Match reviews Saturday 7th August 2004

Now that the dust has settled on a superb pair of League results on Saturday, it is worth reflecting on the performances, in particular that of the 1st XI up at Bideford. To say it was a good all-round controlled execution would probably not do it justice.

With the North Devon side getting 240 and 250 with consummate ease after batting first, any score of below 200 would have been a major boost to Bradninch. And so it was to be. Joel Murphy - who is to the uninformed, now a 'Brit', in so much as he is qualified to play for England and thus not the club's overseas player (that tag belongs to the South African Gem Coetzee) - bowled his twelve overs for a meagre 20 runs but the bowling duties were well spread throughout the side: three wickets for young Ross Acton, two for Paul Nott, two more for Andy Nichols and one for skipper Chris Acton.

Yes, perhaps the home tail did wag to take the score to 184 but at tea, to use the words of Paul Nott, 'the lads were confident, indeed very confident, that on that track and with the batting in our side that we would get the vital victory'.

Losing Gary Newall so early was a blow. A duck for Gary - something that Paul Nott actually can claim to have got the most of this season (to be fair that is because Paul has often gone to the crease with a quick slog needed!) but Chris Acton steadied things and then the middle order all got in and scored twenty-somethings but at 134-6 it was touch and go. However, number eight Paul Nott, joined number seven Gem Coetzee, and to again take the words from Nott's mouth, 'despite that, with six down it could have gone either way, Gem and I always felt in control, and to be fair right from the off we kept up with the required run rate, and Gem did bat superbly'.

Coetzee has been 'under pressure' of late in terms of his place in the starting eleven but he nailed his colours to the mast in North Devon on Saturday afternoon. So where does this leave Chris Acton's side? In sight of the finishing line and with two of the last three games at home, it is clear that a 47-point haul from those three games and regardless of what Bideford then do in their last three - the champagne corks will be popping at HQ on the last Saturday of the season.