Bradninch 1st XI versus Ipplepen 1st XI
Saturday 19th July 2003 at Ipplepen
An unpredictable track after a week of spurious rain showers, planted the thought of bowling first in the Bradninch minds despite travelling without their regular strike bowler, Joel Murphy, who was taking the opportunity of a weekend off, with the availability of New Zealand pace star Alan Gambles making his second league appearance of the season. The Ipplepen side, revealing a similar strategy, chose to cope with a clutch of injuries by asking Bradninch to bat with the hope that the wicket would compensate and help restrict the fluency of the visiting batsmen.
Accurate medium pace, the key ingredient on the temperamental Ipplepen pitch, greeted the opening batsmen who played gingerly as the surface started to unveil a flavour of familiar trickery. First blood was administered via a sharp off-cutter that left Gary Newall asking for a protractor, while momentarily questioning the Umpire�s LBW decision. Tim Piper arrived fresh from a week�s Devon U16 duties and added a sense of urgency to the innings in his all too brief stay at the wicket, cut short by a less severe but equally decisive off break that cheekily avoided his immaculate forward defensive and took account of his off stump.
With the dependable, if a little subdued, Chris Acton at the crease, Andy Nichols emerged expectantly hoping to carry his stroke play from the previous week in to the pivotal number four position. To his dismay though, a rising �long up� from the Ipplepen yesteryear spinner gained a fleeting element of surprise and deflected to slip off an errant glove. Ross joined his Uncle and settled in after tempting mid-wicket with a lofted drive before he scored. The total had moved on to 56 in reasonable time when Chris misjudged a leg side ball and was bowled around his pads for the second week, this time taking some solace from the fact that a degree (or two) of leg break was well within the bowler�s armoury.
Gem Coetzee, promoted to number six following a series of good scores captaining the Sunday side, came to the wicket with a stiff task ahead. The need to consolidate and nurse the score along while holding wickets in hand for the last ten overs, called for resolve and he found an able partner in Ross, as they wilfully manoeuvred the ball around in a 20 over stand of improvisation and determined running between the wickets that brought 60 valuable runs. The later order batsmen then duly obliged as the innings accelerated at more than seven runs per over to a healthy 182 for 8 at the close. (Gem Coetzee 48, Ross Acton 40, Chris Acton 25 and P. Thomas 3-43).
A hint of the inevitable grazed across the picturesque Ipplepen ground as Bradninch introduced Alan Gambles to partner Paul Nott and take advantage of the predictably, unpredictable batting conditions. A low LBW and a caught behind at each end, followed by a clean bowled by Alan and a submissive stumping off Paul, gave the two bowlers an equal share of the prey as the home side plummeted to 54 for 6.
With the innings in tatters acting Captain, Andy Bullivant, showed how it could be done and set about restoring some respectability with a solid, well crafted 32 before he fell to an instinctive silly mid-on catch by Chris off Ross at the pavilion end. An inventive four overs of spin from Gem, strategically freed from wicket keeping responsibilities, kept the game alive and the Ipplepen number ten put bat to ball to take the score to 114 before he was last man out, left stranded trying to take a tight run to Nat Davey at mid off. (Alan Gambles 4-34, Paul Nott 3-24, A. Bullivant 32 and J. Hepburn 30). Bradninch 19 points, Ipplepen 5.
