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Posted:
Sunday 31st May 2009
Source: Stephen Birley
Joe Webb spent much of last season’s A Division promotion
campaign batting down the order but he produced, at Kensham Park
on Saturday, an innings that not only smacked of 'this is what I
can do, now let me prove that consistently', as well as being an
innings that so nearly took the side to what would have been a
third straight top-flight success.
The visitors put Bradninch in first and both openers were in the
pavilion with only 14 on the board – Gary Newall bowled by the
opener bowler Gregory and then Richard Foan was trapped lbw by
the same bowler. The unfortunate Foan now has five innings under
his belt with only one score of double figures, as he continues
to settle back into his new surroundings – on a wicket laid by
his Father Mike!
Tim Piper and Gary Chappell then looked to steady the innings
but, when they had added 25 Chappell (16), fell to a caught and
bowled. Piper was 4th to fall when trapped leg before for 20 and
when Ross Acton departed for 16 to a catch, half the side were
back in the hutch with only 91 on the board.
However young Webb was still out in the middle and after a
nervous start, began to settle into the challenge. Skipper Joel
Murphy did not stick around for too long as he fell for 10 and,
when Billy Wakeley and Paul Nott both came in, and departed,
without troubling the scorers beyond a brace and a single
respectively, the score was a desperate looking 114-8. Nat Davey
then joined Webb and scored a priceless 10 before he departed
with the score on 127.
This brought a second teenager to the middle in the shape of
Nick Dean and the youngsters batted with great sense to nudge
the score to its close of 148-9 after 55 overs. Webb finishing
unbeaten for a magnificent 53, Dean was unbeaten on 2 and, with
the help of 13 extras; two batting points had been banked.
Paul Nott struck the early blow that was so vital in the post
tea session and when Rowbotham was bowled by Gary Chappell there
was a glimmer of hope for the home side with the visitors on
52-2.
Then the 3rd wicket pair began to build what looked a
match-winning knock taking their side to 93-3. Another wicket
fell immediately but more damage repair for the 5th wicket
seemed to put Plympton back on track.
Now Joel Murphy got in on the act and he quickly whipped out a
trio of visiting batsmen to see the reply slump from 130-4 to
131-8!
Now it was the home team sniffing an unlikely victory but the
visiting side’s 9th wicket pair, like the home last pair, batted
with great sense to edge their side closer to victory and that
was what they achieved off the penultimate ball of the 49th over
to seal a two wicket win.
Skipper Joel Murphy had said in a newspaper interview in the
days leading up to the game that this season’s top-flight
programme looked as close as any in recent times – that is a
view shared by other Premier skippers, and a game that looked
lost for Bradninch after they batted and indeed with the
visitors reaching three figures with only four of their side
back in the hutch, still looked over, but back came the home
side to set up a thrilling finish, with the game one of those
that was in the balance right until the death.
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