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Sunday 3rd July

Home v Erratics

Colin was once again Captain, and played the role to perfection with one minor blemish. He lost the toss, but as he was in several minds as to what to do if we won this was probably no bad thing.

Chris Cook (Erratics Captain) asked us to bat first on a pitch with sub-terrainian bounce, and it was with some trepidation that Charles and Peter strapped on the pads. Peter struck the first ball of the second over for 6, but was unable to do the same with the last ball and so made way for David Carr. Well he would have done if DC had been ready, so Phil filled in.
The next 10 overs saw a very good contest between bat and ball. Berry and Cook bowled well, Berry swinging the ball prodigiously and Charles and Phil (ably assisted by Robbie's LBW decisions) dug in. Having seen their first spells off without losing a further wicket things were looking good for Cheriton, but then Charles chased a wide one and was caught behind. David was by now ready and came to the crease determined to last longer than he had last weekend. This he did, but was the first of many to be undone by the bounce (see the picture).
Out strode Colin, firm in the knowledge that he had wickets in hand and started to set about the bowling. With Phil well set at the other end the score went along smartly, though both were forced by the lack of bounce to play very straight, yes even Colin!!
When the final push for runs started the Erratics brought Cook and Berry back in an attempt to hold it in check. Phil was stumped on the charge trying to get the ball on the full. His 90 was the mainstay of the innings and he was unfortunate not to make his second ton of the season. Anthony had a rapid innings, Steve replacing him after only one ball. Colin finally went for one shot too many and was bowled, leaving Steve and Nick there at the end.
209 was a good score on a difficult pitch, but we would need to bowl well to win.

Tea was taken in warm sun, but as the Erratics innings started the cloud started to roll in, making it even more humid and giving the possibility of rain later.

Jeremy opened the bowling from the Urinal End, a new and profitable experience. His 5 overs went for only 24 and included the wicket of the Erratics No 1 neatly pouched by Peter at Cover Point and with Nick bowling a good spell from the Cadleigh End, taking 2 for 35 from his 5 overs , including the other opener bowled by one that pitched and rolled. With 3 down for 39 the Erratics had some work to do, and Cook and Weiler set about doing it. The turning point of the game came when Phil held a fantastic catch at long off to dismiss Weiler. The ball was one of Robbie's specials and was still rising as Phil took the catch. His hand still stings....
Robbie and Anthony then set about strangling the innings, bowling great line and length. Robbie bowled his 8 for only 15 runs without conceding a boundary, while Anthony ended with figures of 5-1-14-1. The wicket was the all important one of the Erratics Captain and Anthony can be justly proud of his contribution.
Colin then brought himself on the clean up the tail (just like the good old days when MB was in charge) and ensured there was no danger of wickets at the other end by letting DC have a bowl. When Colin finally took DC off it only took Phil 3 balls (2 legal ones and a head high full toss) to close the innings. So keen was the No 10 to face his bowling that he ran a suicidal 2nd and was run out....

A good win for Cheriton, set up by some great batting from Colin and Phil and delivered by a good performance in the field. Let's hope we can carry the form to Black Torrington next weekend. CS

David in full swing.............

.....and looking good, until you notice the shape of the stumps!

Tuesday 5th July

Away v Ottery St Mary EECL

Colin as stand in captain couldn't find 11 fit players so had to call this one off. Still it saved a few a 30 mile round trip just for the priveledge of being beaten by 10 wickets!

Wednesday 6th July

Home v Heads & Tails

The weather was more November than July as the hardier members of both sides gathered at Hayne. Charles lost the toss and so did not have to make the difficult decision. With the prospect of having to find 7 bowlers was it better to bat first or second? H&T decided to field first so Mike and Charles strapped on the pads (to keep warm as much as anything else) and strode through the drizzle to begin our innings.
The first over was a quiet one, Mike taking a single off the last ball. He then hit the fist ball of the second over for six and it looked as if he was going to fill his boots. In the event he went without adding to his score, well caught by the diving deep point fielder. Anthony joined Charles in a brisk partnership. Both were hitting the ball well and it was the unluckiest of circumstances that parted them. Charles drove the ball firmly back just to the leg side of the stumps at the bowler's end. The bowler fell to his right and the ball went underneath him and ricocheted off Anthony's bat onto the stumps. After some consideration he was declared out as the ball had brushed the bowler on the way through. A cruel way to fall when batting well.
New cap Shane Cann showed that he is a player of promise. He and Charles traded almost entirely in boundaries for several overs before Charles looped one up off the leading edge back to the bowler. Shane was then joined by Andy Goddard and the pair continued in similar vein until Shane went trying to hit one too hard and lost his stumps. Robbie faced only two balls for his 4, and although Nick faced many more he only managed one more run. Andy blazed away at the other end regardless of the wickets at the other end on his way to a very combative 29. His innings was finally ended when John Wilson forgot that their combined age is nearer 100 than it is 50 and called him through for a quick single. Even this was not clear cut as the keeper took off one bail with his glove before the ball got there, the other coming off when the ball rebounded off his pads. The Umpire said that he was unable to give the Chairman out due to the confusion, but in a typically gentlemanly gesture the Chairman walked.
Gavin made 1 before departing, leaving John Wilson not out on 6 and Colin not out on 1.

131 for 9 was a reasonable total, 6.35 an over is not easy, but always possible on our pitch.

Having been denied the chance to bat Colin was asked to open the bowling form the Urinal End, with Nick doing the honours form the Cadleigh End. Both bowled well, and with Anthony scampering out from behind the stumps to run out John Quick we were into the middle order before their innings had taken shape.
Mike replaced Colin and bowled a tidy spell (see photo), going for only 10 in his 3 overs. Andy Goddard, fresh from his heroics with the bat, replaced Nick at the Cadleigh End. He also bowled a tidy spell (3-0-14-1) to increase the pressure on Heads and Tails as the rate required rose. Greg Mason then came on to bowl a devastating spell of 3-0-8-2 to take the heart out of the lower middle order, damage that even overs from Charles and new boy Shane could not repair. Robbie & Anthony then came on at the death to take a wicket each, leaving Heads & Tails 12 runs short in the gathering gloom.

A great all round team performance that leaves us 1 all with Heads & Tails, the decider (hopefully) to come on the 11th of August. CS

Sunday 10th July

Away v Black Torrington NDL

What an unpredictable and totally absorbing game cricket can be! And, as the saying goes, it’s not over until the fat lady sings.

Reports from varying sources were that the pitch was rough. So we were pleasantly surprised to find a decent looking pitch, a bit grassy, but not what we were expecting. All the same, we didn’t know how it would play, so the general consensus was to bowl first if we won the toss. Charles duly obliged, and so we took to the field on a blisteringly hot afternoon, smothered in factor 25.
Ted and Phil did the honours, with Phil giving Ted the choice of bowling up or down the slope. Ted chose the easy route! Neither bowled badly, but neither took a wicket, and with the temperature as it was, they came off after 5 (Ted) and 4 (Phil) overs, to be replaced by birthday boy Robbie (Happy 40th for yesterday Rob) and Anthony. Rob as usual made the break through and ended with the best figures of the day, with 9-1-26-3. Anthony again bowled well, although didn’t quite match his excellent spell from the previous week. By now the Black Torrington batsmen were picking up the run rate, after a relatively slow start, and were all too willing to latch onto perhaps one too many short balls. Andy came on after Robbie and suffered a little, but still picked up two wickets, both caught in the deep, one by Anthony and the other by Charles who is pulling away at the top of the catches table!
Colin tried his luck and Ted and Phil came back to finish the innings, as the batsmen ran very well to try and reach the 200 mark. They came up 6 runs short, but 194 for 7 was a decent score and we came into tea feeling that perhaps it would have been better to bat first after all!

Mike and Peter returned to the field with the target of over 4 per over. Not impossible, but made slightly more difficult by the speed of our two veterans between the wickets. They both found the going slow, as the Black Torrington openers kept a good line and length, mixed with variable bounce. Mike was the first to go, unluckily, caught off a ball above waist height. 1 down for ? after ? overs. Phil lasted only a couple of overs, and so the captain strode to the middle. It was good to see Charles back to form, as he upped the run rate quickly with some powerfully hit boundaries including a pulled shot for 6. In retrospect he should have seen out the opening bowler, brought back to try and stop the flow of runs, but continued to play his shots, and lost his leg stump. 3 down for ? after ? overs. Peter continued to slowly build runs, mainly singles, but also a couple of boundaries and well placed 2’s. He was joined by Ted, who is gradually becoming the all rounder we all know he can be. He almost ran Peter out with his first shot in his youthful exuberance, but quickly learnt Peter’s pace. The run rate now was around 1 a ball and overs were rapidly running out. Peter finally went trying to push the score on, caught at mid on. James in one of his rare appearances found the going tricky, but gave it a good go before losing his stumps. Colin next up assisted Ted well for a short period of good running, something that had been sadly lacking from our innings to this point. Ted was beginning to open up and hit one of the shots of the season, a beautiful cover drive for 4. While all of this was happening, the Black Torrington bowlers were consistently helping us with far too many wides for their own good. In fact the extras column now began to exceed Charles top score of 37, and with it doubt was creeping into their play. With 10 overs remaining we needed 90. Still a sizeable target, but we kept at it.
Tiredness, causing the extras column to continue to increase, raised some temperatures further in the field as the game swung one way and then the other. Ted was caught in the deep, which left Anthony and Robbie to continue the chase. Anthony hit some good shots with that meaty bat of his and Robbie hit an excellent 6 to leg. Confusion reigned in the field as overthrows and countless wides kept being bowled – the extras now topped 40. 18 were required from the last 3 overs. This became 8 off the final over. A bye and 4 singles left us requiring 3 to win. For some reason the fielders thought we needed 4 to win, even though the score was clearly on the board. Robbie faced the last ball and got a good contact, perhaps too good, as the ball raced to a fielder at deep mid on. The batsmen ran one and turned as the throw came in. It was a good throw but the bowler didn’t try for the run out and Robbie made his ground. Disbelief on the part of Black Torrington and amazement on ours. 194 for 7, the scores were identical!
What a come back, excellent use of the “get out of jail free” card, helped immensely by the 28 wides that were bowled.
What a cracking game of cricket. Both Captains, being Captains, will think they should have won.... PC

Tuesday 12th July

Home v Bradninch EECL

With 3 members of the Foan Dynasty and sundry Actons on display this was always going to be a noisy fixture, notwithstanding the little local problem that Bradninch had with an Umpire last week...

Mike guessed correctly and decided to field.

Unfortunately nobody copied up the Bradninch innings, but the highlight was Mike's catch to dismiss Danny at short Mid-on. Though it pains me to say this, it really was a very good catch. Unfortunately for Mike it only counts as one despite the fact that he actually caught it 3 times... The innings was ended in flamboyant manner with 3 sixes over mid wicket from the flailing bat of Elliot. He batted much in the manner we associate with Darren, but with if anything less attention to the coaching manual.... 196 was more than we scored on Sunday, but then we didn't have Jeremy on Sunday (or Richard), so it was not out of the question...

Mike was very upbeat about batting, but unusually did not open. Instead he sent Ted and Jeremy in at the top of the order and held himself in reserve. The opening pair ran well, but managed only 7 and 4 respectively on a pitch that was mostly bouncier that we have seen for a while, except for the one that bowled Jeremy of course. Mike and Richard then set about the bowling with a series of ones from Mike and boundaries from Richard. With 10 overs gone we were actually ahead of Bradninch, and things were in the balance. Unfortunately Richard could not resist going for sixes off Ross, and was caught at long on for a very rapid 57. Mike then sliced one to third man to bring Charles and Colin together. Colin did not stay long and although Charles tried to keep the rate going, sadly his impression of Richard needs some work... Rohan then stepped into the fray and stayed to the end, improving in form all the while.

The rate was always climbing, despite the best efforts of the middle order. The cry of "Fours now boys" became "sixes boys" and then "Nines needed!" as the final overs approached.

We ended on 165, with Rohan not out 16 and Mr Treasurer not out 0 having faced a single ball. CS

Thursday 14th July

Home v Beer Engine

With none of your regular reporters playing this match, it's a question as to who if anyone is going to provide details. Having heard about the match after the event, perhaps no one will be willing to divulge too much!

Full report and scorecard to follow.......perhaps. PC

UPDATE - I've managed to get Mike to do the write up; check back here soon! AH

Saturday 16th July

Home v Old Grammarians

"For God's sake bat first" was the advice from the Groundsman, Senior Pro and Opening Bat. As it happened we did not win the toss and so were force to field first instead.

The innings got off to a bad start when Charles dropped one at cover in the third over. It did come quickly, but catches win matches, and this was the first of 3 drops by the Captain.... the men he dropped made 64, 34 and 18......
Anthony was wicket-less from his 4 overs thanks to the Captain, and things went from bad to worse when Jeremy had to pull out half way through his second over with a side strain. Cutler Jr. came on to field and Mike completed the over. Mike bowled well and in his 3.3 overs, took two critical wickets to get us back on track, but the lack of a batsman would show later.
Rob bowled economically, but was unable to take a wicket for once. Phil was asked to bowl up the hill for once, and struggled for line, while Nick dropped st