Match (Click Here to view Image Gallery)

Stoke Gabriel Vs Clyst Hydon - 02/08/08 - Home - Francis Clark Devon Cricket League - C Division - 1st XI

Line Up

Steve Tolley *

Bill Alcock +

Rob Baker

Ashley Hill

Mark Newman

Adam Newman +

Jamie Day

Adam Castle

Doug Ansley

Nick Sandbrook

Mark Jackson

Result

Stoke Gabriel win by 33 Runs

Report

Bob Bamber reporting from the home of cricket

Steve Tolley’s solid performances as skipper continued , after Stoke completed a 33 run win over C Division leaders Clyst Hydon at the John Webber Rosebowl. Despite being 44/7 batting first , a counter attacking 43 from Jamie Day , combined with a beligerant rearguard act from Nick Sandbrook (19) and Mark Jackson (12*) , helped Stoke struggle to 128 all out batting first , with 14 overs unused from their first innings. Clyst Hydon’s reply mirrored the first innings , with the visitors at 54/8 , but after a marathon innings from Matt Fitt (8 weeks , 24 Days , 11 hours) , combined with some equally as frugal innings from the Clyst tail , made the 2^nd innings perhaps a lot more frustrating that it really should have been , but a second consecutive 6 wicket haul from Nick Sandbrook – well aided by Kiwi whacko – Jacko (3/20) , ensuring that Robbo’s return could wait another week.

With All Rounder Tony Hawk out with a broken board , and Paul Collings nursing a hangover after the half of lager he had last Wednesday night , veteran Ashley Hill and Doug Ansley joined up with the Stoke immortals – Ansley ommited from the 2^nd team , yet called into the firsts – answers on a postcard. With Neil Robinson joining left armer Sean Dwyer (72) in the injury room. Stoke weren’t without their skipper though , with a 20 inch TFT monitor  mounted in the dressing room , a pre-recorded video message was streamed from Shearos’ holiday home in the south of France, with a glass of Pimm’s in one had , cheroot in the other , and the setting sun bouncing off the pool (and the skippers head!) the mantra unequivocally simple – win , or relinquish any slight  remaining chance of a late promotion burst. With that in hand – stand in Steve Tolley lost the toss , and Clyst skipper Martyn Dudley inserted the home side on another rain effected wicket.

The decision proved an easy one , in just the second ball of the second over , left armer Kevin Sercombe pinned the Fish infront and had him off back to the hutch. Tolls’ eyes lit up at a short ball from Sercombe in the following order , but could only sky the ball straight up into the air which keeper Sutton gobbled up. Wickets for Sercombe just wouldn’t stop coming, and in his third over , Ash Hill offered up a simple chance to mid-wicket , sending Clyst into cock-a-hoots with the home side at 16/3.

The Sunday Specialist joined Rob Baker in the middle , and for a brief period both continued to probe the gaps and increase the rate. The vidual didn’t last very long , when Baker snagged Nandana to keeper Sutton, the slide wasn’t relenting anytime soon. And it didn’t , in Nandana’s following over , Monkey could only pick out the Sri Lankan seamers right claw , which stuck for a superb return catch.  4 balls later Monkey’s brother Duke was also on his way back , with the scores at a perilous 37/6 , groundsman John Webber , and skipper Neil Robinson (Who’d landed in Exeter on his private Jet an hour before) , were preparing for a serious head-rolling session at the end of the game. Nandana had his fourth wicket soon after , finding one of a plethora of holes in the safety net , the scores now at 44/7.

Crucially from the home side , Bubbalicious was still at the middle. With a small amount of batting left , he decided that the only option left was to let loose. After he battered Will Greig out of the attack , he launched Michael Johnson for a huge six back down the ground over the lane. Not to be outdone thresher Doug Ansley launched the ever dangerous Dan Nandana into the hedge. Doug became Nandana’s 5^th victim , another one who completely missed Nandana’s bowling. Sandy joined Bubba at the middle – Sanderson claiming to be a Clyst Hydon specialist (if double figures is specialist , you believe that Sandy). Doris’ attack continued , and Sandy sorted things out at the other end. The pair sought the total towards 100 , but with just two balls of Nandana’s spell left , Bubba played around a straight delivery , giving the Sri Lankan his 6^th wicket. As his spell ended , Sandy shook his hand , and then bowed down on him (in every sense of the word) , and after at 15 minute interlude , the game restarted.

With time a plenty , Sanderson and Jacko beligerantly hung around at the crease,  taking the counter attack to a returning Sercombe. Batting for nearly half an hour before Sandy hauled out for 19. Stoke all out for 128 , considering the position of 44/7 , a very good total.

The reply couldn’t get much better for Stoke , Jacko running into a force nine gail got Ian Sutton out , down in the book as caught behind , called as LBW – either way,  he was out. Jacko had Nandana snick behind , but the Fish dropped the ball, and in the process dislocated a breadstick. For a second consecutive match , the Duke took over the glove work duties , as the fish was consigned to another spell in the field. Sandy got his first in the next over too , a sharpish delievery that Steve Doyle could only fend to Adam Newman behind the stumps. Nandana promoted up the order , was beginning to show signs of danger , before Sandy had him on his way back for 8. Trude quickly became Sandy’s 3^rd victim , ah he uprooted his middle stump.14/4 became 21/5 when Sandbrook bowled Clinton Lewis. Sercombe and Corney offered up some resistence.

Two quick wickets from Jacko , removing both incumbents , turning the score along to 47/7. Fitt and Dudley frustrated the Stoke attack. Batting for nearly half an hour. The partnership was ended with a quite inspired bit of cricket. Fitt pushed the ball into the legside of Clopper , skipper London Bridge watched the ball drift slowly past him. With that Fitt set off for the single , Clopper retrived the ball , and nonsulantly flighted the throw back into keeper Duke. The bails came off , the finger went up (Sandy did that earlier too!) , and Dudley was on his way back. Greig bought about the fightback , with Bubba’s bowling Wayward,  Tolls returned to Sandy into the attack. After some loose pies from Sandy , Greig then launched Clopper back over his head for a huge six into the field behind the lane. The partnership became frustrating , but when Sandy had Greig bowled , a sigh of relief covered the ground.

As Stoke have found to their detrement at home in recent times , 9 wickets doesn’t mean the match is over. They haven’t yet bowled a side out at home this season , and in the last three games , the innings has been left stranded with 1 to go. It wasn’t an option today. Clopper had strike bowlers Sandy and Jacko on. Fitt and Johnson continued the frustration. Runs were difficult to come by,  but that didn’t matter,  18 overs would prove ample time to knock them off. 4 maidens went by , then , with the light fading , and Neil Robinson and John Webber sharpening their swords for the de-lousing that would happen at the end of the match. They weren’t going to let this slip , and they didn’t , after Fitt’s 75 ball vidual , he hauled Sandy to the safety net , who ablely clung on.

A vital win , Stoke’s late promotion push continues. But another non-event of a batting performance from the top order simply cannot continue if the 1^st Team harbour any chances of a late charge for the B Division.

Scorecard

1st Innings - Stoke Gabriel

2nd Innings - Clyst Hydon