For the second time in just under 24-hours Bradninch & Kentisbeare 1st XI were involved in a compelling (and thrilling) finish as they won their Devon T20 Cup match at Premier Division, unbeaten leaders Sandford, by a margin of just three runs and, just as he had done the day before, Dan Hardy sent down the final over of the day to deny the home side the total of runs that they required to make progress themselves!
Whilst the day before it had been at The Fortfield, Sidmouth, today it was Creedy Park, Sandford and, with just one over to go and the home side requiring only 10 runs to win with three wickets to play with.
Ball one was a dot ball, two runs were gleaned from delivery two and the third ball went for a single bye which meant, with three balls to go, the target was down to six runs and with three wickets to play with!
Advantage the home side? No chance! Hardy’s fourth ball went for two – four runs needed from two…….with the penultimate delivery of the contest Hardy knocked over thr stumps to leave Sandford 149-8, now needing five to win, but the final delivery saw thew home side scramble a single before a run-out to leave them 150-9 and B&K winners by that margin of three runs!
Earlier it was two superb half centuries from Tim Piper and Yuvraj Singh that under pinned the B&K total of 153-5. The pair added 118 for the second wicket after the early loss of skipper Gary Chappell who fell for a rare second ball duck. Piper went on to score 68 from 56 balls, hitting 10 fours while Singh faced just 45 balls for his 54 runs and he hit three fours and as many sixes. There was one more double figure score, that being the 11 from nine balls scored by Andrew Buzza and Theo Lamey was unbeaten on eight at the close, the youngster’s runs coming from seven deliveries.
When Sandford batted home skipper Jackson Thompson announced serious intent as he hit balls three, four, five and six sent of the first over sent down by Yuvraj Singh to the boundary.
Mitch Pugh was tasked with bowling the second over and, after shipping a single off the first ball he had Thompson caught by Justin Wubbeling to leave the home side 17-1, eight balls into their reply.
Adam Walker joined Adrian Small and they took the run chase to 60 when, with the final ball of the seventh over, and the last ball of his first over, skipper Gary Chappell trapped Walker leg before.
In his very next over, the skipper repeated the action as he trapped Small leg before, leaving Sandford 67-3 and it became 93-4 and 103-5 as Dan Hardy caught and bowled James Theedom for a run-a-ball 15 and then a Tim Piper catch gave Josh Farley the wicket of Praison Alias for an 18-ball 21.
Tom Gidney then fell, stumped by Justin Wubbeling too see Farley to a second wicket, that the final ball of the 16th over which meant, at the start of the 17th over, the home side sat on 119-6, now requiring 34 runs from 24 deliveries.
Mitch Pugh struck next, clean bowling Jack Ford for a 21-ball 18 with the penultimate delivery of the 19th over to leave the home side on 140-7 – and so to that dramatic final over and Dan Hardy – Part II!
In terms of the B&K bowling returns, The pick of them were arguably the 2-9 from two sent down by Dan Hardy. Josh Farley had a return of 2-22 from three and skipper Gary Chappell’s return was 2-23 from four. Yuvraj Singh sent down a full complement of four overs for his 1-43 while the Mitch Pugh return – he also sent down four – was 2-31 and the other person to bowl was Andrew Buzza with his return being 0-15 from three.