The 2nd XI suffered a heavy defeat when they made the short trip to Kentisbeare for the 10th game of the Tolchards Devon League E Division campaign.
It was very much a case of ‘a good toss to win’ for whoever did win the toss would decide to bat and condemn the opposition to spend the afternoon chasing leather beneath a clear sky and blazing sunshine!
Will Birley became the fourth different player to skipper the clubs 2nd XI this league campaign and he lost the toss which meant the home team were able to bat first.
Their openers, skipper Harvey Sanders and Chris Gillett gave the Kents a superb start as they reached the first drinks break (two were taken after each set of 15 overs owing to the excessive heat) with the score board showing 90-0.
That became 140-0 in the 22nd over before Ankit Badwal struck with the first ball of his third over in his second spell, knocking over the stumps of Gillett who had scored 26 of the 144 he and skipper Sanders put on for the first wicket! Scott Chappell came in at three, but just seven runs were added before Sanders fell, agonisingly for him, six runs shy of a century when he looked for a single but slipped and, as he struggled to get back into his crease, Will Birley hit the stumps with a direct throw from some 25 metres!
Sanders faced 71 balls in his innings, hitting seven fours and eight sixes. Neil Farley was next man in – and out, bowled by fourth change bowler Ryan Shrewsberry with eight runs to his name and, as he trooped off the scoreboard showed 174-3 after 30 overs.
Tom Bendall came in at number five to join Chappell and this is when the ‘real fireworks’ began! Bendall faced a dot ball before getting off the mark with a four and he then hit three sixes in four deliveries, motoring to a 50 in just 20 balls.
The hitting from Bendall continued. Indeed, he had hit 11 sixes and five fours when, with his score on 98, he was stumped by Dave ‘Dogger’ Penberthy to give Liam Reed his first wicket. Bendall had faced just 39 balls for his 98!
That wicket came with the score 334-4 – Bendall and Chappell had adder 160 in just a dozen overs! That Bendall wicket came in the 42nd over and was followed by a flurry of wickets as Seth Findlay was caught by Jordan Biss off the bowling of Ankit Badwal and with the score still on 335, Chappell succumbed to a straight delivery from Badwal and he was out for a run-a-ball 57. There was to be another wicket for Liam Reed who bowled Marcus Busch for two and the eighth and final wicket was snared by Ankit Badwal who bowled Tom Martin for seven to leave Kentisbeare closing their 45 overs with the bat on 359-8.
Ankit Badwal took the bowling honours with figures of 4-42 from a full shift of nine overs and Liam Reed picked up a brace of wickets to finish with figures of 2-29. The other figures were; James Mills (0-43 from nine), Nick Acton (0-76 from nine), Mark Perrott (0-54 from five), Will Birley (0-27 in two) and Ryan Shrewsberry (1-77 from nine).
In that Kentisbeare total of 359-8 they hit no fewer than TWENTY-THREE sixes and they were also helped by Bradninch bowling a MAMMOTH FOURTY-SEVEN wides!
Will Birley and Jordan Biss launched the reply, but, with the score on five, Biss was bowled by Tom Martin for two and Birley was soon back in the hutch with him, caught off his glove by wicketkeeper Scott Chappell off the bowling of Marcus Busch. The skipper was out for six and Ninch were 17-2 after five overs.
It was soon 24-3 with Ankit Badwal, having scored five, holing out to the safe hands of Busch off the bowling of Martin.
Connor Carthew was next man in – and out – bowled by Busch having scored 10 to leave the score on 38-4. Ryan Shrewsberry joined Dave Penberthy who had come to the wicket at the loss of opener Biss. Shrewsberry and Penberthy combined well, but, with the score on 69, Shrewsberry , having scored 22, was caught behind off Tom Bendall.
James Mills joined Penberthy and they took the score to 104 when, having scored 10, Mills was caught in the deep by Chris Gillett off the bowling of Phil Chappell. Six runs were added when Nick Acton, having hit a straight six, was trapped leg before by Chappell off the very next delivery he faced and now Nich were 110-7.
Max Cooper joined Penberthy and the pair batted superbly together. Cooper, making his first appearance of the season for the team, helped Penberthy take the team to a fourth batting point when, with the score on 160, Cooper was bowled by Martin and trooped back with 16 runs to his name.
The pair had added 50 for the eighth wicket and that beat the previous best this season in the 2nd XI for the eighth wicket by seven runs!
Mark Perrott was next man in – and out – trapped leg before by Martin for eight to leave Ninch on 173-9. Last man Liam Reed joined Penberthy who, having scored a magnificent 75, was bowled by Freddie Gillett and Ninch were all out for 181 in 35.1 overs with Liam Reed the not out bat on four.
The Kentisbeare bowling honours went to Tom Martin (4-50 from nine overs). The ‘best of the rest’ was the 2-31 from six overs sent down by Phil Chappell and Marcus Busch also bagged a brace with his return being 2-36 from nine. Tom Bendall (1-32 from five), skipper Harvey Sanders (0-25 from five) and Freddie Gillett (1-1 from one over and one ball), were the others to bowl for the home side.