The 2nd XI banked 20 precious points as they won their E Division East game at Woodbury & Newton St Cyres by a margin of 53 runs.
There was one very special additional reason to celebrate this excellent 2nd XI victory and that was that, for the first time, probably in some eight years, was that the BCC 2nd XI fielded a 13-year-old who has come through the club’s youth section – take a bow Bobby Marsh.
Young Bobby went into bat at number six when the score was 96-4. He put on 33 for the fifth wicket with Sam Franks and then added another 27 for the sixth wicket with Paul Nott, before he fell for a splendid contribution of 12; his knock including a four in what was a 50-minute and 35-ball stay at the crease!
Thom Bunker became the sixth different player to skipper the 2nd XI and, when he lost the toss he and Will Birley went out to launch the Ninch batting effort.
However, both were back in the pavilion with just a dozen runs on the board – Birley bowled by a straight delivery sent down by Finlay Shipton – the opener out for seven and then Bunker perished, caught behind by Chris Collyer off the bowling of Ryan Harris, and out for two.
Dave Penberthy and Sam Franks then took the total to 74 before ‘Digger’ became the third wicket to fall, bowled by the leg spin of Mukesh Purohit, out for a 36-ball 19.
Franks was joined by Ryan Shrewsberry, but Shrew fell for just one, stumped by glovesman Collyer to give Purohit a second wicket, and, at 96-4, out strode 13-year-old Bobby Marsh for his senior debut.
The youngster got off the mark with a single before he also brought up the teams 100 with another single.
He helped Franks take the score to 129 before what had been another wonderful Sam Franks innings came to an end when he was caught and bowled by Purohit for a 71-ball 83 – his 50 coming off 46 balls. In his knock of 83 Franks hit 15 fours and one six.
Paul Nott joined young Marsh and the pair saw Ninch to within four runs of a fourth batting point when the brave knock from the youngster was finally ended as he was caught by Martin Pearce to give the experienced Ian Hughes his first wicket of the day.
Nott was joined by Ross Lawson and the latter put bat to ball with great effect – scoring 15 from the 16 balls he faced before he was the sixth wicket to fall with the total then 178-7; Lawson, who drilled a brace of fours, was out caught by young Will Reuben to give Hughes a second wicket.
Seven wickets down and still 22 runs shy of the all important fifth batting point; Nott was joined by Liam Reed and the pair saw Ninch safely passed the 200 run mark until, with the total on 224, having added 46 for the eighth wicket, Nott fell, agonisingly one run shy of what would have been a richly deserved half century.
The Devon Over-50s all-rounder faced 60 balls and hit five fours and a six in his 50-minute stay at the crease that saw him contribute 49 runs to the cause.
Six runs were added before Mark ‘Budgie’ Perrott became the ninth and final wicket to fall – ‘Budgie’ caught by Finlay Shipton off the bowling of Martin Pearce and, with Liam Reed unbeaten on a splendid 17 from just 15 deliveries and Pete Harmer not out two from seven, Ninch were able to close their 45 overs on 234-9.
For the home side, the best of the bowling returns was the 3-44 from a full shift of nine overs sent down by Mukesh Purohit. Ian Hughes (2-17 from five), Finlay Shipton (2-37 from nine), Ryan Harris (1-45 from nine) and Martin Pearce (1-52 from nine), were the other wicket takers and the other home bowler to turn his arm over was Will Reuben (0-32 from four).
Ryan Shrewsberry was given the new ball by skipper Thom Bunker and he struck with the third delivery of the innings, clean bowling Mukesh Purohit without the scorer being troubled. One for one, three balls in became 42-4 as Paul Nott knocked the stumps over to send back Ian Hughes for four and then Bunker himself removed Riordan Deehan-Jackson for 21 thanks to a catch behind held by Dave Penberthy and then had Jack Church caught at mid-on by Pete Harmer; the home youngster failing to get off the mark.
Chris Collyer was joined by Andy Smale and the latter, who had scored a 37-ball half century in the meeting between the teams earlier in the season, was again going well until, with 28 runs to his name, he skied a delivery from Will Birley into the safe hands of Mark Perrott and the home side were 89-5.
Richard Church joined Collyer and the pair took the attack to Ninch to such a degree that they had almost doubled the total when, with the score on 161, Collyer’s fine innings ended when he was bowled by Bunker having scored 52 from 72 balls faced. – his half century coming from 67 deliveries.
Bunker continued to shuffle his bowling pack. Indeed, he used seven different bowlers in all, but it was he who was the dominant wicket taker!
He claimed the seventh and eight, first having Ryan Harris dismissed for nine, caught by Paul Nott and then Bunker removed Martin Pearce without the scorers being troubled, this wicket thanks to a fine catch held by Ross Lawson. The latter also deserves special mention for another wonderful shift in the field. Lawson has swiftly earned himself the title of the 2nd XIs most athletic fielder, often going ‘above and beyond’ to deny the opposition runs!
The ninth wicket also had a Bunker influence when he held a smart catch to give Sam Franks his wicket and who else, but Bunker, claimed the final wicket with Mark Perrott again holding a catch.
Richard Church was the not out home batsman having scored a fine unbeaten 37 as Woodbury & Newton St Cyres were bowled out for 181 in 42 overs and two balls.
Bunker ended with six wickets for 27 runs from the 8.2 overs he sent down while the other Ninch figures were; Will Birley (1-8 from two), Ryan Shrewsberry (1-19 from five), Paul Nott (1-23 from a full shift of nine overs), Sam Franks (1-31 from six) while the two who did not gat a wicket, but played their part with the ball were; Liam Reed (0-17 from three) and Mark Perrott (0-49 from nine).
