper Chappell, this after facing just 13 deliveries in a 15 minute stay at the crease that saw him thump four fours and a six.
The Richards wicket was to be the last ‘success’ for the visiting bowlers as Ryan Shrewsberry joined Franks and the pair saw Ninch to a six wicket win with just under eight overs still to be bowled.
New lad Franks trooped off at stumps with an unbeaten 31-ball 36 – he hit five fours – to his name while Shrewsberry completed an equally impressive all-round shift with an unbeaten run-a-ball 12 as Ninch 2nds recorded a superb opening day success.
Fifth change bowler Jacob Lewis was the star of the Kentisbeare bowling effort, with his figures of 3-43 from six overs. The only other success with the ball for the Kents was Jed Findlay (1-55 from as full shift of nine overs).
So, an opening day win of some distinction for BCC 2nds. There’s no doubting that this was an impressive victory and what was perhaps the most inspiring thing on the day was the way the new boys – Sam Franks and Josh Richards – made such an immediate impression. Not only did they ‘do the business’ on the Kensham Park turf, but they also quickly became part of what, albeit after one league game, looks to be a happy and positive group of players under the captaincy of Chris Acton.
Matchday two (Saturday, May 14) sees Acton and his happy band of players head for Honiton 1st XI.