Today's date is

Friday 3rd August

Home v Cadeleigh Cadeleigh Cup

Report to follow

Wednesday 8th August

Home v Pinhoe

Report to follow

Wednesday 8th August

Away v Heads & Tails

A sunny summer's evening provided a perfect backdrop to one of our final midweek fixtures. But the cricket didn't look promising with only 8 Heads & Tails players turning up to face ten men of Cheriton.
However appearances can be deceptive and a close high scoring game enfolded with the outcome uncertain until the final over.
With fewer than half their team arrived by start of play, Heads & Tails elected to bat first. With two teams being fielded on the same day, few of our first team bowlers were available. So Steve Stentiford offered to turn his arm over and Brent took the gloves.
After Anthony Mogridge (0-10) and Robbie (2-9) bowled a tidy opening spell, our change bowlers got into action. Steve impressed despite the advice given by the field, "bowl faster", "bowl slower", "off stump" etc and finished with 2-21. Wickets were hard to get however and Heads & Tails finished on 142 for 5.
We lost three quick wickets with only Brent (left- handed) making any serious inroads into the total. This brought Rohan and Colin together for a magnificant stand of 97, both hit half centuries and Colin remained undefeated as we picked up the winning runs with two balls to spare. (AG)

Sunday 12th August

Home v Geriatrics

Report to follow

Sunday 19th August

Home v Lynton & Lynemouth NDL

Ben was next in and as one of our most talented cricketers he should have settled the Captains nerves, but given his recent form the butterflies were still there. After a couple of defensive overs Ben flowered and played an innings of controlled power and timing that put us in an increasingly comfortable position. When he was joined by Dave Carr, another who has not had the best of seasons with the bat so far, the nerves were again frayed. DC mowed his first ball for 6 and then set about trying to hit the leather off the ball. After a couple of overs and a little bit of sledging from the old stump he settled down to play as only he can (well, OK, perhaps Darren can too).  
The Lynton and Lynmouth bowlers were despatched to all parts of the field and as the grass dried the outfield began to speed up giving full value for shots that stopped well short of the fence earlier on in the innings.  
Ben fell to a well taken c+b to be replaced by Charles M but the momentum did not swing back to the bowling side as Charles played shots all round the wicket. When David finally went in the last over it brought Anthony to the wicket with only 2 balls to face. He ended up 1 not out off 1 ball with Charles very good value for his 25 not out at the other.  
Tea was taken (thanks to Ruth for another excellent spread) under dark, but not threatening, skies with the sense of a job well done. 244 for 5 was a good total and, if the bowlers did their job, a winning one.  
The Lynton and Lynmouth innings got off to a good start as both Ben (New Pavilion End) and Phil (Cadleigh End) struggled to find line and length on a very slippery wicket. Ben was forced to come off his short run, giving us the sight of Steve standing up to our premier fast bowler. Phil it was who made the breakthrough when he held a fantastic return catch low to his left to dismiss M. Jones with Ben getting into the act by uprooting Hatt's off stump in the next over with a corker.  
When he bowled another cracker to dismiss R. May and Phil did one of the several Constables up like a kipper with a slower ball the game slowed considerably as the L+L middle order found it hard going on the drying pitch. Phil and Ben both bowled through and ended up with very impressive figures. They would have been even better were it not for the batting of 12 year old Laurence May. Playing with an impressively straight bat he stayed at the crease for longer than most and ended up with 15 hard earned runs. A very talented youngster and one to watch.  
Dave and Robbie were first change and kept the pressure on the batsmen. Robbie bowled straight and was treated with respect, going for only 14 in his 6 overs. Dave bowled less straight but picked up 3 wickets as the L+L lower order tried to make some dent on the 10 an over they needed to win.  
With the gloom gathering and only one wicket left the Captain gave Anthony and Andy H the chance to shine, or at least get a cheap wicket. It was Steve who obliged, stumping the L+L 'keeper off Hartley's first ball to leave L+L on 106 all out.  
A massive win, both numerically and in terms of what it could mean. Cheriton are now second in Div 4 and will secure the runner's up spot and promotion to Div 3 unless Shebbear win the division's closing fixture on September 9th.

Sunday 26th August

Chairmans XII v Captains XII

With the sucess of the Junior section single wicket the adults had their work cut out to maintain the interest of the crowd that gathered at Hayne on Sunday afternoon.
 
With Andy unfortunately not able to take the field, Mike stepped into the breach and led the Chairman's side. It turned out to be a XII a side game with several interesting side bets, Cutler vs. Son, Tricks vs. Coe and Will vs. Dave to name just a few.
 
Mike took first blood by winning the toss and electing to bat. He was joined at the crease by Cutler Sr., now quite accustomed to opening the innings. Predictably it was Ben Coe who had the first over, coming in of a shortened run but still only going for a single. Rohan should have then taken the first over from the Cadleigh End but was only half way through his burger. The Captain stepped up and was duely smacked for 16 off the over before Ben and the now burgerless Rohan restored some sanity.
 
Rohan made the breakthrough in his second over, having Mike caught behind by Steve off a short ball. In strode Anthony. He had clearly been given license to swing and did so, including one very sweetly struck drive for six over mid-off. Enough was enough for Ben who went back to his long run and immediately took Phil's off stump to claim his only wicket of the day.
 
Anthony and Jeremy put on 75 together with some very powerfull batting. Jeremy cut and drove very well, including two massive sixes off poor Cutler Jr. that all but went into the road.
 
It was however Hartly who sufferred most from their hitting, going for 56 in his 5 overs. Contrast that with DC's 5-2-8-1, the one being Anthony caught off the back of the bat by the ever alert and reliable Steve coming round to short square leg to take the skied ball.
 
Mr Pitts replaced DC from the Cadleigh End and bowled well in tandem with Cutler Jr. John bowled a good line round the wicket and kept the batsmen guessing. He had Jeremy playing very cautiously and eventually bowled him with the assistance of Jeremy's pads. He also had Ben Rice stumped by Steve. Well, once we had woken the square leg Umpire hid did anyway. A case of one too many glasses of Trick's Cider.... To be honest both Umpires looked to have been refreshing themselves liberally.... Let us draw a veil over the more esoteric decisions and move on...
 
Nick Guscott and English Sr. were the men at the crease when Charles turned to David Lacey to keep up the pressure from the New Pavillion End. After a couple of balls he had his man, Nick caught well on the cover boundary by Ben C. Nick had hit the ball well and it was going for six until Ben swooped, one of very few Cheriton players who would have got close.
 
David L was now in the groove and could not help but take wickets, ending up with 5-0-23-4 as he ran through the Chairman's XII tail.
 
A special mention should go to English Jr. (Mark) who played very well for his 1 not out. This included an attempted hook when David Lacey tested him out with a head high full toss. If only his father was half the bastman Mark is.....
 
Will gifted his wicket to Jim Cutler  in the last over to leave the Chairman's XII on 218 for 10 at the end of their 40 overs.
 
Would it be enough? Jeremy thought they were 30 runs short, but after a massive tea provided by the WaGs and a little more of the delicious Smith Hayne Cider who would still be awake enough to bat properly?
 
The crowd now numbered some 30 or 35 people, all eager to see how the Captain's XI (young Jack Goddard having withdrawn due to a broken toe) would reply to the Chairman's XII's total
 
Peter and Rohan were the first to have to stir themselves, Phil Cutler and Nick being the opening bowlers. Things began slowly with the bowlers finding line and length early on. Peter was adjudged run out by a direct hit from Nick and shortly afterwards JP was given out LBW. Peter then replaced Andy Hartley as Umpire and things improved for the Captain's side. David Carr sensibly played himself in (one ball) before flogging Phil back over his head for six and going on to take 18 from his next two overs. Phil was left wondering how he managed to hit good balls off middle stump like that, joining a band of NDL bowlers who think DC should be banned for cruelty.
 
The change in bowling brought no releif as Rohan and David took the long handle to Will and Anthony. Mike brought Phil back for his last two overs in an attempt to make a breakthrough but to no avail, although he did slow the scoring rate a little. Robbie did his best from his traditional end and Mike will rue a couple of drops in the deep that would have given him reasonable figures, but it was not to be.
 
Rohan and Daivid retired at the end of the 28th over having steered their side into a very strong position. They were replaced by Charles Mossman and Ben Coe. Both eager to impress their connections. Unfortunately Charles was undone second ball, Nick taking a superb one handed diving catch at square cover to give Jim Handy his first wicket for Cheriton in his first game. Andy H then went in to try to close things out but could not resist the bowling of English Jr. and lobbed a simple catch to Robbie at straight mid on. His figures were marred only by a single wide.
 
The sound of wheels falling off and rapid padding up filled the air, but Ben Coe calmed the nerves and won the game by hitting consecutive fours thus allowing us to get down to the pub in time for the Race Night.
 
An appreciative audience saw some good competative cricket and we can only hope that we can draw some of them back to the ground next summer.