Post date: Jun 23, 2014 4:50:41 PM
Following our cracking win on Saturday, we headed up to the Ring looking to put in some more good performances in the sun at the Tavi 10/10. Having not made it out of the group stage in recent years, hopes of our first trophy of the year were fairly distant. Things got even more difficult as Matt Turner and Nielo both dropped out on the day, with youngster Kian Burns kindly helping out to take us back up to 10 players.
In the first game against Lewdown, captain for the day James won the toss and opted to chase on a flat pitch. Lewdown got off to a decent start before big hitting Jack Williams was bowled by Gary Sizmur. His opening partner Tallan Burns played some excellent shots, hitting two huge sixes before he was well caught at square leg by brother Kian off Dan Fog. No one else really contributed many for Lewdown with them finishing 76-6 from their 10 overs. Dan Fog was the pick of the BCC bowlers as he finished his 2 overs with 3 wickets for only 9 runs. Our chase started well with Jack Hatton (38) and Gary (21) taking the opening bowlers for nearly 10 an over for the first few. Both were out before we reached the target, as well as Alex Jopling, but Barry Down and Ben Luck took us home for a comfortable seven wicket win with a couple of overs to spare.
In the second group game against Lifton, we lost the toss and they opted to bat first. Despite a bludgeoning 54 from J. Hawking, their innings never really got going thanks to some tight bowling and fielding. Gary Sizmur (2-11-1) was the only bowler to take a wicket with the other one falling to a run out, but no one gave many runs away as Lifton made 72-2 from their 10 overs. With a reasonably low total to chase, we changed up the order with Charlie Ewen (25 n.o.) and Gary getting us off to another good start. Both hit a few boundaries before Gary was bowled around his legs for 20-odd. Pat smashed a few before being caught at long on but Danners played some beautiful late cuts to see us over the line for the 8 wicket win, and again we had a couple of overs to spare.
With Tavistock beating Sticklepath in a close game in the other group. it was the hosts who we faced in the final in a 15 over a side game. James lost the toss and Tavi opted to chase, meaning we would need to set a score for the first time in the competition. Tom Fog arrived just in time to boost us up to 11 players, and Jack and Gary got us off to a great start taking 56 from the first 6 overs. Jacko particularly played excellently down the ground and ran well (yes really) to put the Tavi bowlers under early pressure. Gary was then out for yet another 20-odd and Jack followed soon after for an excellent 39 which took the score to 65-2. New men Alex and Barry carried on from the great foundations laid by the openers and progressed the score to 80-2 before Barry was bowled by Jamie Stephens. Tom Fog and Alex struck the ball to the boundary regularly as the score raced past 100 with 4 overs remaining. Alex was then out caught for an important 25 and Tom was bowled in the last over but Ben Luck and Dan Fog took the score to a more than competitive 129-5 from our 15 overs. The Tavi chase started well with Jamie Stephens (25) manoeuvring the pace of Gary and spin of Barry expertly to take the score to 37-0 from 4 overs. Milligan found the boundary in front of square well before he was well caught behind by Pat off the bowling of Dan for 15. Jacko then came steaming in and flattened both Cleave and Monger's off-stumps in consecutive deliveries to take the score to 46-3 after 6 swinging the game back towards the visitors. The hatrick ball was safely negotiated by Daymond and he and Goldstone rebuilt for a few overs before man of the match Jack (3-9-3) found Daymond's outside edge and Pat took another great catch. Tom Fog then picked up the wickets of Goldstone and Coe, caught on the boundary by Gary and James respectively to leave Tavi reeling at 79-6 with only 4 overs left to get 51 more runs. The dangerous Churchill smashed a few boundaries but was kept relatively quiet thanks to some well executed yorkers from Tom Fog. The frustration told as in the next over he walked past a ball from Barry and Pat took the bails off in a flash to all but seal the match. With 27 required from the last over from Gary, McGahey did manage a 6 off the first ball but he was caught the very next ball and only singles were managed from the remaining balls, leaving Tavi 17 runs short on 112-9. That sealed a superb win against a side 3 leagues above us in the DCL. The T20 1s only loss this year was to Tavi in the Div 1 cup which made the win even sweeter. The next short form action is Lewdown on Thursday which will be a huge 1st vs. 2nd game.
The winning team - (top - left to right) Ben Luck, Charlie Ewen, Jack Hatton, Gary Sizmur, Tom Fogerty, Alex Jopling, (bottom) Barry Down, James Ewen (captain) Kian Burns, Pat Ewen (keeper), Dan Fogerty