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Posted:
Saturday 15th August 2009
Source: Stephen Birley
GLORY, GLORY, Bradninch Twenty20 side - yes, the
boys have done the Duchy Town of Bradninch PROUD
again!
This time a powerful performance with the bat
saw the side defeat B Division Alphington to
book a place in this coming Sunday’s (August 16)
County Twenty20 Finals Day, and if the victories
continue then, after Sunday it’s onto the
national stage of the competition - and (whisper
it quietly) – Sky TV coverage!
On a glorious sunny Bradninch evening the Alphas
won the toss and opted to bat suffering a quick
set-back with opener Dave Haysom back in the
hutch, caught behind off Ross Acton (1-20) in
the first over.
The batsmen were initially, unable to cut loose
against some tight opening overs, losing their
other opener Ian McDonald (19), with the score
at 31 in the sixth over when Eliot Acton (1-33)
claimed his wicket.
Andy Codling (40 with four 4s) and Nick Hale,
who struck a superb unbeaten 69 with three 6s
and six 4s) began to dominate the bowling as the
50 arrived off the 52nd delivery of the contest.
The 100 clicked onto the score board just 37
balls later before Phil Chappell (1-13) broke
the partnership.
Codling and Matt Bamber (23 not out in 14 balls)
then began to cut free in the face of some poor
bowling and indifferent fielding as the pair
added 69 off the final 30 balls with the closing
total posted being 169.
Chasing 170 to win at a run-rate of 8.5 per
over, the opening partnership of Ross Acton and
Richard Foan immediately and ruthlessly turned
the run-chase into something of a stroll as they
smacked 16 off the first over and had plundered
the first 50 at the start of the 5th over. Acton
was particularly unforgiving to any short
bowling as he cracked 44 off just 22 balls with
only 16 scoring shots, one 6 and seven 4s.
Richard Foan was equally forceful scoring 43 in
only 27 balls with 6 boundaries and 1 six. The
opening partnership put on 95 before being
separated in only the 7th over. Being so far
ahead of the required run-rate allowed Dan Hardy
(34 off 22 balls) and Jack Horton (19* off 16)
to see the reply through 100 in the 9th over and
the 150 duly arrived in the 15th over before
Bradninch ran out easy winners by seven wickets
with more than four overs to spare.
Bradninch now head to Instow to face North Devon
in the first of two semi-finals and the winners
will meet the victors in the second semi-final
to determine the County Twenty20 champions who
will then march into the National Finals.
One problem on the horizon though, is that with
their involvement in the County Twenty20 Finals
Day at Instow they are again forced to call off
a North Devon Sunday League game, and given that
the a side has been unable to be fielded on two
other occasions this term in the NDL it is
highly likely that the club will now face the
full wrath of the North Devon Holiday Homes
League in as much as their very league status
may be under threat.
It is a truly legitimate reason to be unable to
play this coming Sunday but what will not sit
well with the NDL Management is those earlier
cry-offs and other clubs in similar situations
this term, most notably Heathcoat who attended
the Freeman & French Mid Devon Twenty20 Finals
Day and still fielded TWO XIs for NDL games that
day, and North Devon often put out THREE XIs to
play NDL Matches – it is indeed a crying shame
that there are not more Sunday cricketers
available to the club for the immediate future
of League cricket on the Sabbath must be
considered to be under real threat.
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