Post date: Jun 6, 2013 11:24:04 AM
Bridestowe made the long journey to Yarcombe on the back of a great win against Topsham last week and the sun was shining once again. On first inspection the pitch still looked a little damp and green but was expected to dry out, surely a bowl first wicket? The toss then; looked an important one which is why their captain was beaming as he returned from the middle having stuck us in.
Mark and Jack walked out to the middle, with no idea what a good score was and knew they had to play every ball on its merit, Anything but a repeat of Upottery last season!! Jack, coming off the back of 85 last week, started in typically aggressive form striking his first ball through the covers for four. Jack continued to pepper the straight and cover boundaries as over pitched bowling was rightly punished. Mark hardly got a look in as Jack powered to 50 with the score at 60-0 from just 8 overs. When the ball was bowled in the right areas it did cause some trouble keeping low or occasionally popping up. Yarcombe's second change bowlers did slow the run rate but both Jack and Mark looked comfortable and reached their 100 partnership, the first seen for Briddy in a long while! Jack couldn't quite make it the first individual ton though, caught well by the man running in from the fence for 80, another great innings, really starting to perfect the double-jug avoidance!
Phil joined Mark at the crease with 24 overs to go and he immediately took over from where Jack had left off striking the ball beautifully. The healthy 'Hatton father-son rivalry' was evident again and Phil cleared the fence with the consecutive sixes before getting out for a quickfire 47. The Fog father-son partnership was a short one for once, Tom trying to get to the pitch of the spinner, who pulled it back cleverly and got him stumped. Pat came in and creamed a four through extra cover and took us to 200 with 12 to go. Chris Lavis was the next man, and the runs kept coming with Mark passing 50 and beginning to open up before Chris hauled out to long on for a useful 22. Butler strolled out as purposefully as ever and struck a massive six. New balls please. Some further lusty blows from skipper Jutson (19no) and Mark took us past 260, and a big last two overs with sixes from both batsmen took us to an impressive 298. Mark finished with an unbeaten 93 anchoring the innings superbly, with others hitting around him, a very well structured innings!!
We knew that we had to be clinical with the ball but that the wicket would also help us out, on this small pitch bowling in the right areas was key. Tom and Chris opened up and after a tight first over from Tom, Lavis struck, swinging the ball beautifully and bowling their opener all ends up. Two balls later he took another trapping their number 3 right in front, Tom then got the other opener LBW and they were reeling, 3 down after 3 overs. Their most useful batsmen was constantly advancing down the pitch and hitting the ball well. However Mark stood up to the stumps and Tom won the battle with some clever bowling catching the batsmen on his back foot and bowling him. Lavis was hit for the odd boundary before taking another, the ball hit well but straight down Callum's throat at square leg. Tom (7-1-11-3) and Lavis (9-2-31-4) took another each and had broken the back of their batting line up. There was a chance for others to get involved in the end though, Callum (5-17-2) came on and took a slightly lucky wicket, as the batsmen went to heave a short ball and somehow played on. He bowled well though looping the ball up and having just dropped a chance off his own bowling got his second wicket. The ball for all its worth looked as if it was sailing over Butler's head until he stuck up a right hand and plucked it out of the sky, could he could smell the pub?! Phil's catch at slip off Dan's bowling (3-6-1) perhaps out did it though, a brilliant one handed catch low down to his left sealing a 230 run win!
A ruthless performance with both bat and ball and another 20 point win, lets hope for more of the same when we face top of the table Babbacombe at home on Saturday!