Stoke Gabriel Cricket Club

Clyst Hydon Vs Stoke Gabriel - 31/05/08 - Away - Francis Clark Devon League - C Division

Following another disappointing team performance, Stoke Gabriel CC skipper Neil Robinson was given the vote of confidence by the club's board, in the wake of a second successive league defeat on Saturday at Clyst Hydon. The club invested heavily in rebuilding the squad in the close season having marginally missed out on promotion last term, but just 7 days after a disgraceful home defeat to Kilmington, Robbo's army melted in the East Devon sun.

The skipper rotated his playing roster for the trip, recalling Jamie Day - previously absent following a routine tattoo removal operation, Australian Mark Jackson was given a first XI debut and Adam Castle was controversially selected for the first time since his switch from Kabul Cricket Club. Matt Corstorphan, veteran left arm seamer Sean Dwyer (41), and Adam Newman were the unlucky victims of Robbo's no nonsense policy.

Like Henry V at Agincourt, Robbo rode confidently into East Devon, his troops heavily outnumbered by their foes following a defection Northwards by the Clueless Brigadiers Jacko, Mark Newman and Rob Baker, who's command of modern map reading took them on a perilous journey through the kingdom, not to arrive until the battle had commenced.

Clyst Hydon won the toss, and on a flat, damp track with an outfield displaying more wet patches than a soho duvet, they opted to bat and make Stoke's eight men toil in the early summer heat.

Nick Sandbrook and Dave Bolland led the attack, but once again Stoke failed to penetrate early with the impressive Ian Sutton (35), particularly brutal in his dismissal in anything loose, as the home side comfortably raced to 40-0 inside the opening 10 overs. Sutton's partner Fitt seemed reluctant to play anything resembling an offensive shot, and although Sutton mistimed a Sandy full toss which marginally evaded Steve Tolley's grasp at mid off, a large home score seemed inevitable.

Finally they arrived, the 3 amigos, braincells rattling inside their crainiums as they strode into action following their early game sabbatical. Robbo, akin to a character from a P G Wodehouse novel, resplendent in crushed velour whites and spats, threw the young Aussie Jacko into the fray, and, following a long, winding, bounding approach to the crease, found Sutton's outside edge with his first ball, and Billy Alcock gleefully took the catch behind.

Doris Day was introduced for the disappointing Sandy, and in tandem with Jacko put the brakes on the Clyst run rate, aided and abetted by the hapless Fitt, who, like a striking miner in the early 80's, refused to move from the crease, although at drinks, Clyst were still in the ascendancy at 82-1.

Robbo, buoyed by the news his share portfolio was on the up, called upon Clopper - formerly an inpenetrative seam bowler lacking purpose and threat - the ex Barton 2nd XI star has reinvented himself as an off break aficionado, and he began to weave his magic, albeit in a manner more akin to The Great Suprendo than David Copperfield. Sandy was re-introduced up the hill, and soon trapped the youngster Harris LBW for 17. Enter Graham Trude (1) , so often Sandy's bunny, but no sooner had he bed himself down in straw, and nibbled on a dandelion leaf, then Clopper sent him back to the hutch with a ball that did everything, including removing his bails, cutting back a reported 18 inches up the hill.

Clyst began to wilt, Sandy finally ended Fitt's candlelit, two hour creaseside vigil for 17. Fitt should of fallen earlier in the proceedings, having twice previously being dropped, initially by Alex Hill at cover, and miserably by Robbo at first slip, who, faced with the dilemma of juggling the ball, a Jeroboam of Champagne and a Cuban cheroot in his hands, opted to drop the red leather object, to be retrieved later by his Butler.

Clopper's renaissance continued, nipping out Lewis caught behind brilliantly by Billy the Fish for 15 and Sri Lankan star Danesh Nandana harshly LBW for 1, Clyst were in serious trouble at 111-5.

Kevin Sercombe belligerently pushed the score upward, until he was bowled by the returning Tony Hawk for 15, and Greig was soon to follow - another victim for the halfpipe habiting Totnesian (2-45) who, like Sandy, improved massively in his second spell.

If Stoke harbour any real ambition of B Division cricket next season, a target of 151 in 46 overs in favourable conditions should be child's play, and they started well, Monkey showing class in stroking pace ace Nandana for successive boundaries, and with the Irvine Mattress bludgeoning anything in his zone, Stoke looked in complete control, until the big Sri Lankan clean bowled Monkey for 11, with Rob "Tom Tom" Baker a surprisingly early casualty to Kevin Sercombe for 0.

The Mattress remained in situ and after Dudley spilled the run machine with the simplest of chances, it seemed the veteran would see his side home, until he was inexplicably bowled by Sercombe for 32. Sercombe (4-32), rampant from the Cow Field Stand End, soon had Hip Hop Icon Money Shot in his locker, followed immediately by Doris Day, harshly adjudged LBW for a Golden Duck - 67-5 and the game had swung massively in Clyst's favour.

Robbo was wheeled to the crease, still rehabilitating from his hip replacement operation, and so it proved as even he struggled on the dance floor, although, along with Billy the Fish, the pair appeared to consolidate momentarily until the Geordie holed out off Greig for 4, with his Skipper falling on his sword soon after for 8.

80-7 and Sandy swaggered to the crease to join Dave Bolland, still undefeated in his Stoke batting career, and with Tony Hawk showing grit and solidity, and Sandy slugging away like Barry Bonds, the pair added 30 in no time to haul their side back into the game to 110-7, with 10 overs remaining. Stoke's grip on the game had briefly tightened.

The travelling supporter's hopes of an unlikely victory in a see-saw game were soon be dashed though, when Hawk was unfortunate to be run out scampering a 3rd off Nandana, after some superb fielding by Grieg on the boundary, and when Clopper Castle's safety net finally snapped with a disastrous duck, the game was all but lost. Sandy's horrific top edge off Lewis to Farnham handed victory to Clyst with 8 overs to spare.

Cries of "Robbo Out" rang around the arena - the veteran schemer, his mane of silver hair flowing behind him, led his distraught players into the changing rooms for a summit meeting, knowing anything other than a win at Home to Kingsbridge this Saturday will leave Stoke well adrift of the Promotion places, as the season enters the middle phase.