It’s now nine straight wins since a matchday two defeat at home to Cornwood and the ninth successive victory came at Cornwood on the second Saturday of July thanks to another fine all-round team performance – though special mention for Dan Hardy, Madawa Warnapura and Justin Wubbeling, with the bat and Josh Farley, Jon Triner and Joe Gillett, with the ball, as the home side were beaten by a margin of 86 runs.
It all means that, with 19 points banked, our 1st XI head into this coming Saturday’s (July 20) matchday 12 meeting with Sidmouth at Kensham Park, sitting nine points clear of second-placed Sandford.
With skipper Gary Chappell, Mitch Pugh, Ross Acton and Andrew Buzzard all missing the ‘strength’ in depth at the club came to the fore as the eleven who took to the field at Cornwood would show – and in some style!
Eliot Acton, skippering in the absence of the regular 1st XI leader, did something that the unfortunate Gary Chappell so often seems to call incorrectly this season (he does everything else to the point of perfection mind you!) – in as much as the toss was won and the home side were invited to head out into the field.
Teenager Theo Lamey and Tim Piper opened the innings but both were back in the pavilion with the scoreboard showing 27 runs with the openers scoring seven and thirteen respectively.
This meant that the previous weeks batting excellence from Dan Hardy and Madawa Warnapura was once again able to come to the fore.
‘Bandu’ as he is more affectionately known, and Hardy have now batted twice together in Devon League cricket and have accumulated 310 runs!
After putting on 192 against Plympton, the pair put on 118 for the third wicket at Cornwood before ‘Bandu’ fell for a 65-ball seven boundary 57.
Justin Wubbeling took over and he put bat to ball with clinical effect hitting a six and four fours in a 22-ball unbeaten 37.
Hardy was once again in imperious form with the bat and, when the innings closed prematurely – 38 of the standard 50 overs were bowled – owing to the weather, the pair had added 68 in double-quick time with Hardy not out 81, hitting four sixes and five fours in his 81 as B&K closed on 213-3.
The home side made a good fist of things at the start of the run chase, but the weather bit into the contest once again and, faced with a ‘revised target’ of 228 from 38 overs, Cornwood were eventually bowled out for 141 in one ball shy of 29 overs.
Skipper Acton gave the new ball work to arguably the clubs youngest ever 1st XI new ball attack – teenagers Joe Gillett and South African Nic Bayly.
Young Gillett bagged a pair of wickets thanks to catches held by Justin Wubbeling and Will Squire with his return being 2-35 from six overs while young Bayly’s return was 0-21 from seven.
‘Bandu’ (0-22 from three), was first change, but it was second change Jon Triner and third change Josh Farley who combined to bundle out the hosts. Triner finished with figures of three for 28 from seven overs, but the undoubted ‘star’ of the bowling show was Josh Farley who returned wonderful figures of 5-30 from 5.5 overs.
The Farley ‘fivefer’ was helped by a smart stumping from Wubbeling while he hit the stumps three times and Triner also held a catch while Triner’s brace were both as a result of the stumps being knocked over!