Post date: Aug 23, 2015 9:04:18 AM
The last home game for the super twos saw Feniton visit a damp Millaton. With a wet week preceding and a poor forecast on Friday combined with no home game last week, the Theatre of Dreams was not well prepared when Saturday morning arrived. Dryer than expected and with the forecast suggesting more hope, a last minute pitch was prepared and surveying the fruits of their labour, James and Charlie thought that 75 would probably be a winning score.
Skipper Jutson has actually created the almost incredible record of losing every toss at home and there was therefore no surprises when Feniton skipper Stuart Bright stuck Briddy in. Dave Jopling and Tim Shaw started cautiously however to the surprise of everyone, the ball came on at a good height and Bridestowe passed 50 with few alarms. As Shaw started to increase his scoring rate, Jopling attempted to do the same and departed after missing one playing an expansive drive, bowled having set a great foundation. Pat Ewen was next in and with Shaw taking all the pressure off by scoring freely at the other end, Pat was relatively patient, taking 8 singles in a row. Shaw's dominance was starting to rag the opposition and some chirping to Pat around his 'test match', approach stimulated an assault on the bowling of previously economical Devon veteran Pyle in his last over. Hitting 4 sixes in a row from the first 4 of the over, Pat showed his power game and some of the Feniton visitors started to get 'animated'. Shaw and Ewen shared a 97 run partnership before Pat was caught on 41 bringing Jack Barwell to the crease. With Jack having been kept waiting by BCC's abnormally strong start, he had taken the opportunity to have a few 'cider sharpeners' and was well settled into his alter-ego. 'The Phantom', ensured that Feniton's day didn't get any better as he casually launched returning opening bowler Jamie Baker to all parts including a rare direct hit on the Dartmoor Way. Baker didn't take this too well and wasn't too shy to share his analysis with Barwell who cheerfully ignored him and carried on brutalising the Feniton bowling. The tiring Shaw eventually got caught on 116 having played another classy innings of 'proper', cricket shots. Charlie Ewen and Lee Jutson both came and went cheaply and the innings was finished off by Dale Harris and the impressive Corey Holliday after Jack got thirsty again on 69. With the moormen amassing the intimidating total of 280-6 from the allotted 45 overs and Baker still ticking away, tea was a short and strained affair.
The Feniton reply gained momentum slowly, Jutson and Shaw containing the batsmen and whilst there were plenty of one's and two's, the visitors were always falling off the required run rate. Wickets were lost steadily with no batsman dominating tidy bowling and sharp fielding. Pat was sharp behind the stumps and umpire Baker was the only one on the field who thought one stumping was not out but Pat still managed a classy run out. Debutants Ebby Vallance and Alex Osman stood out in the field with Ebby taking two sharp catches and Alex demonstrating skilled ground fielding. Ebby also took a wicket and bowled four tidy overs at a time when the weather was starting to close in and the visitors decided to throw the bat around in the deepening gloom. Matt and Jamie Baker did a credible job at trying to catch up with the run rate but by 6.30, it was very dark and when the rain started and despite Mr Bakers protestations reminiscent of a scene from the Life of Brian ("it's just a flesh wound"), common sense prevailed and the stumps were pulled. Remarkably, the scorers had Feniton close to the required run rate, with the scoreboard only being updated every 4 or 5 overs and no Bridestowe scorer there was no dispute about the 10 or more an over seemingly scored despite very few boundaries from the visitors. Thankfully there was no disputing the win either with Bridestowe claiming 18 points and a very good win against a strong side.