Matchday five of the 2022 Tolchards Devon League Premier Division season saw Bradninch win a thrilling – and compelling – contest at Bovey Tracey.
There were ‘stars a plenty’ in the NInch ranks on the day. Dan Hardy for a superb shift with the bat that held the innings together to reach a score that, in the conditions, looked a competent one. Then there was another excellent shift with the ball from Ross Acton, another ‘captains effort’ from the cricketing ‘royal’ that Gary Chappell. A number of excellent catches – a diving effort held at slip by Tom Piper, a superb take low down by wicket keeper Darren Paul and a vital catch held in the deep by Dan Hardy in the last over – and last, but certainly not least, a controlled final over sent down by Mitch Pugh that ensured a happy – and victorious – trip home for the many Ninch supporters that travelled to follow the team.
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Rain delayed the start of the action at Bovey Tracey by just over two hours and, after losing the toss and being asked to bat first in what was reduced to a 30-overs-per-side contest, skipper Gary Chappell and Tim Piper launched the Ninch batting effort.
‘Chaps’ took 10 off the first over send down by Charles Hill. Elliott Adams was tasked with bowling from the opposite end and ‘Pipes’ played out five dot balls before despatching the final delivery of the over to the boundary.
The previous weekend both openers hit centuries in a 211-opening stand partnership, but this week they were parted with the score on 25, Piper having his stumps knocked over off the second ball of the fourth over sent down by Adams – the delivery before, Pipes had rifled to the boundary ropes.
Ross Acton took over, but he was soon back in the dressing rooms caught by Seb Ansley to give Adams his second wicket. Acton was out for a six-ball four and Ninch were 33-2. That was quickly 35-3, with Chappell caught by Toby Codd off the final delivery of the seventh over, sent down by Hill. The Ninch skipper was out for a 20-ball 21.
Mitch Pugh, who had come to the wicket at the fall of Ross Acton, was joined by Dan Hardy and the pair and, at the end of the eighth over, with 22 remaining, Ninch were 38-3.
Hill then sent the ninth over down as a maiden – Dan Hardy having a good look at things. The next over yielded four runs and so, at the end of the 10th over – one third through the innings – Ninch were 42-3.
Despite the run-a-ball return from the skipper, batting did not look easy and, at the end of the 11th over, Pugh was on six, scored off 13 balls while Hardy, having faced 15 balls, was not out three and the partnership was one of 10 runs from 24 deliveries.
With the bowlers using a cloth to dry the ball, it was clear to see why the home skipper had had no hesitation in inviting the visiting side to bat!
Seb Ansley had been the first change in terms of the home bowling, sending down the ninth over and it was spinner Will Christophers who became second change when he bowled the 13th over.
Pugh took a single off the 13th over to see Bradninch to 50 and, at the end of the 15th over, the halfway mark of the Ninch batting effort, the score was 59-3 and, in the over, Pugh struck a four, the first time the boundary had been reached in 59 deliveries – underlining just how tough batting was!
Drinks were taken and the 16th over was then sent down by Seb Ansley and nine runs came from, the final ball being driven to the mid-off boundary by Hardy.
Spinner Christophers spent some time ‘drying’ the ball before delivering the 17th over which went for four runs. At the start of the 18th over, both Pugh (21) and Hardy (16) had faced 32 balls.It was to the final delivery of the 18th over – sent down by Toby Codd, that saw the end of Pugh, stumped by Lewis Hammett and out for a 37-ball 26 to leave the Ninch score on 82-4.
Thom Bunker was in at six and he was off the mark from the third ball he faced and it all left Ninch on 84-4 off 19 overs with 11 to face.
Hardy sent the final delivery of the 21st over to the boundary to leave the score 94-4 with Hardy on 24(39) and Bunker on 5(12).Just three runs – all singles – came from the 22nd over – two of them to Bunker and one to Hardy.
In the 23rd over, Bunker played out four successive dot balls to Christophers before looking to hit out and he was bowled and, with the very next delivery the Bovey bowler sent back Chad Classen for a golden duck, again hitting the stumps, leaving Ninch, at the end of the 23rd over, on 97-6.
Eliot Acton was next man in and, after Hardy got a two and then a one of the first two deliveries of the 24th over sent down by Codd, Acton played out four dots.After 25 overs Ninch were 104-6 with Acton getting off the mark to the sixth ball he faced.
The 26th over yielded six singles and so, with four overs to go, Ninch were 110-6 with Hardy on 33 (52) and Acton on 4 (9).
The Hardy knock ended to the third delivery of the 27th over when he was bowled by Seb Ansley and trooped back with 34 runs to his name from 54 balls faced.Josh Farley joined Acton and the new batsman played out the rest of the over, at the end of which, Ninch were 112-7.
Farley survived a run-out scare before, having scored one, he was run out at the non-strikers end, departing for one with the score then 116-8 with one ball left in the 28th.
Darren Paul joined Acton to see out the final 13 deliveries of the innings and both were unbeaten at the end of the 30 overs; Acton not out 15 from 19 balls faced in a 28-minute stay at the crease while Paul was not out five from eight balls faced and Bradninch ended their 30 overs on 132-8.
In terms of the bowling figures for Bovey Tracey, two bowlers bagged a brace of wickets in the maximum six overs allowed in a 30-over contest – Will Christophers (2-21) and Elliott Adams (2-25) and the other wicket takers were Seb Ansley (1-24), Charles Hill (1-25) and Toby Codd (1-31).
With the home side requiring 133 to win at 4.43 runs per over, their batting effort was launched by Jake Pascoe and Will Christophers while the new ball duties were given by Gary Chappell to Chad Classen and Ross Acton.
South African Classen sent down the first over which went for just two singles and then Acton went for a one, a two and, with a wide, the home side were 6-0.
In his second over, Classen went for five. Over three was where the Ninch wicket taking began as Acton struck with the third ball, having Christophers caught by Tim Piper for a 12-ball seven – the catch, a superb diving effort held by Piper.Ed Foreman took over and he rifled the final ball of the fourth over to the boundary.
Classen’s third over, the fifth of the innings, saw five dots and just a single and then, in the sixth over – the third sent down by ‘Roscoe’, he first knocked over the Foreman stumps and then sent the home side’s Afghan Munir Kakar packing for a second ball duck – superbly held low down off a heavy snick, by glovesman Darren Paul, and, at the end of the sixth over Bovey Tracey were 17-3.
Classen’s fourth mirrored his third, five dots and a single and, with the eighth over – Actons fourth – going for a single and four leg byes, it meant, at the start of the ninth over, the home side were 23-3.
Mitch Pugh, as first change, bowled the ninth which went for just two runs and with the 10th over, a fifth from Acton, going for a leg bye and a single, it meant, as Pugh started his second over, the reply was 27-3 with a quarter of the overs gone.
There was just the one scoring shot in Pugh’s second – a four hit by opener Jake Pascoe and, with home skipper Lewis Hammett scoring the one boundary shot – Bovey began the 14th over on 37-3Having bowled his full shift of six overs, three-wicket Acton gave way for Craig Penberthy who went for six – a four, a single and a wide.
Ninch skipper Gary Chappell introduced himself as third change to send down the 15th over (at the end of which, had the home side been ‘up with the required run rate – they’d have been on 65) and, after his first set of six balls which went for two singles and one two, Bovey were on 47-3 as drinks were taken.
At drinks, Pascoe was not out 22 from 41 balls faced in an hour long stay at the wicket while home skipper Hammett was not out six from 27 balls faced in a 33-minute stint at the wicket. Interestingly, at the same stage of the Bradninch innings, the score was 59-3!
Penberthy sent down the first over after drinks and it yielded four runs before, from the opposite end, Gary Chappell bowled the 17th, sending down and, after three dot balls, the Ninch skipper trapped his opposite number leg before with Hammett departing for a 34-ball nine to leave his side 51-4 with two balls of the 17th over remaining.
Ashley Causey joined Pascoe and saw out the final two deliveries to leave Chappell with a wicket maiden.
Over 18 was sent down by Penberthy and, with the fifth ball of the over he had the crucial wicket of Pascoe – this wicket a second catch for Tim Piper and, as the 19th over began, Thomas Andrew was the new batsman. Causey played out the final ball of the over and, in successive overs the game had seen wicket maidens to leave the home side on 51-5, still needing 82 from the final 12 overs and with only five wickets to play with.
Chappell then sent down ANOTHER maiden and that meant that not a single run had been scored while two wickets had been taken across 21 deliveries!
That sequence ended when, with the first ball of the 20th over, Penberthy was adjudged to have bowled a wide, but the very next ball it was back to ‘dot ball bowling’!Indeed, when the 20th over was done, Bovey were 53-5 and now needed 80 from the final 60 balls of the contest.
After sending down the first ball of the 21st over Chappell sunk to his knees in disbelief when appeals for a leg before were turned down – glovesman Paul had been equally ‘convinced’.
However, it was soon to be further joy for the Ninch skipper when, with the fourth ball of the over, he knocked over the stumps to send back Thomas Andrew for a 10-ball duck and now the home side were 54-6.
Charles Hill was the new batsman and he played out the final two deliveries leaving Bovey 54-6. As a comparison – at the same stage of their innings, Bradninch had been 94-4.
Penberthy was tasked with bowling the 22nd over and it went for 10 – eight runs off the bat plus a wide and a leg bye.
Over number 23 was delivered by Chappell and it went for only four runs – a two and two singles – which all meant that the home side were 68-6 with seven overs remaining. Penberthy had the ball in hand for over number 24 which went for eight – a four, two singles and two wides and so, with six overs to go, Bovey needed 57 runs.
Ninch skipper Chappell saw the first ball of his sixth – and final over – hit for four by Causely who then got a single, but that meant Chappell again had Ansley in his sights and, with the third delivery he got the Bovey batsman leg before to leave the home side seven down. With the very next delivery, Chappell castled new batsman Toby Codd for a golden duck and suddenly, the home side were eight down with Chappell on 4-14 with two balls left of his six over spell!
Elliott Adams was the next man in and he saw out the over, getting off the mark with a single from the final ball and the 25th over ended with Bovey Tracey on 82-8.
Mitch Pugh was recalled to bowl the 26th which saw the home side get four singles and a leg bye and, as the 27th over began, Bovey were 87-8 which meant the home side needed to find 46 runs from 24 balls to nett an unlikely win while Ninch needed two more wickets to maximise the bowling bonus points.
Chad Classen came back to send down the 27th over from which a dozen runs came leaving the home side 100-8 and now 33 runs were needed from three overs.
Back to Pugh for the 28th over which yielded a single, followed by another single and then a leg bye and a boundary (four) before a dot ball and then finally a two leaving Bovey now needing 24 runs to win with two overs to go.
The penultimate over was down to Chad Classen and. After a single he then went for a four and then a dot ball before success fours all meant that we reached the final over of the contest with the home side needing 10 runs to win!
Two and then a one – seven to win off four. Then a leg bye before a catch in the deep held by Dan Hardy to end the wonderful innings of Asley Causey, out for a 42-ball 46. This brought last man Charles Hill to the wicket with Elliott Adams on strike with a dozen runs from as many deliveries. Two balls to be bowled and six runs needed for a home win. Pugh bowled a dot ball with the penultimate delivery of the match and, when Adams could only muster a single off the final ball, Bovey were left on 128-9 leaving Bradninch as winners by a margin of three runs – what a game!
The Bradninch bowling figures were: Gary Chappell (4-15), Ross Acton (3-12), Mitch Pugh (1-27), Craig Penberthy (1-29) and Chad Classen (0-36).