On a day when title rivals Sandford scraped a single wicket win at bottom-of-the-table Plympton – the winning run being scored off the penultimate ball of the 49th over – Bradninch & Kentisbeare slipped to a disappointing defeat at Heathcoat and the 35-run defeat also means we conceded the leadership of the Tolchards Devon Cricket League top flight table with Sandford the new leaders by the smallest of margins – a single point.
What makes the defeat all the more galling is the fact that the home side, who were put in by stand-in skipper Eliot Acton, had slipped to 69-6 inside 18 overs before recovering to close on 173 all out with two overs of the regular fifty still to be bowled.
Skipper Acton was helped by a superb opening spell of new-ball bowling from Mitch Pugh who, supported by a master class of slip cordon catching – Tim Piper and Eliot Acton each holding two slip catches – returned a four wicket haul as the home side, who won the toss and opted to bat, slipped to 65-4 after the opening 16 overs that were sent down by Ross Acton and Pugh.
Skipper Acton then threw the ball to Jon Triner to take on the role of ‘first change’ and Triner struck the stumps with his very first ball to leave the hosts with 65 runs on the board and half their side back in the pavilion inside 100 deliveries!
Theo Lamey was the second change bowler and, like Triner, he made an instant impact with wicket keeper Dan Hardy pouching a catch and, after 19 overs, the Knightshayes men were 71-6.
Andrew Buzza and Josh Farley became bowling changes three and four as the seventh wicket pairing of Jamie Drew and Jesse-James Albanie rallied the home side, taking them to a three-figure total in the 26th over, at the end of which the score was 106-6.
However, with the score on 113, Tim Piper held his third catch of the afternoon – this one a stunning catch at first slip – to see Andrew Buzza to his wicket with Albanie out for a 37-ball 33 – Albanie and Drew adding 44 for the seventh wicket, that the most profitable wicket partnership for the home side in the innings.
At the end of 30 overs (with 20 to be bowled), the score board was showing 128-7.
Mitch Pugh was recalled to send down the 32nd over – his ninth as he sought a fifth wicket – he went for just one, that a wide, though keeper Dan Hardy made a superb stop to prevent the ball going to the boundary for more wides.
The home side reached 150 without further loss of wicket and, as the 41st over began, Heathcoat were 154-7. The eighth wicket partnership then topped that of the seventh wicket as Jamie Drew and Finn Stoneman chalked up a 50-run partnership when Drew took a single off the third delivery of the 43rdover sent down by Andrew Buzza.
With four overs to go, Heathcoat were 170-7, and that represented quite a recovery – one led by Jamie Drew – that had seen them a troubled 69-6 after 18 overs!
Ross Acton was recalled to send down the 47th over and he struck with the third ball having Drew caught behind – a second catch of the afternoon held by wicket keeper Dan Hardy – Drew out for a 107-ball fifty.
With the very next delivery Acton clean bowled Joe Hancock and suddenly the home side were 170-9.
Jon Triner sent down the 48th over and in it he collected his second wicket, this one thanks to a catch held by Josh Farley and Heathcoat’s innings closed on 173 after 48 overs.
The bowling honours were claimed by Mitch Pugh with his return being 4-25 from 10 overs while the Ross Acton return was 2-41 from 10. Jon Triner’s return was an impressive 2-28 from six while Andrew Buzza (1-27 from 10) and Theo Lamey (1-10 from one), were the other wicket takers while Josh Farley was the unlucky bowler on the day as he was wicket less with his return being a very economical 0-30 from 10.
Mitch Pugh and Tim Piper began the run chase and the pair put on 35 when Pugh fell to a catch off the third ball of the eighth over and was sent back with a run-a-ball twelve to his name.
Piper was joined by Dan Hardy, but the in-form Hardy was this time forced to endure a short-stay at the wicket – he was bowled and sent back for a second ball duck. It got worse for the run chase in the very next over with Piper sent back – caught and dismissed for a 30-ball 13 to leave the reply on 35-3 after nine overs.
Madawa Warnapura (Bandu) and Theo Lamey took over and they steadied things though scoring runs was not proving easy. With the score on 60 young Lamey fell for seven (scored off 30 balls) and this brought Josh Farley out to join Bandu and, having hit his first ball for four, it meant that, as the 20th over got underway, the run chase stood on 64-4 with 110 more runs required from the remaining 30 overs.
However, after adding 25 with Bandu, Josh Farley became the fifth wicket to fall when he was out for a 33-ball 13, caught off the final delivery of the 28th over.
Jon Triner and Andrew Buzza both succumbed to deliveries that knocked their stumps over to leave the reply in a whole heap of trouble on 94-7 with two deliveries of the 31st over remaining – three wickets falling in the space of 17 balls for the addition of nine runs – eight of them scored by Bandu.
Hope sprang eternal with the fact that Bandu was still at the wicket and he was joined by Ross Acton coming in at number nine. The pair took the score to 129 – adding 35 – the joint highest wicket partnership of the innings – matching the 35 runs for starters put on by Mitch Pugh and Tim Piper. However, with the score on 129 Acton was run out and sent back to the pavilion having scored a 34-ball 14.
Skipper Eliot Acton joined Bandu, but 16 balls later and with eight runs added to the total, Acton was caught out and dismissed for a 15-ball two. With last man Mark Perrott then trapped leg before to the very next ball it all meant B&K were bowled out for 138 in 46 overs and two balls with Bandu as the not out batsman, unbeaten on 58, scored from 107 deliveries during a 165-minute stay at the crease.