The 1st XI took on Plymouth on matchday eight of the 2022 Tolchards Devon League Premier Division campaign with a large number of regulars unavailable.
Indeed, the XI that took to the pitch at Kensham Park saw no fewer than SEVEN changes from the team that had been in actions even days before at North Devon!
Chad Classen, who along with Josh Farley, Thom Bunker and Jack Horton, were the only players who had been on duty at Instow, was captain for the day and, after losing the toss, was invited to gat first by his opposite number.
With the threat of rain very much ‘on the agenda’, Josh Farley and Charlie Sheen opened the home innings and, after facing seven deliveries without being able to get off the mark, Farley fell to a catch held by Teddy Haffended off the bowling of Peter Lojszczyk. It all meant, a dozen deliveries into the contest, Ninch were a wicket down without a run on the board.
Sam Franks joined Charlie Sheen and run scoring remained ‘difficult’ with no fewer than 22 deliveries sent down before the opening run was on the score board!
Mind you, after just 25 deliveries the players were forced off the square as the heavens opened and it was almost two-and-a-half hours before play could resume, such was the volume of rain that fell in a short period of time!
After 10 overs, Ninch had moved to 24-1 but, to the final delivery of the 12th over, Sheen was caught by Adam Talbot off the bowling of Richard West and trooped back to the pavilion with a 36-ball 19.
Thom Bunker joined Franks and the pair took the home score to 48 when, to the final delivery of the 15th over, Franks was caught by Haffenden off the bowling of Sam Stein and sent back with a battling 40-ball 21 contribution.
Jack Horton was next in – and out, in his case caught by Talbot off the bowling of Stein for an eight-ball four which left the home batting effort on 61-4 after 17 overs.
Bunker was next to go, caught by Rob Bennett off the bowling of Matt Petherbridge for a 15-ball six which meant the home side were now 62-5 and, with the game reduced to a 30-overs-per-side contest, just a dozen overs remained for the score to be posted into the region of being ‘competitive’.
Skipper-for-the-day Classen was joined by Ankit Badwal and, after a watchful start, the pair began to put bat to ball with great effect. Indeed, in a period of 10 overs and five balls, they added 89 runs before, to the fourth ball of the 29th and penultimate over, Badwal fell for a 28-ball 40.
Classen fell in the final over, but not before he had chalked up his first half century for the club – the South African facing 43-balls for his contribution of 53 runs.
Ryan Shrewsberry and Josh Richards were the two not out batsmen at the close, each with one run to their name and Dave Penberthy and Vinny Clark were the only home players not to see action with the willow as Bradninch closed their 30 overs on 161-7.
There was more rain at Kensham Park which led to a ‘revised’ target of 146 runs from 27 overs, for the visiting side to attack.
Chad Classen took the new ball and there was a dramatic start to the Plymouth innings as Classen struck with second and fourth deliveries of the opening over to reduce the away side to one run for two wickets, six balls in!
First up, Classen had opener Haffended caught behind by wicket keeper Dave ‘Digger’ Penberthy who was holding a Premier Division catch for the first time since he last played at the top level some thirty years before!
Classen then trapped Jonathan Varcoe leg before to the second ball the new bat faced!
Amir Patel was joined by Jerome Bossr and the new bats saw Ankit Badwal, who shared the new ball work with Classen, bowl a maiden for the second over and, when Classen followed suite with his second over, Plymouth were 1-2 after three overs!
The Plymouth batters dug in and eventually began to get runs on the board. Charlie Sheen and Josh Farley became the first two bowling changes and the Thom Bunker was introduced as the fifth bowler and, with the score on 79, Farley struck with the third delivery of the 19th over to remove Patel thanks to a catch held by Badwal and the Plymouth batter was out for a 40-ball 15.
In the very next over, Classen held a catch to give Bunker his first premier wicket of the season as Bennett was sent back for a two-ball one.
Bunker struck again in the 22nd over, finally seeing an end to the hard-hitting Bossr who, having scored 83 off 77 balls, was caught by Jack Horton to leave Plymouth on 114-5 after 22 overs and now needing 32 runs from the final five overs.
Classen returned to bowl the 33rd over which yielded just four runs.
Bunker sent down the 34th which saw three successive dot balls before back-to-back singles and a four off the final delivery.
That left the score 124-5 with 22 runs now needed from three overs.
Josh Farley bowled the 35th over which went, four, one, one and then Talbott hit a six before, off the nest delivery, he had his stumps knocked over by Farley and now Plymouth were 137-6 needing nine from the last two overs.
Bunker sent down the 29th and penultimate over from which came three singles and a leg bye, there were also two dot balls.
And so, to the final over with Classen having ball in hand. The first delivery saw away skipper Richard West scamper a run and then Peter Lojszczyk managed a leg bye before, to the third ball of the over, West chanced his arm and the ball went to the boundary to bring Plymouth a narrow, final over victory.
As for those bowling figures, both Classen and Badwal served up bowling shifts to match their batting efforts.
The Badwal return was 0-14 from six overs while Classen’s return was 2-11 from 4.3 overs. The other returns were: Charlie Sheen (0-34 from six), Josh Farley (2-35 from five) and Thom Bunker (2-48 from five).