Game two of their Devon Womens League Division Three campaign did not go quite as well as how game one had panned out for Bradninch Ladies as they lost at home to Cornwood Ladies by a margin of 36 runs – and, if you take away the 32 extras that the home side afforded the visitors, then the difference between the teams was just four runs!
After winning the toss, home skipper Meg Acton invited her opposite number to bat first and the new ball duties were handed to Colette Bamber and Yvonne Jackson and both had early success too with Sarah Puleston caught by Kirsty Trude off Bamber for a five-ball one and then, off the penultimate ball of the fourth over, number three bat Ishbel Penn was clean bowled by Jackson for a four-ball three and Cornwood were a troubled 13-2.
However, opener Hannah Parsons survived the early efforts of the home bowlers and, playing a fine supporting role to number four batter Gemma Lancaster, the pair took the visitors into three figures and onto 125 when, to the third ball of the 26th over, Parsons was trapped leg before by Jackson and trooped back to the pavilion with 34 runs scored from 74 deliveries faced in a 95-minute stay at the wicket.
Just two deliveries later, Cornwood were three down as Jackson knocked over the stumps of Joanne Ricks for a second ball duck and now the visitors were 127-4 with nine overs remaining in their innings.However, apart from a run-out in the 35th and final over there was no further success with the ball, although the run-rate did not ‘get away’ from the home side with an average of five-runs-per-over being scored.Lancaster ended unbeaten on 89, scored from 102 balls faced and she hit seven boundaries in a near two-hour stay at the wicket.
That run-out saw an end to the innings of Sarah Best with Caitlin Searle the Ninch fielder to ‘claim’ the run-out and, with Laura Bale facing just two balls for her one not out, Cornwood closed their 35 overs with a score of 182-5.
In terms of the home bowling, the best of the returns was the 3-33 from seven overs sent down by Yvonne Jackson. Colette Bamber (1-20 from seven overs), was the other wicket taker and the others to bowl were: Kirsty Trude (0-36 from six overs), Heather Stanbury (0-38 from seven overs), Carrian Jones (0-18 from four overs) and Florence Ellliott (0-30 from four overs).
One point to note about the Cornwood total, they were ‘assisted’ by the home bowlers to the tune of 32 extras – 18 wides and 14 no-balls!
The Bradninch reply was launched by Kirsty Trude and Louisa Squire, but, the latter fell for an 11-ball duck when she was caught by Sarah Best off the bowling of Olivia Gibson to leave the reply on 8-1 after 18 balls had been sent down.Yvonne Jackson joined Trude, but she too did not last long, trapped leg before wicket by a delivery from Hannah Bale and out for a dozen-ball two to leave Bradninch on 19-1, one ball into the 10th over.
Fi Moran was in at number four and she was the third wicket to fall, In her case, caught by Gemma Lancaster off Hannah Bale for a dozen-ball nine to leave Bradninch on 35-3 after 12 overs.
Sarah Stanbury came in to face the final ball of the 12th over and she proved to be a ‘staying’ partner for Trude as the pair continued on their way, relatively untroubled, taking the reply to 80-3 after 24 overs, meaning, with 11 overs to go, 102 runs were required at just over nine-runs-per-over.
At this stage, Trude was on 36 from 66 and Stanbury was on seven from 40 balls faced.The pair saw Bradninch into three figures and Trude was just two runs shy of what would have been a richly deserved half century when she was out, stumped by Sadie Goodliffe off the bowling of Olivia Gibson.
Trude had faced 86 deliveries in a 100-ball stay at the wicket and she hit eight fours.When the opener was out, she had seen her team to 105-4 from 29 overs and four balls and so, as she departed, another 78 runs were required from five overs and two balls.
Florence Elliott took over and she and Sarah Stanbury saw the reply to 115 when, to the seventh ball of the 31st over, Elliott became the fifth wicket to fall, in her case, trapped leg before wicket by Hannah Bale for a five-ball six.
Skipper Meg Acton took over and she faced the eighth and final ball of the 31st over and promptly slammed it to the boundary to leave her side on 119-5 at the start of the 32nd over.
Just two balls into the 32nd over, Stanbury became wicket number six, trapped leg before by Gemma Lancaster for a 59-ball 14.
Caitlin Searle joined her captain at the wicket and they ran a leg bye off the fourth ball if the 32nd over to leave Acton back on strike and, after a dot ball, once again the captain drilled the ball to the boundary and, as the 33rd over began, Acton was not out eight from just three balls faced and her team were 124-6, needing an unlikely 58 from the final three overs to claim what would be a sensational success.
Over 33 saw a wide followed by a two and a one from Searle to see Acton back on strike and, ‘biff’ the fourth ball the skipper faced went the same way as three of the previous ones had – to the boundary!
There was then a dot ball followed by a pair of singles to leave Bradninch on 134-6 with another 49 needed to force victory – but only a dozen balls remaining!
The 34th over was sent down by the returning opening bowler Olivia Gibson and, after successive dot balls, Searle managed a two and then a one to give Acton the strike and – bang – another boundary – followed by a dot ball left Bradninch on 141-6 at the start of the 35th and final over.
Laura Bale was tasked with sending down the final over and the first ball was a dot ball. Searle got a single off the second and Acton, after a dot ball, also got a single off the fourth.
Back to Searle to face the fifth – the penultimate delivery of the match from which two runs were scored and, with a bye run for the final delivery, Bradninch ended the game on 146-6 and so were beaten by a margin of 36 runs.
Beaten they may have been, but this was a battling effort from a Bradninch Ladies side who are beginning to look quite a unit!
Skipper Acton was not out 18 – 16 coming in boundaries – from just 10 balls faced while Caitlin Searle was unbeaten on 10 from 13 deliveries faced.
In terms of the Cornwood bowling returns, the best was the 3-24 from seven overs delivered by Hannah Bale while Olivia Gibson (2-29 from seven overs) and Gemma Lancaster (1-24 from four overs), were the other wicket takers. The others to bowl were: Laura Bale (0-23 from seven overs), Joanne Ricks (0-19 from seven), Luci Atkins (0-19 from two) and Sarah Puleston (0-4 from one).