Pete Waterman, Club Captain for 2010 Check out this page for news on team selection and to see how our skipper thinks! For more information on him and his illustrious career, have a look at his own player profile page.
28/8/2010
So the last game of the season and a game against the team below us in the league. I spent most of the week trying to work out the best option if I won the toss and was undecided what to do so I asked some other senior players and the split was 50/50 bat/bowl. As it turned out I need not have worried because I lost the toss and we were asked to bat first. The first big shock though was that Cockington had only 9 men and the second was that one of their opening bowlers was older than me - by 20 years!! Anyway without worrying too much about what was happening at Clyst we got a solid opening stand together until Matt was bowled by a beauty for 25 but Fordy progressed to 69 but to be fair he did have more than his fair share of good fortune being dropped 5 times, the middle order struggled to contribute and it was Chris Luxton and Ian Hayter with 38 and 35 who saw us to a great total of 266-9. At tea we resisted the temptation to try and contact Shobrooke park where Clyst were playing and focused on bowling them out and getting our 20 points. Chris and I got early wickets as Cockington struggled to chase such a large total, Josh came on and claimed 3 wickets including Andy Hele - a key man for them. This gave us the boost we needed as Martin then came on an finished the job as they were rolled for 79. A massive victory but we still required Shobrooke to help us out by performing like the champions they are. This did not materialise and news slowly filtered through that they were closing in on victory. Final confirmation that they had gained 18 points came at 11:25 that night and we have failed to stay up by 1 point. I reallytthought that we would do it if we got 20 points and I never really saw Clyst beating Shobrooke so this was a massively disappointing end to the season. This was my last game as Club Captain and it is not the way you want to finish, as I said to the team after the game the only way forward is to bounce straight back next year and to ensure that as a club we realise that a fast start next year will be crucial to give us our best chance of coming straight back up again. Looking back over the year I feel there are several reasons why things went badly wrong - firstly the winter net facilities that we used were completely unsuitable for senior cricket and provided no preparation for the season. It is essential that better facilities are secured for the coming winter. A second key factor for me has been poor availability and this can be easily evidenced by the fact that I used 24 players in the Saturday first XI this year by the end of July. There is no way a side can perform at its best if week to week the team and it players do not have an established role in the side and know how to work together as a unit. I am extremely grateful to all the players who turned out for me - in several cases probably knowing that they would be batting down the order- but if we want to move forward as a club availability has to improve. Having a consistent selection policy becomes near impossible when you are juggling numbers just to get a side out each week.
It is worth noting that at the end of the first half of the season's fixtures we had amassed only 51 points - the second half saw us pick up 113. It is always easy to look back and say "If Only" but this year it is easy to identify games where a bit more application and focus would have seen us gaining the vital extra points that would have seen us survive. Next season make sure that every game is played with that focus in mind - if we start next year like we finished this one we will have every chance of coming back up.
It would not be right of me to sign off without saying thank you to all those that have helped at the club this year, the wicket has been exceptional and many sides have commented on what a pleasure it has been to play at our ground with a great outfield and a great wicket. The teas have been superb and thanks to Vicky and Jackie for all their hard work each weekend. Also many thanks to John Weekes who has been a stalwart and uncomplaining 2nd XI captain who has never once complained when I have had to raid his side for a player at late notice. Many thanks also to the scorers who have done the job for me this year, Jolyon, Frances, Paul and Geoff. It makes such a difference having people who are happy to do that job and is a weight of the mind when you know it is taken care of every week. Thanks also to Kevin for running the bar and also a word of congratulations to Ian Hayter for captaining the Sunday 1st team so successfully, likewise Darren Hart with the Sunday 2nds. Finally a massive thank you to my wife, Sharon, who has supported me through another cricket season.
Good luck to everyone for next season and it has been an honour and a privilege to captain Bideford Cricket Club.
Pete
21/8/2010
Just like last week we had dreadful weather on Saturday morning - this time though we were playing away at Chudleigh and set off 15 minutes late at 11:00 after Josh had to divert Fordy back to his house after forgetting the scorebook. The journey over was dry and the sun came out as we got to Exeter - however as we drove up Haldon Hill the rain was sat over Dartmoor in front of us and it didn't look like moving. Got to Chudleigh and after sampling some of Fordy's plums(with free caterpillars) we inspected the wicket which was just soaked. Very wet rolled mud with a very minimal covering of grass and no break in the light rain mean't that we waited until 2:15 but with no prospect of drying conditions and light rain still in the air we called the game off. Driving back past Exeter where we knew Clyst St George were playing was difficult as the weather was clear all the way back. Fortunately for us Barnstaple beat them and only lost 4 wickets in the process meaning that they only added one point to the gap between us. Cockingtons game was called off as well so really no change and all to play for in the last game next week. Lets just hope for a dry end to the week as it would be a disaster if we get rain next Saturday. The good thing is that both sides should be desparate to play so we should get a game in.
It will be the biggest game of the season for us and if we play like we have the last few weeks then we have every chance of saving ourselves - we will need to rely on Clyst dropping ponts but at least we have a fighting chance of survival if we can put together one more decent performance and get a result.
The journey on saturday did at least enable me to hear a sentence I never thought possible. Matt Allin was heard to say and I quote " The two batsmen in the world I would most like to watch would be Sachin Tendulkar and Pete Stevens" Webby can confirm this if anyone needs proof. Anyway good luck to everyone next weekend. Pete.
14/8/2010
Rain on a Saturday morning always makes the heart sink and this weekend at 10:00 it was lashing down. However the sun came out and when I got to the ground at midday I was delighted to see that the wicket although slightly damp was perfectly playable. Brixham were the opponents and as they were 2nd in the table I was expecting a tough game. I lost the toss and we were asked to bat first, Matt's stunning form continued as he reeled of an array of great shots as we raced away at 8 and over - he fell for 30 and then Fordy took over with a succession of partners all contributing to steady progress to 200 and 5 batting points - Webby, Woody and lastly Josh all played really well as Fordy went on to 111 not out - Josh made 56 with his 50 coming off only 22 balls as we closed on 277- 6. A great knock by James.
The wicket played really well and Brixham are a strong batting line up so we needed early wickets - Ian Hayter obliged removing one of the openers but a terrific innings by their overseas player with 115 saw them making steady progress towards our total. We kept chipping away though and wickets from Martin and Fordy saw the game enter the final stages in the balance. Darren came back for the penultimate over and removed the overseas player as we went into the last over with them favourites to win only 6 down and 5 short of a win. I bowled it and a wicket first ball, a miss and then another wicket swung it back our way, fourth ball saw a scrambled single and a missed runout chance so 4 from 2 balls required. With the field back bar a man on each side to stop the single a boundary was struck and we lost by two wickets. This was a really brave fighting performance from our team and 9 points felt a little short for our contribution to a fantastic game of cricket played in excellent spirit .
If we continue to show this level of determination and desire as we go into the final two games of the season we will have a chance of staying up. I think as I said last week - every point is critical and the teams focus in the last few games has been superb - we must carry on this way into our remaining fixtures. The result from the Cockington/Clyst game means there is absolutely nothing between the bottom three and we must keep the levels up to give us our best chance of survival.
Well played everyone this weekend.
Pete
7/8/2010
Chagford at home for us this weekend and a game that I felt was crucial for us to win. Overnight and early morning rain had left me worried that we were going to have some problems getting the game played but an inspection at 10:00 revealed that there had been no rain at Westward Ho! I won the toss and asked Chagford to bat - two early wickets for Chris and some tight opening overs gave us a degree of early control but Chagford threatened a good recovery as they reached 119 before the next wickets fell - Josh bowled Lammonby and the followed it up with a terrific catch off his own bowling to get the opener. As they lost momentum we started to pick up more wickets and James cashed in with 3 wickets as they reached 186-7 - then three run outs saw us collect maximum bowling points - the highlight being Wiggles power arm seeing the last man 5 yards short of his ground in the last over.
It was crucial that we got a good start and thanks to Matt, Fordy and Webby that it just what happened. Matt struck a superb 60 out of an opening stand of 97 and then Webby and Fordy took us to 163 before webby fell for 36 a mini wobble followed when Wiggles and Will fell cheaply but woody and Fordy saw it through as we finished on 196-4. Fordy unbeaten on 77 - a patient knock that got the job done. So a superb 20 point win. Results above us went our way as Clyst lost and Cockington got a losing draw so we finally move off the bottom of the table above Clyst and within one point of Cockington. Its going to be a really tight finish and as I said before yesterdays game every point is likely to be important so it is essential we all stay together and keep battling every week. Well done this week and see you at nets on Tuesday. 31/7/2010
An away trip to leaders Shobrooke Park this weekend and a chance to try and gain as many points as we could. The day started with Martin waking up at 11:25 for an 11:30 meet and discovering his kit was still in the washing machine. He did manage to get to the meet only 15 minutes late which represented a good recovery and we set off on the road with Fordy taking a well earned break from driving and getting a lift with Ian Hayter, also in that car were Josh and Matt. An uneventful journey was abruptly interrupted when the Ian in the lead car pulled over very quickly and stopped on a blind bend to allow the youngest occupant to leap out and throw up - this was blamed on the winding road but this is a journey we make pretty regularly and car sickness has never been an issue before - must have been something else!!! Anyway we got to the ground with no further emergency stops and we won the toss and I chose to field first. The biggest shock of the season so far was produced when I got a wicket in the first over of the day - it has been a long wait but this was quickly followed by another one - and tight bowling by Chris as well meant a good solid start for us. Martin replaced Chris and picked up another one and at 23 overs they were under the cosh at 60-3. Unfortunately a combination of gritty batting, good fortune and to a degree some loose bowling let them back into the game and the second half rather ran away from us as they closed on 238-4. Tea was livened up by three members of our team spending 20 minutes sampling and then discussing the relative merits of three type of chocolate cake, however the serious stuff started and Matt and Fordy opened up - a great first over with a dozen from it was halted when Matt was caught at slip, Fordy battled really hard on his way to 39 and Andy also looked solid until giving a chance to short cover, Wiggles and James Starkey fell quickly the Will Barratt batting at 6 survived a couple of appeals to get us on the way again towards more batting bonus points, Chris struck some good blows but with 10 overs to go we were still 100 short so 175 and 200 became the targets and a losing draw. Josh ran himself out when trying to take a single to the keeper and it was left to me and Martin to bat out 5 overs. We just managed it with Martin surviving a chance in the penultimate over as we finished on 187-9. It was a real battling effort this weekend and the results above us mean we gain a couple more points on the teams above us in the chase for survival. It was tough in the field and we must remember that every run saved and every point gained is going to be crucial in the last month of the season. All of us need to stay focused on the task in hand and we must strive to play as hard as we can.
There will be no nets this week due to the Devon Dumpling game on Tuesday. Pete
24/7/2010
The local derby against Barnstaple this weekend and it really was a must win game for us. A week of wet weather meant the strip was very green and had a healthy covering of grass so when we won the toss I had no doubts about asking Barnstaple to bat first. I felt our best chance of a win was to bowl them out for less than 200 and chase all the way. We started well in the field and Chris Luxton bowled his 13 overs straight through claiming 4-40 - this included the key wickets of Ed Yeo and Mike Paine. I brought on Martin to replace me at the road end and he produced a great delivery to get rid of Lee Cole. Josh followed Chris and also got a wicket as Barnstaple struggled to build any partnerships. Fordy then came on for 5 overs at the end and ran through the tail with 3-4. We bowled them out for 181 in the last over. Fordy and Matt opened up for us and a fast start was halted by the loss in fairly quick succession of Fordy, James Starkey and Webby and we found ourselves at 71-3. New recruit James Corry then joined Matt and they played superbly to see us through to a 7 wicket victory as they compiled a stand of 110. Matt ending 90no and James 46no. This was a great inning by Matt and deserved a hundred and it was great to see James playing a key role on his first team debut. So 20 points achieved and our first win of the Saturday league season. The two key differences this week were the taking of early wickets and then a really solid partnership that never allowed Barnstaple to get a foot hold in the game. Results from our two nearest rivals mean we gain ground on Clyst St George and parity with Cockington. 5 games to go and definite reasons to feel that we are making progress. We do have a tough run in to the end of the season but if we keep our belief and perform solidly then we still have every chance of staying up this year.
On the social side it was great to see lots of people at the club last night to celebrate the achievement of our sponsored walkers in completing the Barnstaple to Bideford walk and really well done to everyone for the amount of money they raised for both the club and the hospice. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the evening.
Nets as usual on Tuesday and also just a mention that there is a game against the Devon Dumplings on Tuesday 3rd August. I sent a text to the players who I have in my phone but if you have not received a message please let John Weekes or myself know if you are available for selection. Pete
17/07/2010
For the first time since I joined the club we get to play at Plymstock after two rained off matches in previous years. I lost the toss and we were asked to bat, early overs did not go well and Plymstock raced away at 6 an over on a slow wicket. Chris Luxton bowled steadily but it was not until the introduction of Fordy and his offspin that we started to drag the game back, he bowled 10 overs and picked up 5-31 and in partnership with Martin Stewart, 3-59 we managed to bowl them out for 246 in the last over. This represented a good fight back but highlighted our earlier loose bowling performance as it felt like they had scored 40 more than a par score on a tricky wicket. When we batted Matt Allin fell early but then all of the top order got a decent start, Fordy, James Starkey, Wiggles and Luxo all got to double figures but no one quite managed to push on to a big score that would see us attack the total for a win, ambitions changed and we looked to get 200 and a losing draw and this was still on with 10 overs to go when we were 55 short with 5 wickets in hand, this plan then faltered as a hat trick with 5 overs to go saw myself and Fergie at the wicket at 161-9, 175 was now the target and we got to 174 at the start of the last over when unfortunately Fergie was bowled so we lost the game and only picked up 8 points, this was a disappointing result and it felt like we had missed a good chance to gain 3 or 4 extra points.
Other results mean that we have gained 3 points on Cockington but lost 2 points to Clyst so no major damage done but with only 6 games to go we really need a couple of positive results in the next couple of games so that we go into August still in touch with the team 3rd from bottom. I still believe we have the squad to do this and we can start next week against Barnstaple. Next Saturday is also camping night at the club so I would ask that everyone make every effort to attend and have a good night down the club and to welcome the cricket widows back to the club after their sponsored walk. Pete.
10/07/2010
After missing three weekends on holiday it was a return to cricket this weekend and Axminster away. Although we are still bottom of the table we are still in touch with the teams above us and a run of solid performances will give us a chance of survival so every point is vital at this stage of the year. I lost the toss and we had to field first, yet again reasonable opening spells did not produce early wickets and it was a case of keeping it tight for as long as we could and hope that the pressure would bring wickets. Josh got the breakthrough followed by Fordy and Hitman but we missed chances and this cost us at the end as they rapidly added runs in the closing overs to post 262-4. It felt like we were a bit unlucky with a wicket off a no ball called for being above waist high but the lack of wickets through their innings meant they could really attack hard at the end. A steady start in reply saw us easily up with the required rate but then we lost wickets in a flurry until Chris Luxton and Fordy set us up with a decent partnership. Fordy was the dismissed of a chest high full toss that was not a no-ball because it was deliverd by a "slow" bowler. This is a plainly ridiculous rule but was correctly aplied by the umpires. Several more of the deliveries were bowled and all of them deemed legal. Chris and Josh batted really well but as the run rate crept up the pressure eventually told and we fell 30 short 8 down. This was a decent battling performance and we gained 9 points. It means we got a bit closer to the sides above us and we can move on to Plymstock next week with a decent performance behind us. Fordy has asked not to drive this year as it took him 3 hours each way last year and he never made it to the ground as it rained all the way there and back. However he is getting a new car this week so he may be tempted - anyone in his car should pack some sandwiches for the journey. Well done to the 2nd team - another great win and good to see James Corry getting runs and Dan Barratt with 48* seeing the innings through. Dave Smale with 5 wickets and a comfortable win. Net practice as usual on Tuesday.
12/6/2010
Brixham away this weekend and a 2 hour journey on our longest trip of the season. As captain you always fear the last minute drop out on a Saturday morning so when I checked my phone first thing saturday to see a text message from one of our team you always think the worst. This one was sent at 2:55 am and informed me that he only had the chance to send one text message before being locked up for his own safety. A night in the cells for him and a promise that he would be on the quay at 10:30 with a lift from the police. The dilemma then is what do you do - should I try and bail him out, inform his parents or maybe just hope he is on the quay. All was well in the end because he made it on time. So setting off with a full XI we arrived, I lost the toss and we batted first, a positive start quickly turned bad and we were again in trouble at 30-4, however a fine inning by Wiggles(81no) and solid support from Fergie saw us raise a total of 167-7. All the more remarkable because it was Wiggles who had prepared for the game in the police custody. Maybe a tactic for all of us next week.
We bowled steadily and again did not get the rewards I felt we deserved, Brixham played in a risky but positive way and it came off for them as the won by 6 wickets. Martin Stewart bowled very well to claim 2 wickets and Josh removed their overseas player. I keep saying it but it really does feel that we are not getting the rub of the green - we must stay positive and stick together as a team and club and hop ethat our fortunes turn arouns with a couple of wins - everything would quickly start to look very different with a couple of positive results behind us. I now miss a couple of weeks and Chris will take charge - I really hope it brings a change of fortune for us. Nets as usual on Tuesday.
5/06/2010
Chagford Park away was this weekends adventure and before I say anything about the game I must just comment on what a perfect cricket ground they have created there. It was a warm muggy day and I won the toss and asked Chagford to have a bat. We bowled reasonably well in the early stages of their innings and once again beat the bat regularly. A wicket for Chris Luxton did not really feel like sufficient reward for a decent opening spell but a dropped catch and a several near misses saw them survive. We then released the pressure and they raced away at 6 an over, It was a lightening fast outfield and you got full value for your shots and even though Fordy and Martin Stewart pegged the rate back a bit they still declared at 274-4 in 43 overs.
A great tea was followed by a really substantial opening stand between Fordy and Matt, 100+ for the 1st wicket and then Alex Wood batted really well to keep the pace of our inning up with the rate, However with 25 overs left we wanted a very achievable 7 an over but we then lost crucial wickets and did not establish another significant partnership to mount a final challenge on the target and even though Wiggls and Josh struvk it well at the end we had to settle for a losing draw at 221-7. This saw us get 9 points from the game and the other results will determine if it was a good or bad weekend. Overall we stuck at it well in the field and batted much better so an improvement from previous weeks but still plenty of work to do in the coming weeks. Net practice on Tuesday night as usual and please make every effort to attend
29/5/2010
Shobrooke Park were this weekends visitors to Wetsward HO! and after winning the toss I chose to bat first. I wanted us to post a total and put Shobrooke under pressure, unfortunately things did not work out that way and we again struggled with the bat. 74 all out and we lost wickets at regular intervals all the way through - no-one really established themselves against a decent seam attack. What we really needed was a partnership to bat some overs so that we could see the Shobrooke change bowlers but this never materialised. When we took the field we were hoping to get some points on the board by picking up some wickets but this did not happen either as Shobrooke romped home by 10 wickets in 16 overs. All over by tea time and probably in my 3 years at the club the poorest performance we have put together. The only way forward from this weekend is to put in some hard work in the nets and produce some performances the next weekend. We have to play one of the better sides next week and it is the perfect opportunity to prove to ourselves that we are all good enough to raise our game back to the levels we reached last season. I look at our team and believe that we are all good enough - we just have to prove it out on the pitch.
22/5/10
An away trip to Barnstaple was the challenge this weekend, I lost the toss and we were asked to bat first on a wicket that looked a bit green. Fordy and Matt opened as usual but Matt fell early, a partnership then developed between Starks and Fordy but we struggled to score at the required rate in the face of some fairly decent bowling, fields were set deep and after Starks was out no one else really established themselves at the crease and we limped along to 147 all out, we did have wickets in hand going into the last ten overs but nobody managed to launch a sustained attack to push us on to the 200+ total we really needed. Fordy made 70 but he was never able to push the rate along as he normally does. I think it is fair to say that the wicket was a bit two paced with slighlty variable bounce but we never dominated the barnstaple attacck and we let them bowl at us a bit too easily. Defending 147 is never easy and we needed things to go our way in the feld, we did bowl well and created chances but as is often the case when you only have a small total to defend nothing seemed to fall for us, a couple of chances went begging and you need everything to stick to put pressure on the middle order. We stuck at it pretty well in the field but we only claimed two wickets as Barnstaple ran out easy 8 wicket winners.
I look at our team and believe we have enough good players to turn the season around after what has now turned into a poor start to the year after the early optimism of the good pre season friendlies. Everyone in our squad has the ability to perform at this level but we must start producing quickly to start pulling ourselves away from the relegation zone. Lets all make an effort to get to nets on Tuesday and start the process there. Cheers, Pete.
15//5/10
We were at home vs Plymstock this weekend and after a day of rain on the Friday I chose to ask them to bat first. The wicket was lively all day and we bowled better this week but did not have much luck in the opening overs, Wilco,promoted from the IIs, came on first change and claimed both the openers, this brought together their skipper and the number 3 who put on the most significant partnership of the day, 102, they rode their luck at times but played positively. Once the skipper was out the scoring rate slowed and the introduction of spin into the attack brought us wickets as well. Fordy with 4- 26 kept the score to a reasonable 207-7. This was a target that felt very achievable but the start we had soon scuppered any real hope of victory. Fordy got a brute of a delivery to be caught behind, Matt nicked one to slip, Webby was bowled by one that kept a bit low and Jack Hockin got a decent yorker first ball. Martin Barratt and Chris Luxton tried hard to repair the damage but Martin was deceived by a slower ball as we slumped to 20-5. It did feel as though all the breaks were going their way but the new ball was always likley to be dangerous and we could not see it off. Ali Clements, Josh and the two Darrens all battled hard as we tried to salvage some batting points and a losing draw. We failed with 9 overs to go as Plymstock ran out winners with a 75 run victory. Not a great day for us and even tougher for the IIs, beaten at Alphington by 230 runs. John had to travel with a much weakened XI this week and they struggled against decent opponents.
It is fair to say that this week we really struggled to put out two teams and availability, illness and injury all contributed to a very difficult weekend. It is vital that we get players back as soon as we can, we have the squad to perform well this year but only if we can pick from them all. We do not want to become tangled up at the wrong end of the table just because we cannot get our best players out on the field.
I am unable to be at practice on Tuesday as I am away on business but there will be a session. For anyone who needs to have a bat the bowling machine is available. Have a good week - Pete.
08/05/10
It was Axminster at home for us this weekend and the start of our league season after last weeks wash out. A weather forecast of rain and a green wicket prompted me to put them into bat after they lost the toss, it seemed a good idea initially with Chris getting an early wicket but things did not pogress from there and we bowled poorly. The wicket demand length bowling and we all too often bowled short and wide. We kept going quite well and although we kept ringing the changes we saw Axminster progress to 270-7 at the close with Chris taking 4-63 and Wiggles 2-58. It really should have been possible to restrict them to less than 200 but we donated 35 extras and as I said before too many 4 balls were available for them to score from. We then batted and Fordy and Matt again got us off to a great start, Matt getting 81 in an opening stand of 132, Fordy then took over and for the last 10 overs we needed to score at 10 an over, as the overs passed we progressed well with James Starkey and then Chris Luxton playing very positively to see the target reduced to 22 from 2. The last over saw us needing 10 to win but Fordy was bowled first ball for a superb 107 and Chris luxton on 32 was stranded at the non strikers end, two more wicket fell straight away and we fell short by 8 runs in the end closing on 263-7. It was a brilliant effort to get so close but I think both sides would have to admit that the bowling was not up to scratch on the day.
You can always look back on a very close run chase and say "if only" but the game really was ours to win if we had bowled better. Lets all try and make it to practice on Tuesday night to start correcting that side of our performance. The seconds had another great win on a difficult wicket at Axminster - Liam Kerr again got runs to see us post 140. Then the bowlers performed well as Axminster were dismissed for 110. Well done to John and the team.
01/05/2010
The Devon League starts, the sun has been shining for a month, everyone is at the meeting place on time, travel away to Clyst St George, and then rain. A torrential downpour at Clyst meant no play at all for the first game of the season. Incredibly frustrating for everyone but we finally gave in to the elements at 3:30 when another shower finally finished any hope of play. It did mean we had a chance to be entertained for a couple of hours by Wiggles and Matty B as they regaled us with tales of past seasons adventures and minibus trips of legendary status. So we move on to Tuesday and a 20/20 match against Putford. The seconds had a great win with Liam Kerr and Woody getting runs before Wilco destroyed Clyst with 8 wickets. Fantastic performance.
24/4/2010
Taunton St Andrews Away was the challenge this weekend - current champions in the Somerset ECB Premier League. I think we all travelled expecting a tough game and we were not disappointed. They had a near full strength first team, only missing the Parsons twins, we were in the field first and steady opening overs from me and Josh saw them progress at 3 an over, josh picked up one of the openers sharply taken at cover by Luke Kerr, a run out from Jack "take the stump out Martin" Hockin saw them two down. The welcome return of Matt Bettis saw another wicket fall and Martin Stewart chipped in with a really encouraging performance that also saw him pick up a wicket. Jack Hockin had a decent bowl and again got a wicket so all the bowlers had a decent run out as Taunton reached 209 at the close of their innings. A good performance in the field and an achievable target for us to chase.
We then batted and a superb opening stand against a premier league attack saw Matt Allin and Fordy post 170 for the first wicket - a welcome return to form for Matt and continuing good form for James. When Fordy was out we needed 3-4 an over form the last 10 and we managed to fall over the line and win by four wickets with chairman Martin Barratt securing victory with 10 not out. Matt scored 86 and James 61.
A great all round performance and a great win. Nets on Tuesday for all those that can make it and lets look forward to the league season next Saturday.
Pete
A fantastic day to start the new season and the ground looked superb. Thanks to all those who have worked so hard in the last few weeks to get everything prepared. The wicket was good for this time of year and the outfield extremely fast so I was delighted when we were asked to bat by Hatherleigh, Fordy and Matt opened and Matt was unlucky to get out caught at cover point via gulleys boot, we accumulated steadily with the highlights being Luke Kerr and Chris luxton both scoring 50 and then Martin Stewart boosting the total to 222 with a rapid 30 from 19 balls at the end. We then managed to take some early wickets with Chris claiming two and me getting one, the change bowlers performed steadily and the returning Josh King grabbed a couple of wickets coming up the hill, James Ford then cleaned up the tail. So all in all it was a really good warm up game with everyone getting the chance to bat and bowl and the fielding performance was also reasonable for early season. Practice on Tuesday as normal.
2010 A New Season Starts
Hatherleigh at home is the first Saturday fixture this year and with the weather forecast set fair we should get a game in and get some decent practice before the leagues start on both Saturday and Sunday.
Training last night was excellent and there was a great turnout - once the evenings get a bit lighter we will be able to run net sessions and the fielding sessions more easily so that everyone gets a chnace to have a bat and bowl as well. The plan is to have the bowling machine setup in one net so that the batters get some practice whilst the fielding is happening and we will try and get the bowlers in the other net or out in the middle on one of the new practice wickets. As I said last night if anyone has some fresh ideas on fileding routines then just let me know you think we could do things differently then just talk to me becuase we can be flexible about how we train.
Enjoy the year - Pete
A Thank You
Before I report on yesterdays game and the season I just want to say thank you to some of the people involved week to week with the club. Without these people the club would not function and the commitment and loyalty of the people behind the scenes should never be overlooked. So in no particular order and with apologies if I miss anyone out I'd like to thank the following. Andy, Ray and Martin who have produced a wicket and outfield to be proud of this year, Kev for his time spent behind the bar, Brian for helping smooth over any selection issues, Jenny, Geoff, Keith and Paul for taking on the scoring duties, Alec for his help as my vice captain and Jon for never complaining when I stole another one of his players. I also thank all the people who have done the teas for us this season and in particular Vicky and Jacqui who have also produced evening meals as well, along with Paul running bbq's. Vicky and Jacqui seem to have been down the club every time I have been there this year and I cannot count the hours they have put in to help us function as a club and without them and without everyone else I have mentioned we would not have a club so a massive thank you to you all for your help this season. Finally a huge thank you to my wife, Sharon who has, as always, supported me through another season.
30/8/09
The longest journey of the season to Kingsbridge for our final league game of the 2009 season, 9:45 meet and everyone was nearly on time, bank holiday traffic did not materialise so we ended up getting to the ground at 12:00, plenty of time for pre-match warm up. I won the toss and batted and Fordy, Matt Allin, Barry, Luxo and Alec all contributed runs to a good total of 253-7, a difficult wicket to bat on and it only looked like getting worse. Chris made the early breakthroughs and bowled uphill into the wind for his 13 over spell(4-42), Alec Hodges and Matty B then claimed mid innings wickets and it was left to the spin of Hitman and Fordy to tidy things up at the end as we won by 80 odd runs. It was a very satisfying way to finish the season and the provisional tables have us finishing 5th. Overall the season has had more positives than might have been envisaged at the start of the year, we have coped extremely well without an overseas player and the batting in particular has performed well when we have batted first. On the bowling front we bowl a lot of wicket taking deliveries and if can just reduce the number of 4 balls in an innings we would produce even better results. Availability issues have meant that we have struggled to put the same side out on a regular basis and again if we can improve that situation next year then I am sure that results would improve. It is also important to remember that we flirted with the relegation zone for the second half of the season and to avoid that next year we need to remember that just a few poor results can quickly turn a decent year into a bit of a battle. All in all a final league position that reflects our performances over the year. I hope everyone enjoyed it.
The second team under John have also had a good season and well done to him in his first year as captain, he has coped well with the extra pressures of second eleven availability. It is never easy finding last minute replacements. A mid table finish for us is an excellent effort and it has been great to see younger players coming into the side and producing match wiining performances along with the more experienced players contributing most weeks.
25/8/09
The rain is turning into a common theme in this blog, yet again it rained heavily on Friday night so once again we were confronted with a wet wicket at westward ho! on saturday morning. This was the weekend when Webby had his stag weekend in Cardiff so the side had a new look to it for the match against Tavistock. Tavvy are pushing for promotion back to "A" Division so it was likely to be a tough fixture, they won the toss and asked us to bat and Fergie Bradbeer and Fordy battled through a hostile opening spell from their overseas player, it was a great effort by Fergie to get through the opening overs and allowed us to negotiate the early overs, when he was out we then lost several wicket to find ourselves at 58-5, we were rescued by a partnership of nearly 100 between Fordy(85) and Ian Hayter(43) and Josh King struck a four off the last ball of our innings to get us an extra batting point at 176-8. This was a superb effort and gave us a total to defend. We got early wickets and then Martin Barratt and Ian Hayter combined to remove the key wickets of Manning and Luffman, this put us firmly in the driving seat with the only remaning danger being the overseas player, he was lbw to Fordy and they gave up the chase and closed on 140-8. Fordy finished with 4-30 but all the bowlers did a great job and the fielding was also top quality with pressure being applied throughout the Tavvy innings. 14 points and results elsewhere mean we wil retain our "B" division status for next year. We have played good cricket for most of this year and only a poor spell in the middle of the season has seen us looking down rather than up the league table. We move on to Kingsbridge for the last league game of the season and we owe it to the teams below us in the table to put in a strong performance.
16/8/09
Just when I thought the rain had finally relented I woke up Saturday and yet again was greeted by a grey damp miserable morning. Axminister at home was the fixture this weekend and both sides were very keen to play and in the end the rain did move away to let us complete a full game. I chose to bat first on a wicket that was always going to do a bit with the new ball and once we weathered the opening overs we batted really well to post 248-5. Fordy and Barry played superbly to add 64 for the 2nd wicket, then Wiggles and Barry added 92 for the 3rd wicket and cameos of 17 by jack and 15 from Ian Hayter saw us finish strongly. We bowled well at the start and Chris and I claimed early wickets and reduced them to 12-2, they rallied to 92 -3 and with 20 over left were very much in the game wanting about 7 an over, however another wicket saw them at 150-4 and rather than chase the vistory they batted for a draw which was achieved quite comfortably - closing on 203-4. This was a decent result for us as we eased further ahead of them in the relegation battle and in the end the wicket wasthe winner with 450 runs scored for the loss of 9 wickets in the day. Overall I was pleased with the performance - it was a game we could not afford to lose and playing under that pressure is not always easy but we set a challenging total and defended it quite easily. We have Tavistock at home next week and that is likely to be a different challenge with restricted availability due to webby's stag weekend in Cardiff. Practice as usual on Tuesday night.
09/8/09
This week we travelled to Clyst St George and due to the A361 traffic we only arrived 25 minutes before start of play, not ideal preparation but after winning the toss I decided to bat first on a wicket that looked a bit underprepared but not that surprising given the recent weather, we struggled to make much progress until Chris Luxton struck an excellent 49 but with 11 overs left we were 123-9. A spirited last wicket stand between myself and Matt Bettiss saw us get to 160 all out in the 45th over. This represented a decent total and I thought if we bowled straight then they would struggle, Chris and I opened and we restricted the rate to under 2 an over, then Matty B came on and got two wickets so they were struggling at 30-3, a decent stand then took them up to 70-3 before Josh King and Alec started to work through the middle order, the game was in the balance with 10 overs to go and 54 required, unfortunately things did not go our way and a couple of late wickets from me and wiggles failed to prevent them winning in the penultimate over 8 down. This was a gutsy and brave effort in the field and we were nearly rewarded with a win - it could have gone either way, results below us have helped us inch closer to safety and we need to perform well against Axminster next week to keep the momentum with us.
02/8/09
Another dreadfully wet week left us struggling to play at Westward Ho! this weekend, the square was covered in water on Wednesday and again on Saturday morning - when I went down at 10:00 I really thought we would struggle to play, however with plenty of forking and mopping of the affected areas we managed to get a surface dry enough to start a game at 14:42. Many thanks to all those who helped with the drying out process, Brian, Andy and especially Vicky for allowing me to use the towels from the kitchen!! Credit also to the Clyst Hydon skipper who was as keen to play as I was.
They called incorrectly at the toss and I chose to bat first - this after taking advice from my team that the wicket played OK when it was wet - their skippers face was a picture when I said we would bat as he was fully expecting to be put in. Anyway it proved a good decision as we racked up 236-5 with Fordy getting a new Devon League career best of 160, everyone else contributed but his was the major contribution. It allowed me to declare on 39 overs giving us 41 to bowl them out. Chris Luxton and I grabbed early wickets and then Matt Bettiss and Alec Hodges ran through the middle order - Alec getting 3-24. Josh King then followed Chris Luxton and cleaned up the tail with 2 wickets for 1 run as we bowled them out for 86.
A great result and much needed, still plenty to do this season to get to safety but the last two games have seen us playing much more postively - more like the form we had at the start of the year. Lets keep up the good work next week at Clyst St George.
26/7/09
A wet week again but at least we played at home and we are fortunate to have one of the best drying grounds around. Although the wicket has lost some of the pace and bounce from a few weeks ago it was still a decent track. After recent batting performances it was great to see all of the top order getting runs again as we set Barnstaple 224 to win. Fordy(89), Matt(49) and Barry(44*) laid the foundations and Chris Luxton hit a quick 30 to see us to 223-3. Barnstaple started quite brightly and at half way were 115-2 but then Matty B (now known as Spud) and Alec (recently christened The Ripper) saw us take control of the game with a burst of middle order wickets. Matt returned 3-40 and Al 3-31. Although we pushed hard for a victory we just ran out of time as Barstaple closed on 203-7. 14 points was a decent return from the game and hopefully the confidence gained from a decent performance will carry through to next weekend.
The race night was a good night and thanks to everyone who organised it, Sharon and I camped down at the club along with several others and I can safely say that one night of camping a year is plenty enough for me. Nets on Tuesday but as there is a game we may just get the bowling machine out so that the batters can have a hit. Weather forecast for the week looks pretty gloomy so keep an eye on the blog as I will try and post something if we cancel.
19/7/09
Another horribly wet week meant that we were fortunate to get a game in at Shobrooke Park, the wicket was extremely wet and whoever won the toss was always going to bowl first, unfortunately it wasn't me so we had to take first knock on one of the most difficult surfaces this season. Brave knocks by Barry Sumption, Mike Wigley, Andy Webbe and Josh King saw us post 153-8 which in the circumstances was an excellent effort. We then needed to bowl well and although a reasonably tight start saw Shobrooke under pressure this was not sustained through the rest of the innings. We only took one early wicket and crucially dropped their best player when he was still in single figures, he went on to play the match winning innings as they beat us by 8 wickets. Other results around the league fortunately went our way so we are only a couple of points worse off than we wre at the start although Shobrooke now have clear water between us an them. We must keep going and remain positive, the toss was crucial on Saturday and we showed enough character with the bat to turn the season around again. Nets on Tuesday as usual.
13/7/09
A miserable day on Saturday, a 2 hour drive to Plymstock in the rain, arrived to watch the umpires call the game off in the rain and then drove home in the rain. A grim way to spend your Saturday afternoon - only light hearted moment was speaking with Fordy who managed to get lost and ended up spending an extra 1.5 hours in Plymouth city centre stuck in traffic after taking a wrong turning. Lost in Plymstock, he got lost in Plymstock. No games anywhere were completed - Axminster and Alphington both started but that was it. Shobrooke Park this weekend so a very important game for us. Lets all get to practice on Tuesday night and prepare well for it.
6/07/09
A tough game against Alphington at the weekend was made more difficult by poor weather, we won the toss and asked Alphington to bat expecting the weather to have an effect on the overs available in the game, we did not take early wickets but Mike Wigley did manage 4-38 at the end as they were all out off the last ball of the 41 overs for 238, this was a lot more than they should have scored but we do not seem able to keep the four balls under control for long enough in the middle phase of games at the moment. More rain meant that we did not start our reply until 5:50 and we were still battling to save the game at 8:45. We were never in the hunt for a victory even though we had our strongest batting line up for a while with Wiggles coming in at 8. with 11 overs to go we were 9 down but we managed to hang on until the penultimate over before the last wicket fell. Barry Sumption with 45 not out was the only batsman to show any form. A poor result but we did at least pick up 7 points.
The seconds had a great win at Alphington and its great to see Will Barratt getting some runs under his belt again. Well done to all involved in a terrific chase.
Ashes night was entertaining and a variety of costumes, races, games and bushtucker trials made for a good evening. Would not have wanted to be Matty B or Wiggles on Sunday morning!
Sponsored walk on Tuesday so nets will still take place but as I am walking they will be organised by someone else.
29/06/09
Latest - it seems that Ali Clements was not registered for the Devon League, this means we have been deducted 10 points. I can only apologise to the team for not checking this but I made the assumption that we had registered all players likely to make the first XI this year. It is a blow but if we carry on playing as well as we have in the first half of the season we will be OK.
There is a 20/20 game on Tuesday and although I am not playing I am not able to guarantee being free for nets at 6:00pm as I have a business meeting. Players wanting to practice on Tuesday should use the nets as usual.
29/06/09
Tavistock away was always likely to be a tough game and it turned out that way. I lost the toss and we were asked to bat, Fordy and Will Barratt played really well against their overseas opening bowler but then Will was out followed straight away by Jack Hockin and then Fordy, Alec and Barry then played really well and added 50 but we then lost wickets regularly being bowled out for 138. An early wicket for me and then Alec put Tavistock on the back foot and a great piece of fielding by Matt B produced a run out, then Matt got the key wicket of Manning to give us a sniff of an upset, a couple of poor overs handed the iniiative back to Tavistock and two late wickets from Fordy could not change the result which was a loss by 4 wickets. In the end we did not get enough runs and a spirited bowling and fielding performance could not get around that fact. There were also some questions raised around the legality of fordy's bowling action, this should be cleared up today once I speak with the umpiring co-ordinator, his action has previously been cleared on a level one coaching course so I do not envisage this being a long term issue.
24/6/2009
All, just a reminder that annual subs are due by this weekend please, also make every effort to contribute to the sponsored walk on the 7th July. Good luck to everyone playing in the 20/20 semi final on Thursday at Filleigh.
22/6/09
Well the unbeaten run is ended in the Devon league and it was a weakened Kingsbridge side that beat us by 23 runs on Saturday. I won the toss and asked them to bat first and in one way or another they gt off to a good start - 110-0 of 20 overs, Wiggles then came on and turned it around in conjunction with Fordy and we managed to restrict them to 207-9 which was a very achievable target. We were on the back foot with the early losses of Barry, Jack and Webby but Fordy and Wiggles batted really well to get us to the half way mark needing under 5 and over with 7 wickets in hand, unforntunately neither of them saw it through to the end and we kept losing wickets and with 3 overs remaining Martin Barratt was dismissed to leave us 23 runs short. All in all it was a poor run chase with none of us able to bat through to see us home. 5 an over at home is very reasonable and we should have done better. The second team also lost at Ivybridge so in a weekend in which both teams probably hoped to get two victories ended in two defeats.
We move on to Taviistock next weekend which is a great game to have as it gives us an opportunity to put this weeks result behind us straight away against the team leading the league at the moment.
Nets are on Tuesday as usual so please make every effort to get there
Pete
19/6/2009
just seen the journal and noted that my early dismissal did not cause us too many problems in setting a total - I can confirm that this is usually true 15/06/2009
We travelled to Axminster on Saturday and were looking for a good performance to cement a solid start to the season, I lost the toss and we were asked to bat first. The wicket looked good but proved to be a bit two paced and the runs didn't come in the early overs, the loss of Barry Sumption brought Jack Hockin to the crease and he upped the tempo straight away, Fordy got 33 before falling LBW and then Will Barratt contributed 22 however the key partnership for us was between Jack and Chris Luxton, between them they added 117 for the 4th wicket, a fantastic performance and it was rounded off in the last over when Jack scored 9 of the last three balls to take him to an excellent 100 not out. This was his first hundred and was richly deserved. Chris made 60+ and between them they added 53 in the last three overs of our innings as we reached 256-4. Early wickets from myself and Chris Luxton gave us the start we wanted and this was followed up by some great bowling from Matt Bettiss and Josh King. Matt took 4-41 and Josh 3-21 as we won with 14 overs to spare. The seconds also had an excellent win as well, chasing 173 to beat Abbotskerswell by 4 wickets. Tom Farnell and Jon Weeks with two wickets each and then Pete Stevens(38), Darren Hart(37), Martin Barratt(31) and 20 not out from Jack Perham saw us home.
So a great Saturday for the club and once again contributions from all round the team. It is great to have so many players performing well and again especially encouraging that the younger players are contributing in such a positive way.
Just seen the Sunday results and two great wins as well as two more centuries for Alec Hodges and Darren Hart. Well done to both of them and also Ali Clements with 80 as well. Lets keep it going for the rest of the season.
Nets on Tuesday as usual at 6:00pm
12/06/2009
just returned from holiday and looking forward to playing cricket tomorrow against Axminister.
24/5/2009
so the local derby against Barnstaple was played in glorious sunshine and after winning the toss I invited Barnstaple to bat. The first hour saw us bowl poorly and allowed Barnstaple to get a decent start, it wasn't until the introduction of Josh King and Mike Wigley to the attack that we regained control of the game and started to apply some pressure, Mike took 3 wickets and Josh bowled 6 overs for just 8 runs, I came back at the end to claim 3 wickets but Barnstaple still managed to post a decent 189-9. This was really 50 runs more than the total I considered to be a par score for the wicket and they reached this chiefly because we sent down 37 wides and overall conceded 44 extras plus the extra runs score from the additional deliveries. When we batted it was fairly slow going early on with Fordy and Matt Allin struggling to work the ball around, Barry Sumptions arrival at the wicket saw him score a decent 51 not out but he really only got support from Andy Webbe and Mike Wigley as we struggled to force the pace against some very defensive fields set by Barnstaple, 120 from the last 20 overs was achievable but difficult and when Will Barratt and Chris Luxton fell cheaply we were up against it in terms of trying to force the victory, we managed to get to 161-6 so comfortably gained the draw but will look back at this game with some sense of a missed opportunity.
Great news for the IIs who won by 2 wickets, looking at the card it was solid work from two experienced bowlers with Darren Hart and John Weeks getting 3 wicket each, they were backed up by colt Tom Farnell who also claimed 3 wickets. A terrific performance by Jack Perham and Tom Farnell saw us home with two wickets to spare. Again it is fantastic to see the runs and wickets coming from all areas of the team.
I am on holiday from Friday so will miss the next two games but good luck to everyone in the fixtures I will miss.
Net practice as usual on Tuesday at 6:00pm
17/05/2009
This weekend we welcomed Shobrooke Park to Bideford. The weather tried its best to ruin the day for everyone but we battled through and managed to get a game in. Shobrooke won the toss and invited us to bat which was no great surprise as rain was forecast and the side batting second in a rain reduced game has a massive advantage. On an extremely lively wicket that was affected by the mid week rain it was difficult to know what a good score would be, we started brightly and rode some luck to get a decent start but then three rain breaks made setting a final total difficult, our overs were eventually reduced to 31. Jack Hockin carried on from last week and with Chris Luxton formed a 5th wicket partnership that saw us to 135-5. Defendable but a challenge, early wayward bowling put more pressure on us but we responded really positively with Matt Bettis grabbing a couple of wickets and we kept chipping away with wickets falling at crucial times. Chris Luxton took two in an over to leave them 8 down with 12 wanted off two overs, we couldn't quite take the final wickets but a superb last over from Alec Hodges restricted Shobrooke to 133-8 and we claimed the winning draw. This was a great performance when all the elements seemed to combine against us but hard work and a competitive attitude paid off and we deserved the draw.
The seconds had a terrifc win at Chudleigh with Martin Barratt and Pete Stevens chief contributers to a total of 152. Chudleigh appeared to be in control at 112-1 but then John Weeks and Mike Wigley combined to take the last 9 wickets for about 30 as we ran out winners with just a few runs to spare. A great performance after the previous weeks effort and a great lesson to us all that the game can change very quickly and you should never give up on a match.
On a personal level I would like to apologise to my team mates for the first 12 ball over in my career, not sure what happened but I will blame the footholds as all bowlers do when it goes wrong.
Two final things, subs are due as soon as possible please and there will be no nets this week as there is a 20/20 knockout game against Barnstaple at Bideford on Tuesday. Nets will be available for practice on a personal level if required.
Well done to both teams this Saturday - a great club effort.
11/5/2009
The weekend saw us travel to Alphington, likely to be one of the stronger sides in the league this year after relegation the previous season and recruitment of several players form Shobrooke Park. We won the toss and decided to field and got off to a decent start with a couple of early wickets and even though runs did start to flow more freely after the drinks break we did well to restrict them to 225-8 and claim 4 bowling points. An injury to Matt Allin meant he could not bat so Barry Sumption was pushed up the order and he responded with an excellent innings of 70, he batted in partnership with Jack Hockin who made a superb 63 and the two put us in a great position to push for the win. When Barry was out Alex Crawford and Jack carried the game to Alphington and reduced the target steadily until 12 were required from the last two overs, unfortunately we fell a couple of runs short after losing a couple of wickets but it was a fantastic effort to get so close. This was a terrific performance against a decent Alphington side and we should take great heart from the start we have made to the season. Not such a good day for the Saturday IIs who lost by 8 wickets to Alphington IIs, only bright spots were more runs for Alex Wood and 22no for Paul Argyle, the Sunday IIs also lost to Weare Giffard who posted 281, we fell short by 80 in the chase. Although the IIs suffered this weekend it was still great to have a good result for the First team on Saturday and encouraging that runs are coming from all areas of the team now. See you all at practice on Tuesday.
4/5/2009
so the Saturday league season has started and it was a very positive day for Bideford CC. The first team played really well against Plymstock with Matt Allin and James Ford both starring with the bat, fordy scoring an excellent 150 not out and Matt chipping in with 59 as we posted 261-6. It was a terrific batting performance by both of them and gave us plenty of runs to play with when we bowled. Chris Luxton struck early with a couple of wickets but then a catch went down, dropping their skipper, which proved expensive as he batted through for an undefeated 100. We tried to play really positive cricket and kept the field up in attacking positions throughout the Plymstock innings but gaining wickets was difficult, Matt Bettiss and Josh King both got breakthroughs but in the end we had to settle for a winning draw and 13 points. Overall it was a good performance with plenty of positives so we move on to Alphington next week looking to carry on the good work. The second XI had a long journey to Brixham but came back with a great 9 wicket victory, travelling home is always easier with 20 points in the bag. Wickets were shared around but Alex Wood with 60 starred in the run chase and Ali Clements with an unbeaten 40 saw the team home. Well done to John Weeks on his first victory as captain. Sunday was a different story for the first team with a heavy defeat at the hands of Victoria Park, Ian Hayter and Chris Luxton scored 50 and 47 but a total of 186 proved inadequate as VP romped home by 9 wickets, the IIs continued their great start with a comprehensive win at Braunton, Alan Withecombe scored a 100 and Darren took 3 wickets and scored 52, well done to Darren and his team who have now won 3 in a row.
It's great to see the younger players making a major contribution to the cricket over the weekend and hopefully they will build on this through the year. There will be net practice this week even though there is a 20/20 match being played - we will try and do some fielding routines as usual but this will depend on how much space we have, we can still use the nets as well so whatever happens we will do something useful. I look forward to seeing you all there as usual.
1/5/09
just a quick note to say that photographers and sponsors will be taking team pictures etc at 13:30 so we will complete pre-match stuff before then.
27/4/2009
as is usual at this time of year we have had a great week of weather leading up to the weekend and then rain on Saturday which meant that our game at Hatherleigh was a bit of a stop start affair. Key moments were provided by openers James Ford and Matt Allin, Fordy looked good in his first knock of the season with 40ish and Matt followed last weekends 100 at North Devon with another one here. It is a great achievement scoring consecutive centuries and not achieved very often in club cricket - so well done to Matt. Barry Sumption chipped in with 30+ and again looked very solid at the crease. When we bowled the conditions were not ideal but it was great to see Matt Bettiss bowling well and taking four wickets and good to have the chance for everyone to get a few more overs under their belts before next weekends start to the league season. The Saturday 2ndXI put in another good performance in their NDL fixture, Andy Webbe and Alan Withecombe scoring the bulk of the runs in a total of 220 and then a solid bowling performance saw Halburton restricted to 130. Sundays fixture against Bradninch produced another terrific performance from Matt Allin who very nearly made it three in a row with 94 not out, only failing to reach three figures due to the overs running out and losing some of the strike towards the end of the innings. Andy Webbe and Chris Luxton also contributed with the bat with Andy Webbe managing to dent my car with a blow for 6. Bideford then bowled extremely well with John Weeks leading the performances with 3 wickets, Dave Smale and Josh King got two wickets each as Bradninch fell 18 runs short of the Bideford total resulting in a first win to the NDL Sunday side captained by Jack Hockin in Ian Hayters absence. Don't forget Quiz night on Friday then as is traditional on Saturday its out for drinks after the first league game of the season. See you all at training on Tuesday.
20/4/2009
well the season has started and a tough game for us at North Devon. We lost but there were encouraging signs across the team although lack of match practice was clearly an issue for all the bowlers with good deliveries matched in equal numbers by bad ones. Well done to Matt Allin for scoring an excellent 100 and Barry Sumption scored a patient 30 but the chase to 314 proved too much for us as we closed 140 short. Saturday night was a good night and its always good to get out even if the result doesn't go the way you want it. The Kings and Lacy's bar were the early venues followed by Crabbys for late night drinkers. As is usual for me after one more in Crabbys it was time for a short walk to the taxi rank for Mr and Mrs Waterman as we headed home. I believe several others were out for the duration but I am sure that nets on Tuesday will reveal all the gory details. Well done to the Sunday 2nds who won by one wicket against North Devon 2nds - a great start for them.
15/4/2009
Well we have been very lucky with the weather for our pre season outdoor practice and nets were again well attended on Tuesday. Finally we get to play a match on Saturday and it is a short trip to Instow to play North Devon in the North Devon League. Good luck to all for the new season. Shirts for the new league season will be distributed on Saturday before the game.
On the social side it would be good to get out after the game on Saturday, so suggest we go round town for a few beers. The more the merrier. Firm up arrangements on Saturday.
Pete
8/4/2009
Fielding practice was good last night, but there was an issue with the surface in the nets - as it had rained during the day it was very slippery so this will be cleaned in readiness for next weeks session. I think some of the guys are having an additional net session on Easter Sunday at about 11:00 but I am not around for that.
I will be posting selection, meeting details etc for the weekend fixtures on the Wednesday before the game. There is a new menu option for Team Selection from the Home Page
2/4/2009
Confirmation that there will be no games over the Easter Weekend due to the outfield requiring a bit more time to recover in time for the first league fixtures. Practice will be fine for Tuesday nights and we can build on the fielding practice from last week - the nets should be ready for us to use next week as well. If anyone has some ideas for different fielding drills they would like to do then bring them along to practice and we will give them a try.
27/3/2009 I was at the club yesterday and can confirm that practice will go ahead this Tuesday(31st March). An area of the outfield has been cut so that we can do some fielding practice
It has yet to be confirmed but it is likely that there will not be any cricket over the Easter weekend, the outfield needs time to recover along the top fence after the work done to prepare for the new netting.
