Bradninch & Kentisbeare Ladies were beaten by a margin of 111 runs when they entertained Exmouth Ladies in a Devon Womens League Division Two fixture at a sunny (and hot) Kensham Park.
After winning the toss, home skipper Meg Acton invited her opposite number to send her batsmen into action and the Exmouth openers Eloise Escott and Katelyn Clark took the score to 31 when, with the first ball of the ninth over, Florence Elliott, called into bowling action as the first change, knocked over the stumps protected by Clark to send the opener back for a 22-ball, one boundary, 14.
Olivia Smith was in next – and out next – caught by a smart catch held by Carrian Jones off her own bowling. That left the score on 38-1 halfway through the tenth over.
Sharon Dawkins was the next batter in and she and Eloise Escott took their side into three figures before, with the score on 114, Escott fell to a catch held by Megan Acton off the bowling of Heather Stanbury with the number four bat sent back to the Pavilion having scored 45 from 80 balls faced in a 104 minute stay at the wicket.
The third wicket partnership was a good one – adding 76 runs in just shy of 16 overs.
Jasmyne Watson joined Dawkins and the pair put together what, ultimately, proved to be a winning total, taking the score to 197 – adding 83 in just 50 balls.
Watson fell to the first ball of the 34th and penultimate over, but not before scoring a six boundary (she hit five fours and one six), 30-ball 41.
The fine Watson innings was ended by a fine catch held by Yvonne Jackson off the bowling of Meg Acton.
There was still time for another visiting wicket to be claimed with Laila Escott well caught by Emma Farley (who fielded superbly throughout) to give Roxy Phillips a wicket.
The Exmouth innings ended on 211-4 with number four bat Dawkins trooping off with her wicket intact having been at the wicket for 109 minutes, scoring 63 from 76 balls and she hit half-a-dozen fours.
Louise Timlin was the other not out bat with one run to her name.
In terms of the home bowling effort, the best of the returns was the 0-21 from the seven overs that Yvonne Jackson sent down – wicketless she may have been but, in the context of an innings that ended with six-runs-per-over, her ‘economy’ of 3.00 was very impressive.
In terms of the wicket taking bowlers: Carrian Jones took 1-38 from seven, Florence Elliott’s return was 1-46 from seven, Heather Stanbury had 1-33 from seven, Roxy Phillips had 1-20 from two and skipper Meg Acton, who had a return of 1-20 from three. The other bowler into action was Victoria West (0-29 from two).
The B&K run chase was led by Yvonne Jackson and Emma Farley and they saw their side to a ‘respectable’ start, reaching 58 when Jackson fell to the penultimate ball of the 18th over.
Jackson was trapped leg before by Olivia Smith and she trooped off having scored 33 (hitting seven fours) from the 61 balls she faced.
Farley was joined by Florence Elliott, but the latter was bowled by Laila Escott and sent back for a three-ball duck.
That left B&K on 59-2 midway through the 19th over. Skipper Meg Acton paired up with young Farley and the skipper took the attack to the visitors scoring 19 off just a dozen balls faced (she hit four fours), but, with the total on 84, Acton fell to the final delivery of the 22nd over, caught by Debbie Chilcott off the bowling of Tory Bloom.
The fine knock of Emma Farley ended in the very next over when she was bowled by Laila Escott and sent back having scored 30 from 61 deliveries in an 82-minute stay at the crease.
The loss of Farley left B&K on 88-4 and it was quickly 88-5 with Sarah Stanbury bowled by the first delivery she faced with Tory Bloom the successful bowler.
Just five runs were added when Paula Rovira became the sixth wicket to fall, in her case dismissed for a 9-ball three, her wicket taken by a straight delivery from Debbie Chilcott.
Two runs were added before the seventh wicket was snared, this time that of Victoria West, bowled by Tory Bloom.
Heather Stanbury was joined by number nine bat Justine Reed and the pair took the score to 106 when, to the first delivery of the 33rd over, Stanbury fell to a catch held by Laila Escott off the bowling of Sharon Dawkins – Stanbury having faced 32 balls for her two runs.
Number 10 bat Carrian Jones joined Reed in the middle and the pair ensured that no further wickets were lost as the home innings closed on 111-8 after their 35 overs.
Jones was not out one, scored from six balls faced w
hile Reed trooped off at stumps without a run to her name, but she had achieved a ‘moral victory’ in as much as she faced 23 balls in her 31 minutes at the wicket and that number of balls faced was bettered only by openers Yvonne Jackson and Emma Farley, who both faced 61 balls and number eight bat Heather Stanbury who faced 32 balls.
For Exmouth and their bowling returns, undoubtedly the ‘pick’ was the 3-6 from the four overs delivered by Tory Bloom while Laila Escott returned figures of 2-30 from six and the other successful bowlers were; Olivia Smith (1-17) from four and Debbie Chilcott (1-5 from three) and Sharon Dawkins (1-4 from three).
The others to bowl were: Jasmyne Watson (0-10 from her six overs – she opened the bowling and sent down three maidens), Nadine Gillespie (0-28 from six) and Eloise Escott (0-8 from three).
Teams.
Bradninch & Kentisbeare: Meg Acton (Capt), Justine Reed (Wicketkeeper), Yvonne Jackson, Emma Farley, Florence Elliott, Meg Acton, Sarah Stanbury, Paula Rovira, Victoria West, Heather Stanbury, Carrian Jones, Roxy Phillips
Exmouth CC: Nadine Gillespie*, Tegan Gilham†, Olivia Smith, Sharon Dawkins, Eloise Escott, Jasmyne Watson, Debbie Chilcott, Tory Bloom, Louise Timlin, Laila Escott, Katelyn Clark
Umpires: B Thompson & Kevin Gilliam
Scorer: Mark Stanbury