Lewdown 3rd XI v Bridestowe 2nd XI - 13th August 2016

Post date: Aug 14, 2016 9:51:03 AM

As per last weeks report, with Lewdown struggling for availability, many regulars had made plans based on the likely situation of Lewdwon not being able to raise a side.  It was therefore a Friday night scramble when Lewdown skipper, Graeme Horn announced that he was good to go with 11 in the hutch.  With some last minute phone calls and Facebook and WhatsApp put to good use, a gloomy Saturday morning saw Jutson counting his nine players available.  It was thanks to another call off elsewhere in the league that allowed the father and son Sampson combination to make it to 11 players.  The weather suggested a bowl first strategy however with a strong BCC side, Lee agreed to give Lewdown that advantage and openers Batstone and Corey Holliday strapped on their pads to set a total.

It was clear from the off that Batstone was having a calming influence on Holliday as patience was the order of the day with BCC playing a safety first innings where 18 overs were passed with a run rate of just over 2 an over.  At that point, and for no apparent reason, the previously cautious Batstone decided that he would change from first gear to fifth in one change and was out bowled trying to smash the ball into the road having swished and missed at the previous 2.  Fortunately, whatever he had done to Corey seemed to persist and he continued to play sensibly as first Dave Jopling (34) and then Sampson (54 n.o.) senior built momentum at the other end.  Holliday duly  passed his maiden 50, seemingly not quite knowing how to acknowledge the claps from the pavilion before finally missing one trying to accelerate for a very good 63.  Sampson was joined by Lee Jutson (16), Adam Holliday (3) and his son (4 n.o.) who all worked well to build momentum and pass 200 for maximum batting points.  BCC finished up on 221-5 from their allotted overs on a good track, a solid total and a much improved Lewdown bowling performance from previous encounters with Gary Wingrove being the standout Lewdown bowler but well supported by others.

After a fine tea, BCC took to the field in blazing sunshine and the familiar sight of Lee Jutson trudging up the hill and Smokey Tremain behind the stumps was a sight to behold!  Lee was his usual miserly self but with a ball that got damaged early, there was no swing to be had and so returning figures of 6-2-5-0 was only disappointed by the lack of W's.  In the absence of Tim Shaw, Ebby Vallance opened the bowling from the pavilion end, again demonstrating how much he has improved with an impressive spell of 6-0-17-1, keeping the Lewdown openers very quiet.  Ringing the changes, Jutson next turned to the evergreen Jopling (6-2-19-3) and Corey Holliday who despite some concerns about his effort ball action, withJoping ripped the heart out of the Lewdown innings by also taking 3 (6-0-23-3).  BCC have moved into the modern era by using electronic scoring and with expert Ebby Vallance called off the field to assist at times, one of the few let downs of the afternoon was his naivety in not making technical support look harder to females than it actually is - surely a lesson to be learned.  Jutson turned to the 'occasionals' to polish off the tail with Kev Yates, Adam Holliday and Charlie all thrown the ball. There was some appalling filth thrown down as well as miserable fielding with Ewen and Holliday both failing to take the tamest of caught and bowled chances however despite this, both bowled wicket maidens, golden arm Ewen with 1-1-2-0 to see the end to an enjoyable, if not competitive afternoon.

Rumour has it that Hatherleigh were seen off by Bovey meaning league champion status is on the cards again so important that the Millaton second-string work hard for the last 4 games of the season.