With so many players missing from the 1st XI Premier Division home meeting with Plymouth, 2nd XI ‘stand-in’ skipper Paul Nott travelled with his side to Newton Poppleford for the E Division East meeting with Sidmouth 3rd XI with a bowling attack that had sent down just 11 overs – all season!
After losing the toss and being asked to bat first on a wicket that had been uncovered on the morning of the contest – and it had rained cats and dogs earlier in the day, Nott opened the Ninch innings with Jordan Biss, but, to the seventh and final delivery of the opening over, the stand-in skipper slapped the ball down the throat of Tom Chaplin off the bowling of Jack Rattenbury and departed for one with the score on three.
Biss was joined by Connor Carthew and the pair made steady progress through the next dozen overs until, with the score on 41, Biss fell to a catch held by Will Goodall, again off the bowling of Rattenbury. Biss was out for a 35-ball 20 and Ninch were 41-2 after 13 overs.
Matt Jarrett took over, but it was a case of unlucky 13 for the former 1st XI regular – one who had not played for seven years – as he was bowled by Tom Chaplin by the 13th delivery he faced and he trooped back with six runs to his name.
Ross Lawson was next man in – and out – falling first ball with Chaplin knocking over the stumps to leave Ninch 70-4 after 22 overs.
Andy Hartley, another playing his first game of cricket for many moons, joined Carthew and this was to become the most profitable partnership of the contest as they added 54 for the fifth wicket – and, in doing so, set a ‘new best’ for the fifth wicket in 2nd XI league matches this season.
It was Hartley who fell when on 13 – scored off a 33-ball stay at the wicket. Hartley was caught Tom Chaplin off the bowling of Tim Chapman. But his job was done – and done well with the team now onto 124-5 and a third batting point secured!
Steve Bishop – yet another playing his first game of cricket for many years – was next man in – and he was very unlucky as the umpire seemed to take an age before deciding he was trapped leg before wicket to the very first ball he had received – sent down by Chapman, and, suddenly, Ninch were 124-6 after 31 overs.
Derrick Foan joined Carthew and the former club chairman played a superb supporting role with the pair adding 42 for the seventh wicket which became that of Foan who, having scored ten from 36 deliveries, was run out at the non-strikers end to leave Ninch 166-7 after 42 overs.
Pete Harmer became the seventh different player to bat with
Connor Carthew who, when on 96, looked for a second run, but was run out at the non strikers end. It was a disappointing end to a fabulous innings from Carthew who faced 133 deliveries in a wonderfully constructed shift with the bat.
With Carthew finally out, NInch were 172-8 after 43 overs. Liam Reed joined Harmer and Reed, who had been Man-of-the-Match in the Tuesday night T20 Club XI win at Nomansland near Tiverton, hit two fours in the final over – and there were four byes while he was at the strikers end, before, to the final delivery of the innings, he was bowled by Chapman – a third wicket for the home skipper and, with Pete Harmer not out four and Mark Perrott the only batsman not to see action, Ninch closed on 185-9 after their 45 overs.
The Sidmouth bowling figures were topped by skipper Chapman who returned 3-28 from a full shift of nine. Young Jack Rattenbury had figures of 2-22 from seven while the other wicket taking bowler was Tom Chaplin with 2-33 from nine. The others to bowl were Manav Singh (0-21 from eight), and Ollie Pugsley (0-42 from seven).
Paul Nott gave the new ball duties to Mark Perrott, who had bowled nine overs so far this season and Liam Reed, with one over in league cricket so far this term.
Perrott’s first two saw 10 dot balls and two four balls while Reed began with a maiden and then conceded two singles in his second over.
With the first ball of his third – and the fifth over of the innings – Perrott had Antony Cox well held by Ross Lawson and the home side were 10-1.
That brought Ollie Pugsley out to join Will Goodall and the pair saw their side through the first 10 overs (at the end of which Sidmouth were 29-1 – Ninch had been 34-1) – and then 20 overs (100-1 – Ninch had been 71-4 at the same stage).
Nott turned to Jordan Biss, Ross Lawson, Steve Bishop and Matt Jarrett, in a bid to find a second wicket and it did eventually come when, with the score on 133, Perrott held a catch off the bowling of Jarrett to end the knock of Pugsley who trooped back with a 63-ball 68 to his name.
Ten runs were added before a catch behind held by Connor Carthew gave Jordan Biss a deserved wicket to leave Sidmnouth 143-3 after 25.
Robbie Powell took over and he had slammed 21 off just 10 balls when he was run-out thanks to a wonderful throw from the deep sent in by Ross Lawson.
That all meant Sidmouth were 150-4 with the winning line in sight and some 20 overs still to be bowled.
There was to be one more success for Bradninch with a second Carthew catch giving Jarrett a second wicket, but by then, just 19 runs were needed and they were soon knocked off to leave Sidmouth crossing the winning line on 188-5 after 30.1 overs.
The Ninch bowling figures were: Matt Jarrett (2-30 from four), Mark Perrott (1-30 from 6.1 overs), Jordan Biss (1-66 from a full shift of nine overs), Ross Lawson (0-15 from two), Steve Bishop (0-27 from two) and Liam Reed (0-19 from seven).