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Posted:
Monday 26th April 2010
Source: Stephen Birley
You just sensed it when you saw this new guy bat the first time
that a maiden ton would not be far off and he did not
disappoint, smacking the magical three-figure score - an
unbeaten one too - in his very first game on the Kensham Park
pitch.
Mind you he got a good lot of help from that splendid groundsman
who answers to the name Mike Foan. The track for the first home
game of the season was a batsman’s dream, and doesn’t Mr Murray
like to bat on such surfaces.
Against a strong Bideford side who had batted first in this
North Devon League top-flight fixture, and posted the highest
score of the early season to date in the First Division, 240-5,
Murray set to work.
His innings was as imperious as his first two the previous
weekend. He went on to score an unbeaten 116 with eleven 4s and
four 6s. The evergreen Andy Nicholls weighed in with 60 and
there was a ten-ball blast by young Matt Jarrett that yielded 23
but three run-outs were to prove crucial with the home reply
floundering a single run short of the visiting total.
Earlier Phil Chappell had bagged a brace of wickets for the
hosts and the same success would have been in the book for Nick
Dean only for a couple of very straight forward catches to be
put down off his otherwise exceptional bowling.
So four games into the North Devon League campaign the Bradninch
side have now won two, and lost two.
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