Another superb Kensham Park wicket served up 500 plus runs as the Bradninch 1st XI went down by a margin of 90 runs when they entertained Sidmouth on matchday six of the 2022 Tolchards Devon Cricket League campaign.
After winning the toss, Sidmouth skipper Luke Bess opted to bat first and Issac Thomas and Dylan Church were sent out to launch the innings while home skipper Gary Chappell gave the new ball duties to Chad Classen and Ross Acton. South African Classen sent down the first over from the Tennis Court End and it yielded just a leg bye.
The second over, bowled by Acton from the Mill End, saw five runs scored and the opening seamers continued in tandem through the first 10 overs, at the end of the which, Sidmouth were 50-1, with Acton, the successful bowler, having Dylan Church caught behind by Darren Paul for a three-boundary, 21-ball 17, the wicket falling with the score on 38 when opener Thomas was unbeaten on 13.
Good old ‘Nelson’ – the score board showing 111 – struck with the second wicket being a caught and bowled held by Mitch Pugh to send back number three bat Jamie Baird for a 23 with Thomas having just passed his half century.
Sidmouth skipper Luke Bess joined Thomas and the pair added 70 before Bess fell, caught by Craig Penberthy of the bowling of Josh Farley and sent back with 28 (three fours and a six) to his name. Sidmouth’s overseas player Codi Yusuf took over, but, having just reached his century, Thomas became the fourth wicket to fall when he was bowled by Chad Classen for a terrific 112-ball, 104, hitting fourteen 4s and two sixes.
It all meant Sidmouth were on 203-4 after 39 overs.
Midway through the 42nd over the fifth Sidmouth wicket was claimed with skipper Gary Chappell having Henry Armstrong caught behind – a second catch for glovesman Paul; the Sidmouth batsman dismissed for 14 with the visitors 229-5 with eight of their 50 overs remaining.Skipper Chappell, who continued to switch his bowling attack well throughout on what was a very good batting surface, saw Pugh claim his second wicket and the sixth that Sidmouth had lost when he knocked over the stumps of Charlie Miles, dismissed for nine and, at the end of 45 overs, Sidmouth were 253-6. Acton was recalled to send down the 46th over which went for nine runs and the 47th was delivered by Pugh and that yielded 13 to leave Sidmouth 275-6.
Acton was back with the 48th which went for just six and that saw the left armer complete his full shift of 10 overs for the day.
The 49th saw 11 runs added and the final over, sent down by Craig Penberthy saw 12 runs scored which all left Sidmouth closing their 50 overs on 304-6 with the unbeaten batsmen being Codi Yusuf with 66 runs to his name from 46 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes while Cameron Evans Graingerwas not out 16, scored from 15 balls with one four.
In terms of the Bradninch bowling; skipper Gary Chappell and Ross Acton were the only bowlers to return an economy figure of less than five-runs-per-over. The returns were; Chappell (1-43 from 10 overs), Acton (1-45 from 10 overs), Mitch Pugh (1-55 from 10), Chad Classen (1-67 from 10), Josh Farley (1-47 from seven) and Craig Penberthy (0-31 from three).
The Bradninch reply – one that needed six-runs-per-over ‘from the off’ in order for a successful chase to be mounted was given a superb flying start by skipper Gary Chappell who opened the innings with Joshua Farley the other home batsman. Codi Yusuf opened the bowling and, after the first delivery was called as a ‘wide’, the Ninch skipper rifled the third and fifth deliveries of the opening over to the Kensham Park boundary!
The first ball of the second over saw Farley take a single and that allowed Chappell to continue his blitz on the visitors as he hit Charlie Miles for a six and then successive fours. Twenty-four off two overs became 35 runs off three as the third over was one of eight balls with Yusuf bowling a wide and a no ball and Farley drilling a brace of fours.
Over number four saw Chappell hit another boundary and, at the start of the fifth over, Ninch were ‘on their way’ on 42 without loss.
The fifth over was sent down by Yusuf and deliveries two and three were both fired to the boundary but the fourth ball struck the Chappell pads and there was clearly huge relief in the Sidmouth ranks when the Umpires digit was raised and the Bradninch Chappell was despatched, but not before he had thrilled another large home crowd with a 200% strike rate, scoring 35 from just 18 deliveries! Tim Piper was in at three and he and Farley began the sixth over with the run chase well and truly ‘on’ at 52-1.
A change of bowling saw opener Charlie Miles replaced by the ageing campaigner – and what a player he has been – and remains – in Will Murray and it was no surprise when his first over saw six dot balls!
Twenty-four balls after the loss of Chappell, Ninch were two down with Sidmouth’s second change bowler, Tim Simmonds striking to have Farley caught behind by Evans-Grainger for a 22-ball 14 to leave the reply on 64-2.
Piper was joined by Mitch Pugh and the pair saw the run chase into three figures, but, a ball after the 100 was up on the scoreboard, the third wicket fell with Piper bowled by Simmonds for a 38-ball 19.
Ross Acton took over and he and Pugh had put on 50 when, with the score on 150, Acton was trapped leg before wicket by Sidmouth third change bowler Jordan Fowler with ‘Roscoe’ returned to the pavilion with a 38-ball 39 to his name.Despite a fourth wicket, the run chase was still ‘on course’ with 23 overs to go and 155 runs required at just under seven-runs-per-over.
Chad Classen joined Pugh, but the South African had made four from a dozen balls faced when he was bowled by Yusuf. At the end of the 31st over, with Thom Bunker having joined Pugh, Ninch were 174-5, now needing 131 from 19 overs – the asking run-rate still being around the seven per over mark! However, three balls into the very next over Bunker was trapped leg before to be dismissed for a five ball one and now Ninch were 174-6 at the start of the 33rd over.
Sam Franks, making his 1st XI debut after some superb contributions to the 2nd XI cause this term, took the score to 185 when, to the second delivery of the 38th over, Pugh was caught and bowled by Murray for a 74-ball 47 and, the very next ball, Darren Paul became the third Ninch batsmen to be adjudged leg before wicket and, suddenly, the run-chase was wobbling on 186-8 with a dozen overs left.
A catch by Yusuf to give Fowler a second wicket saw an end to the Franks effort – dismissed for a 27-ball nine to leave Ninch 196-9 at the end of 41 overs.
Last man Craig Penberthy joined Will Squire and the ‘tail-end-charlies’ guided Ninch beyond the 200 mark before, to the second delivery of the 46th over, Squire was bowled by Dylan Church for a 26-ball 16. Penberthy was the not out batsman with six runs to his name, scored off 13 balls and Ninch were all out for 214 to leave Sidmouth winners by a margin of 90 runs.
Sidmouth used five bowlers and they all claimed at least one wicket with the pick of the returns being the splendid 2-28 from 10 overs sent down by Will Murray.
The ‘best of the rest’ was the 2-40 from the 10 overs sent down by spinner Jordan Fowler and the other returns were, Codi Yusuf with 2-36 from eight overs; Tom Simmonds (2-31 from four overs), Charlie Miles (1-46 from eight) and Dylan Church (1-25 from 5.2 overs).
* It was not lost to some regular Ninch supporters that, in the home innings, not one leg before decision was accepted and yet, when the visitors had the ball in hand no fewer than four lbw calls went against the home side.
Next up for Bradninch is a Saturday, June 18 visit to Instow to take on a North Devon side who, on Matchday Six, became the first team to dent the 100% record held by Heathcoat.