Bradninch 1st XI reached the halfway stage of the 2022 Tolchards Devon League Premier Division season with a fourth win of the campaign – a three wicket success at a Heathcoat side who, until the previous week, had been leading the top flight table.
After winning the toss at Knightshayes, Bradninch skipper Gary Chappell opted to field first and the new ball duties were given to Chad Classen and Ross Acton.
Pete Randerson and Liam Lewis opened the home batting and the first 10 overs ended with the home openers still in situ and 27 runs on the board.
Mitch Pugh took over from Classen to bowl the 11th over and, the opening wicket was snared when, with the first delivery of the 12th over – his sixth – Acton trapped Lewis leg before with the home opener out for a 41-ball 19 leaving Heathcoat on 32-1.
Lightning does strike twice for, with the first ball of his seventh over, Acton repeated what he had done minutes before, this time trapping Randerson leg before with the Heathcoat captain out for a 28-ball 12 and his team now 41-2.
The score moved on to 68-2 after 24 overs with skipper Chappell now bowling in tandem with Josh Farley. Indeed, it was Farley with the final ball of the 25th over, who claimed the third Heathcoat wicket, holding a return catch off his own bowling to send back Jamie Drew for a 51-ball 18 to leave the home side on 69-3.
Chappell and Farley then sent down back-to-back maidens before Chappell bowled the 28th over which yielded just two runs and then, with the first ball of the 29th over, Farley struck again having Sammy Broomhead stumped by glovesman Darren Paul with the home batsman sent back having scored one from 10 balls faced to leave the score on 71-4.
Midway through the 32nd over, Chappell had Simon Sobczak caught by Chad Classen and sent packing for a 51-ball nine to leave Heathcoat on 79-5 after 32 overs.
It was soon 81-7 with Chappell striking twice in the 34th over, first bowling Harry Southgate for a 12-ball five and, four balls later he had Malcolm Cloete caught by Tim Piper and out for a nine-ball duck!
With Chappell and Farley bowled out, the Bradninch skipper tuned back to Classen and Pugh and it was the South African who struck next, clean bowling Tom Hatton for an 11-ball six and in the very next over, Pugh claimed two wickets in three balls to wrap up the home batting effort.
Pugh struck with the first ball of the 40th over, having Ed Butler caught by Joshua Farley for a 22-ball nine and then, after a dot ball, Pugh had Jack Menheneott caught behind by Darren Paul and our for a second ball duck to leave Heathcoat bowled out for 98 in 39.3 overs.
The Bradninch bowling honours went to skipper Gary Chappell with the splendid figures of 3-11 from nine overs. Josh Farley was a close second with equally impressive figures of 2-12 from eight.
The other bowling figures were: Mitch Pugh (2-20 from 6.3), Ross Acton (2-27 from nine) and Chad Classen (1-23 from seven overs).
Skipper Chappell and Josh Farley launched the Bradninch reply, but they were separated with the score on 15 with Chappell caught by Liam Lewis off the bowling of Matt Hague and sent back with just eight runs to his name, scored off 19 balls. Sam Franks was next in – and out – caught behind by glovesman Peter Randerson off the bowling of Malcolm Cloete and out for a second ball duck.
That left the reply on 17-2 and it was soon 30-3 with Josh Farley bowled by Cloete and out for a 29-ball 12.
Ross Acton joined Mitchell Pugh and the pair took the score to 44 when Pugh nicked one behind to Pete Randerson off the bowling of Jack Menheneott, trooping back having faced 53 deliveries for his 19 runs.
It was soon 49-5 with the loss of Ross Acton, also caught behind by the Heathcoat skipper; Acton out for a 29-ball nine.
Tim Piper was joined by Chad Classen and they took the score to 71 when the South African fell for a 30-ball eight, caught by Liam Lewis off the bowling of Jamie Drew.
Ankit Badwal was next in – and out – caught by Lewis off the bowling of Cloete and suddenly, Bradninch were 83-7, needing 19 runs to net a crucial win!
Thom Bunker joined Piper and the pair guided their side to a superb victory with Piper drilling the fifth ball of the 38th over to the boundary to seal a three-wicket win!
Malcolm Cloete took the bowling honours for the home side with figures of 3-12 from nine overs while it was a case of a single wicket for each of the other four home bowlers that saw action.