Cricket- County Division Three (East)

Bude v Menheniot

If some of the matches that Menheniot have been involved in this season can be described as uninspiring, then this wasn't one of them!

The tempo was set from the start when Rob May and Aussie John Gardner opened the batting for Bude. May inparticular scored freely from anything that was not a perfect line and length and with a large outfield to defend, Menheniot struggled to keep the scoring rate at under six an over.

As can very often happen, a change of bowling resulted in a little more control for the fielding side. The introduction of Simon Hunt with his off-spin and young Stuart Taylor playing his first match at this level as a 15-y-o saw the home batsmen suddenly being held back.

It was Taylor who accounted for dangerman May, when he bowled him a slower delivery, which May hit well enough, but all the way to the gazelle like figure of Paul Glover on the long off boundary who took a magnificent catch above his head.

Soon after Taylor senior took a low catch behind the wicket to send Gardner back to the pavilion to give Taylor his second wicket.

Meanwhile Hunt was wheeling away at the other end conceding very little to eventually bowl his 16 overs and take 1-46. All the Bude batsmen scored runs and at the end of 48 overs Menheniot were quite contended to have restricted the home side to 200-6, particularly after Bude getting such a good start. Stuart Taylor can be pleased wit his efforts in the field, not only taking 3-44 but also being responsible for the run out of prolific scorer Ian Mill.

Bude had only lost once in the League this season and it was obvious from their positive attitude in the field that they didn't fancy losing another one. However Phil Adsett and John Massey got Menheniot's inninghs away to a steady start before Massey was caught with the score on 49. This bought Hunt to the wicket.

The home side put him under all sorts of pressure knowing that this was a prize wicket. But Hunt was not deterred as he went on to form the backbone of the innings scoring 57 before being caught in the deep with the score on 111. Ian Goldsmith played another fluent innings of 28 to leave thematch in the balance with the visitors on 155-6 off 40 overs.

At this point both sides were feeling the pressure, Melvin Rigler and Stuart Taylor kept chipping away for Menheniot, but it was the 45th over which proved decisive with Taylor hitting a four and a six in an over which yielded 15 runs. Having done the hard work, young Taylor then got out having scored 19 which left Rigler to hit a four to bring the scores level with one over to go.

Taylor senior replaced his son and with three balls left slapped a six over mid wicket with a farm yard shot that John Carpenter would have been proud of.

In the final analysis this was a good result for Menheniot against a side who have become used to winning in a match that was competitive in every way. It is to be hoped that this is the spring board to a good set of results for the village side.

Scorecard

Bude

R May c Glover, b S Taylor 30

J Gardner c A Taylor b S Taylor 22

I Mill run out 27

G Wint lbw Goldsmith 14

B Sumption b Hunt 24

A Derosa b S Taylor 31

G Moore rtd hurt 17

D Marsh not out 6

M Taylor not out 7

Extras 16

Ttl for 6 wklts 200

Bowling - I Goldsmith 1§4-2-59-1, P Adsett 7-0-43-0, S Taylor 11-1-44-3, S Hunt 16-3-46-1).

Menheniot

P Adsett b Scown 19

J Massey c Mash b Scown 11

S Hunt c Derosa b Taylor 57

J Carpenter c Marsh b Scown 0

P Castell b Taylor 18

I Goldsmith b Sumption 28

M Rigler c Scown b Sumption 23

S Taylor b Derosa 19

A Taylor not out 12

P Glover not out 0

Extras 19

Ttl for 8 wkts 206

Bowling - T Scown 16-3-46-3, R May 6-0-22-0, M Taylor 16-1-67-2, B Sumption 8-1-47-2, A Derosa 1.3-0-12-12.

Menheniot (18 pts) bt Bude (nine) by two wkts.