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Posted:
Sunday 26th July 2009
Source: Stephen Birley
Skipper Joel Murphy and club stalwart Gary Newall combined to
send visiting Torquay to defeat and a shade nearer relegation,
when between them they helped manufacture a two-wicket win on
another damp Kensham Park afternoon.
Rain on every single one of the five days before the match day
gave way to sunshine on the day itself and once again the all
important toss went the way of skipper Murphy as he invited
Torquay to bat.
Batting was needless to say, difficult but the visitors got a
competent start heading for 46-1 and 72-2. Their 3rd wicket fell
at 85 and they were in a healthy position at 131-4 before
skipper Murphy took charge and claimed a four-wicket haul,
leaving Torquay floundering on 153-7 after their 50 overs at the
wicket.
With batting still a mighty difficult business needed a steady
start and they got just that thanks to Dan Hardy and Gary Newall
who put on 40 before Hardy was trapped leg before for 14. It
quickly became 64-3 as Richard Foan came and went rather
quickly, losing his stumps with just 4 to his name and Gary
Chappell was caught for 8.
Tim Piper then joined Newall and they took the total to 86
before Newall's brave innings was ended with him just off a
richly deserved half-century. Joe Webb was in, and then out for
2 before Horton joined Piper and the pair took the total to
119-6 when Horton departed, stumped, for 10.
Piper stuck around and it was a 42-run, 7th wicket partnership
between him and Ross Acton who added a priceless 42 to take the
side to the brink of victory. Acton went for 27 and there was
another nervous moment when the skipper came and went, for a
duck. But with last man Paul Nott padded up Billy Wakeley went
in, scored a single and he and Piper walked off with the latter
unbeaten on 22 and a two-wicket win sealed on the penultimate
ball of the contest!
So a priceless 17 points but the battle to avoid the drop is
still far from over with a difficult looking run in that sees
meetings with Budleigh, Sidmouth, Plympton, Exeter and North
Devon to complete the club's first ever season in the
top-flight.
The gods though do appear to be shining on Murphy's men and it
is worth noting that in recent seasons NO SIDE has been
relegated out of the top-flight with FOUR wins in the season -
and the victory over Torquay was indeed the FOURTH of the
campaign!
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