EAST ONE

By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

HEATHCOAT 2^ndXI maintained their unbeaten record at the top of the East One table, but only after quite a battle against Whimple.

Heathcoat won the game by 78 runs after posting an impressive 307 for eight, but for a long time while Whimple were chasing the game was wide open.

Heathcoat made a blistering start and were on 99 within 10 overs when Dylan Penberthy (59) was first out 

Two wickets each for Matt Richards (2-57), Cameron Kidd (2-35) and Mark Porter (2-26) slowed the scoring, but Simon Sobczak's 44 and a quick-fire 40 not out from Matt Hodson pushed the target just beyond 300.

Losing in-form batsmen Luke Phillips (0), Nathan Kidd (8) and Porter (0) for just 10 runs inside three overs made Whimple’s task even more daunting.

A stand off 51 between Sam Jefferson (16) and Henry Gordon-Lennox (61) and a further stand of 104 between Gordon-Lennox and Cameron Kidd (63) had Whimple right back up with the run rate.

“The divisional leaders were probably more concerned than they could have imagined at any point in the day,” said Whimple skipper Gareth Stoneman.

With full batting points all-but secured Whimple adjusted their batting order to try and keep pace with the run-rate, but two quick wickets soon handed control of the game back to Heathcoat with skipper Stoneman (18) the final Whimple wicket to fall in the 39th over.

Penberthy capped a man-of-the-match display with three wickets for 32 runs and Joe Hancock responded to being left out of Heathcoat’s first team with three wickets of his own.

THORVERTON did not hang about en-route to a nine-wicket win over old adversaries Shobrooke Park in East One.

Shobrooke stuck around for 40.1 overs to reach 78 all out, which was knocked off with 31 overs to spare.

Opener Henry Dare top scored for Shobrooke with 18 off 82 balls and was fourth out on 42. Stand-in captain Chris Ford was next best on 13.

Thors’ skipper for the day Jake Choules (3-22) accounted for the bulk of the middle order, which left Jack Stirling (4-14) to see off the stragglers.

Thorverton’s only setback on the chase was losing Luke Vukusic, who was run-out at the start of the second over.

Alistair Chillcott (48no) and Paul Fielder (25no) knocked of the rest of the runs with the minimum of fuss.

Thorverton host leaders Heathcoat 2nd XI this Saturday. Choules feels the win over Shobrooke has put them back on an even keel after losing to the leaders seven days earlier.

“Looking forward to Heathcoat at home next to hopefully put in a better performance compared with the one at Knightshayes” said Choules.

On the win over Shobrooke, Choules said: “I was concerned after losing the toss,  but we bowled excellently and Shobrooke never looked like getting going. 

“We knocked them off comfortably the only wicket being a run-out.”

Shobrooke, who were disappointed to be placed in Tier Two not Tier Three for this season’s mini-league competition, are at home to Whimple.

 

 

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