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Posted:
Monday 22nd September 2008
Source: Stephen Birley
There was an inglorious finish to what has certainly been a
season of high achievement at Kensham Park in the 2008 season as
the Sunday 1st XI lost their �title deciding� encounter with
Sandford by a margin of 83 runs. The four points they picked up
in defeat saw them drop a place to finish 3rd in the final
table. This remains a wonderful finish by the side in their very
first season of top flight Sunday League cricket.
The Bradninch 1st XI might have lost the match and indeed the
chance to be crowned champions but for the cricketing romantics
amongst the large crowd gathered to see the championship
showdown there was a wonderful irony about the outcome of the
contest. Richard Foan dominated
the game from start to finish with a run a ball knock of 114 and
three wickets and all whilst watched by his father, Bradninch CC
legend Mike Foan and his Mother Carole, whilst in the opposition
side was the Bradninch Cricket Club Chairman and the Sandford
centurion�s uncle � Derrick! What�s more young Foan used to
grace our square until 1999 when he departed for pastures new.
He was the Sandford CC 1st XI Devon League side skipper in the
recent season. So now we have
seen three members of the Foan clan score a Kensham Park �ton�.
This particular Foan century was pure class and without the
innings it is a fact that the visiting side would not have been
the team celebrating a title win at stumps.
Sandford batted first and were a wicket down inside the first
over when Foan played a ball straight back to home opener Ross
Acton who deflected the ball onto the stumps to run out the non
striking batsmen Richard Discombe who made the trudge back to
the Pavilion having not faced a ball.
This brought Matt Theedom to the wicket and he and the Creedy
park side�s Saturday 1st XI skipper Foan promptly put on 107 for
the 2nd wicket before Theedom fell to a smart catch by Nick Dean
off the bowling of Phil Chappell. Wickets continue to fall at
regular intervals but crucially for the batting side, Foan was
in imperious form and not offering a chance as he powered his
way past his half-century and ultimately to a magnificent
century, his 2nd of the Sunday League campaign.
Foan�s ton came up in just 115 balls and he despatched five 6s
and eight 4s being particular ruthless on one over from Phil
Chappell that he cracked 23 off. What�s more when Foan�s innings
reached 22 he broke a long standing club record of the most runs
by a Sandford player in a cricket season, beating the 1244 of
Matt O�Brien to take his place amongst Creedy Park folklore.
Sandford skipper Paul Smith chipped in with some priceless late
order runs as the visitors posted a daunting total of 227-9.
Gary Chappell (3-35) and Joel Murphy (2-54) were the most
successful of the home bowlers, it was Murphy who ended the Foan
innings. One ball after being clubbed into an adjacent field,
Murphy got one a little straighter. Foan missed the shot, the
ball hit his pads, the umpire�s finger went up and the centurion
walked - this in the penultimate over of the innings.
Faced with a target that required a run of a shade over five an
over the home side got the perfect start through Dan Hardy and
Ross Acton who kept the board ticking over with 36 coming off
the first eight but then Acton fell to a smart catch by Simon
Ashplant off the bowling of Brian Leach and once that first
wicket fell others followed at regular intervals until the side
was eventually all out for 146.
Tim Piper (27), Joel Murphy (25) and Ross Acton (24) made the
greater contributions but it was a regular supply of slower
bowling that proved the difference. Richard Coupe picked up 3-27
and that man Foan helped himself to 3-28 as Sandford claimed the
Sunday Leagues top honour for only the second time.
So final day despair in terms of the match result but the
Bradninch lads can hold their heads mighty high. It is true to
say that it is this type of contest which will be very much the
norm next season when the Saturday 1st XI embark on the exciting
route offered by the Premier Division of the Francis Clark
League. Perhaps some of the talented �young guns� may need to
brush up technique and undoubted talent over the winter and
spring months, but a 2nd place finish in the Devon League A
Division on Saturday and a 3rd place finish behind Sandford and
North Devon (both of whom play Devon League Premier Division
cricket on Saturdays) makes for a wonderful season in 2008 �
here�s looking forward to more of the same in twelve months time
� God willing that we are all here to see it.
THE FINAL NDL TABLES FOR 2008
|
Division One |
P |
W |
L |
C/Ab |
Pts |
Average |
|
Sandford (Champions) |
14 |
9 |
2 |
3 |
198 |
18.00 |
|
North Devon |
14 |
8 |
2 |
4 |
168 |
16.80 |
|
Bradninch |
14 |
10 |
3 |
1 |
215 |
16.53 |
|
Filleigh |
14 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
144 |
14.40 |
|
Newton Tracey |
14 |
4 |
7 |
3 |
121 |
11.00 |
|
Bideford |
14 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
109 |
10.90 |
|
Lynton & Lynmouth |
14 |
3 |
8 |
3 |
111 |
10.00 |
|
Beaford (relegated) |
14 |
1 |
10 |
3 |
57 |
5.18 |
|
Division Two |
P |
W |
L |
C/Ab |
Pts |
Average |
|
Heathcoat (prom) |
16 |
7 |
2 |
6 |
150 |
16.66 |
|
Victoria Park (prom) |
16 |
9 |
4 |
3 |
200 |
15.39 |
|
Braunton |
16 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
172 |
14.33 |
|
Barnstaple & Pilton |
16 |
4 |
5 |
7 |
120 |
13.33 |
|
Hatherleigh |
16 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
114 |
12.66 |
|
Filleigh II |
16 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
138 |
12.54 |
|
Bratton Fleming |
16 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
125 |
12.50 |
|
Westleigh (relegated) |
16 |
6 |
7 |
3 |
161 |
12.23 |
|
Ilfracombe (relegated) |
16 |
0 |
13 |
3 |
37 |
2.84 |
|
Division Three |
P |
W |
L |
C/Ab |
Pts |
Average |
|
Morebath (prom) |
16 |
9 |
3 |
4 |
204 |
17.00 |
|
Holsworthy (prom) |
16 |
8 |
3 |
5 |
164 |
14.90 |
|
Shobrooke Park |
16 |
7 |
5 |
4 |
152 |
12.66 |
|
Incorrigibles |
16 |
6 |
7 |
3 |
161 |
12.39 |
|
Barnstaple & Pilton II |
16 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
136 |
12.36 |
|
North Devon II |
16 |
7 |
6 |
3 |
146 |
12.16 |
|
Sandford II |
16 |
4 |
7 |
5 |
120 |
10.90 |
|
Bratton Fleming II (rel) |
16 |
3 |
9 |
4 |
109 |
9.08 |
|
Cheriton Fitzpaine (rel) |
16 |
3 |
8 |
5 |
95 |
8.63 |
|
Division Four |
P |
W |
L |
C/Ab |
Pts |
Average |
|
Shebbear (prom) |
16 |
10 |
1 |
5 |
204 |
18.54 |
|
Bude (prom) |
16 |
11 |
3 |
2 |
227 |
16.21 |
|
North Devon III |
16 |
8 |
5 |
3 |
179 |
13.76 |
|
Bideford II |
16 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
152 |
12.66 |
|
Victoria Park II |
16 |
5 |
8 |
3 |
141 |
10.84 |
|
Lynton & Lynmouth II |
16 |
6 |
7 |
2 |
151 |
10.07 |
|
Newton Tracey II |
16 |
4 |
8 |
4 |
149 |
9.50 |
|
Kelseymen (rel) |
16 |
6 |
10 |
0 |
114 |
9.43 |
|
Bishops Nympton (rel) |
16 |
2 |
9 |
5 |
59 |
5.36 |
|
Division Five |
P |
W |
L |
C/Ab |
Pts |
Average |
|
Halberton |
14 |
9 |
0 |
5 |
180 |
20.00 |
|
Weare Giffard |
14 |
8 |
1 |
5 |
170 |
18.88 |
|
Filleigh III |
14 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
148 |
13.63 |
|
Nomansland |
14 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
94 |
13.42 |
|
North Molton |
14 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
78 |
11.14 |
|
Barnstaple & Pilton III |
14 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
79 |
7.90 |
|
Bradninch II |
14 |
2 |
7 |
5 |
47 |
5.22 |
|
Black Torrington |
14 |
0 |
9 |
5 |
12 |
1.02 |
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