Harry Everett features Whimple 2s’ short journey to Winslade Park to face table-toppers Exeter third team on FA Cup final day.
Whimple skipper Steve Hathaway called correctly again and asked the home side to bat first. Maud and Hathaway (combined age 89?) took the new ball against the youth and experience of Paget and Langford, respectively. Maud's radar was mislaid - and the evergreen Hathaway parsimoniously probed away without luck (8-2-23-1).
Early blows were struck by Paget who drove, cut and flicked through the leg side elegantly scoring quickly. The struggling Maud was replaced by Michael 'French Mike' Francois. Fresh from his off breaks in week one, Francois let the handbrake off and fired up the afterburners to bowl wheels.
A false shot from Paget to Francois led to the first wicket caught off a leading edge to Maud at wide mid-off. Number three Paget hit one towering six but was soon back in the hutch playing on to one from Francois that was too close to cut.
Hathaway's tight opening spell was replaced by Lance Klusener lookalike Greig Benson (Klusener is in his 50s, Benson just 43, tough paper round). His brand of left arm darts were feasted on by Exeter who began to reap the rewards of former 2nd team skipper and keeper Langford’s patient start.
With wood in the shed Exeter began to accelerate nicely. 15-year-old Archie Cross started nervously with a couple of wides but his first legal ball was a wicket caught by Benson at cover. The run rate picked up with Unni scoring quickly - of note a couple of huge straight drives off Benson.
Staring down the barrel, Whimple recalled Maud who struggled further, leading Hathaway to turn to Henry Gordon-Lennox for one exploratory over of very part-timers. Post drinks the 'Whimple Express' Culshaw senior was brought on to close the innings. He mesmerized with his run up and dazzled with his donkey drops. Amazingly it worked and the tsunami of runs abated.
Exeter finished 236-4 after Langford was well caught by Francois off Culshaw at long on. A well-constructed 80 from 110 balls (13 fours), Langford was central to Exeter's total, well supported by the destructive Unni (61 off 47, 4 fours and four sixes) as they put on 139 for the 4th wicket. 35 extras did not help matters, extra practice for Whimple bowlers required this week.
Sandwiches consumed, Whimple set about the daunting task of chasing down 237 from 40 overs. Judge G-L and Culshaw senior opened up running well and cashing in on regular boundary balls. HG-L was particularly ruthless first out at 125 in the 17th over for 58 off 68 balls with three fours and four sweetly timed sixes.
At this stage Whimple sat pretty with a healthy run rate and wickets to spare. That was as good as it got as Francois fell second ball for a duck trying to belt one back to St Lucia. Brown and Culshaw briefly steadied the ship before Brown was run out injuring himself as he went for a third.
Young Tom Gordon-Lennox came to the crease and looked to play his shots but found timing the ball tricky. At this stage the run rate began to rise and Culshaw senior was becalmed then having to risk it took the aerial route to be caught at long on for 73 from 91 balls off 14 year-old Mo Kaleem.
The left-arm orthodox bowler, a pupil at Exeter School, accounted for six of the first seven wickets. He bowled with great control and skill to finish with 6-20 from his eight overs and earn man of the match in a competitive category for the home side. Exeter won by 34 runs.
