By OLLIE SMITH
Stoke Gabriel’s Abhishek Anand’s 97 not out was just enough to see his side home against Abbotskerswell in the first round of the Corinthian Cup.
Anand (pictured, right) opened the batting with skipper Jack Tolley, and together the pair put on 146 for the first wicket. Tolley was the first man out for 72, but keeper Anand kept going. Adriaan Maxwell came and went with three overs to go, Jake Robinson kept the pace up with 14 not out from eight balls, and Anand was left stranded on 97 not out from 61 deliveries.
Stoke took wickets at regular intervals, but the Abbotskerswell run rate never dropped below eight. Charlie Hill was the first to raise the bat for 50, coming off 36 balls. He was joined at the crease by Tom Heath, who took the game into his own hands.
By the time Hill departed, Abbots needed 83 from five and a half overs, the required rate was over 15. Erik Gregersen was dismissed for seven, and Max Yates joined Heath, who was on 19. In a partnership worth 70 runs, Yates scored eight of them, as Heath took Abbots to within three runs of victory, before running out of time.
Jack Tolley, Stoke Gabriel captain, said, “As a side, we looked to bat positively and Abhishek batted brilliantly. With 193 on the board we were confident we could defend it.”
“Abbots started well, but it was always going to be tough going at 10 an over for most of the innings.”
“We didn’t bowl or field particularly well, and there were some costly drops off Heath, including one that had been dropped for six.”
Looking forward, Tolley said, “We have made finals day three years in a row. We want to make that four, but more importantly, we want to finally get over the line!”
Elsewhere there were wins for the Heathcoat and Sandford 2nd XIs, as well as Ottery St Mary, Plymstock, Seaton, Whimple, and Ivybridge.
Ivybridge comfortably progressed to round two after beating Plymouth by 71 runs. Arthur Johnson top scored with an unbeaten 60, and Harry Solomon contributed a further 40 as Ivybridge posted 162/6 from their allocation. Tinashe Muchawaya, a late overseas replacement, was the pick of the Ivybridge bowlers as he dismissed the two Plymouth openers, finishing with 2-9 as Plymouth reached 91/8 from their 20 overs.
Heathcoat 2nd XI reached their target with one ball to spare as they defeated Teignmouth & Shaldon by two wickets. Tyler Blackburn and Tshepo Legodi were the top scorers for T&S, 56 and 45 respectively, and there was a late flurry of boundaries from Ryan Bougard as the hosts posted 164/7. Dan Butler set the tone at the top of the Heathcoat innings with 66 from 44, before Luke Thomas hit two boundaries in the final over to secure the win.
Ottery St Mary navigated their way past Topsham St James with an eight-wicket win. No Topsham batter had higher than a 100 strike rate, despite Declan Wardell’s 42, as they made 111 for seven. Sam O’Nyons hit four sixes to see his side home in the 15th over.
Jon James continued his form for Sandford as he hit 95 from 45 in their win over Bradninch & Kentisbeare. James hit 17 boundaries in his knock, and Thomas Maidment second top scored with 31. Sandford’s score of 213/7 proved to be too much for their hosts, who managed 115 before being dismissed. The pick of the Sandford bowlers was Jack James, who took 3-10 from his 3 overs.
Plymstock’s Ian Whalley rolled back the years with three-for-20 as his side defeated Plymouth Civil Service & Roborough by eight wickets. Hosts PCS&R posted 136 from their 20 overs, with three batters reaching the twenties but no one going further. In reply, Josh Sumner scored 60, including ten boundaries, before Tyrese Karelse took just 12 balls to score 35 to see them home.
Other games in the round saw Seaton defeat Upottery, and Whimple defeat Cullompton.
