2020 - The CoronaVirus Season - Socially Distanced!
Back l to r: Olly Keates, Luke Twyman, Robbie North, Tom Stone, John Weeks, Julian Hayter, Richard Stone (scorer):
Front l to r: Jim Keates, Dan Smith, Ian Hayter *, Fionn Toland, Ben Gifford
Front l to r: Jim Keates, Dan Smith, Ian Hayter *, Fionn Toland, Ben Gifford
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Bideford 2nd XI Devon League E Division East 2019
Jolyon Huxtable
By now most will be aware of the sad passing of our friend and club stalwart Jolyon Huxtable. I just wanted to say a few words and a final farewell to a friend. Having known him for around twenty years I like to think we had a friendship and a mutual respect for the roles we both had at the club. I was always amazed at his enthusiasm for spending so many hours in a box which was generally a garden shed. One reason he enjoyed it so much I think, was it was nearly always the best place in the ground to watch the game. The concentration it takes to score well even on a laptop is amazing. He did it every week willingly. Having done it a lot myself unwillingly I know the commitment he showed. I’d like to thank him for all the help he has given me over the years. When Play cricket came in, I found it tough but Jolyon was on hand to help me out. In particular his help in our playoff wining game was greatly appreciated. He offered to score and spent many hours dealing with all the pre match fun and games. Unseen and unsung efforts. The club as a whole will miss him greatly as will I. I’m sure the club will begin to notice all the things he did for us which now will need new help. His shoes will be very tough to fill. Being a great club though I’m confident that we can endure. He was liked by everyone at the club and the wider cricketing community. And he was known everywhere he went. A great representative of our club. So finally he was a good man who did great things for our club. I will miss him greatly. I considered him a friend and losing a friend is always tough, as we found out recently when Cameron passed on. My first drink after all the current chaos has ended will be in his memory. All are welcome to join me. RIP my friend and club mate. See you in the next life 😀😀
Not really sure where to start with this but here goes. Until yesterday it hadn’t really hit home for me that my team mate and friend had passed on. Since moving to Appledore bumping in to him was a weekly occurrence. Each and every time he’d have a beaming smile and would always ask how I was. I would alway have a chuckle to myself after thinking what a head of hair he had. Jealousy really. 😂😂😂 As captain of Bideford 2nd XI I regularly had the pleasure of giving young guys their first opportunity to play men’s cricket. One of those guys was Josh Atkinson. One of my main memories of Josh playing was the support he got from his family. Mum, Dad and little brother Cameron sat on their fold up chairs watching on. When Cameron eventually decided to start playing I had the privilege of him playing in my team. Due to his obvious ability I would ask him to bowl every game and every time he’d do a decent job. One thing that stuck in my mind was that even on an off day (rare occurrence) he’d still have a smile on his face and of course the brilliant attitude that he always had. Never a bad word he spoke and I never heard a bad word said about him. Lots of people have helped me out and had great attitudes but when someone so young does, it leaves a mark. I could go on forever talking about him because he was a brilliant guy as you all are obviously aware. I have so much admiration for Andy’s (Dads) speech. How he was able to do it I don’t know. Brilliant. If a tenth of the people that were there yesterday come when it’s my time I’ll have been a popular guy. Team mates come and go, that’s just how life goes sometimes. But when it’s like this it’s hard to take. Team mates don’t come any better. Great player and great attitude always. But most importantly a great guy, loved by all. Genuinely was a friend of mine as I’m sure he was to everyone who knew him. See you in the next life my friend, and team mate forever 😍
End of Season Review
2019
So here goes then, my final analysis of the season and for the time being at least my last end of season review. As most will be aware I have decided to step down as captain of the Saturday 2nd XI. Will talk about that after the season review. Having lost two first team regulars before the start of the season, I was praying that the overseas player would actually turn up this season. Fortunately he did which was a big relief. We were also lucky enough to have three new players sign on during the first few games which also helped us. These players would be big assets for us. So for the first game of the season away at Bradninch we had what I thought was a good looking side. I would have quite happily had that team each week. But after the first game I was slightly less optimistic. We looked very rusty when bowling and fielding and when batting we struggled to put any partnerships together. This was something that carried on throughout the season. So in the first game we were soundly beaten. Game 2 was against Woodbury at home. This time we batted first and actually did a decent job, batting through the overs for 230. We then managed to restrict them to 170 which again was a decent effort. Connor Nash and Cameron staring from memory. Countess Wear away next. A new side for me. We arrived in plenty of time thanks to Keith haha. Deciding to bowl first we had the bonus of Steve Bond to partner Chris opening up and what a job they did. They restricted them to about 20-3 off 12 overs. Marten Stanbury then took over as we bowled them out for 79. Thanks to decent runs from Pete and Keith we knocked the runs off easily. 2 wins out of three was a good start. Could we keep it going? Unfortunately not. Next was the first of several poor performances. North Devon at home. Well, even with a full side out we would have struggled. At the time I thought we could have put up a bit more fight but against a far superior side we were thumped by tea time. Was very disappointed with gaining just two points but hoped it would be just a one off. Upottery was a game I had earmarked as one we would have a good chance in and would need to win in order to have a good season. Ottery and Woodbury the same. So even though we made hard work of it we managed to see off Upottery fairly comfortably in the end and take 20 points. Several players contributed to which was good. Next was Topsham away. Really not looking forward to this one. A good side and a shocking wicket. The toss would be vital. When winning it there was a collective sigh of relief. Connor showed what he can do taking season best figures of 6-22. We should have knocked them over for 50 but let them get 91 which nearly cost us. Fortunately Keith and Chris played blinders and we scraped over the line 8 down. 18 miraculous points. Up to this point I was fairly happy. 2 very poor performances, but four decent ones.The epic trek to Uplyme was next. I managed to get a good side to make the trip. Winning the toss I decided to field and we were doing a great job. But our inconsistencies surfaced , with several dropped catches. It cost us as we failed to bowl them out and allowed them to make 160. I made a mistake with the batting line up and although it was quite tough we still should have been able to knock the runs off. Uplyme were a reasonable side but I felt we were as good or even slightly better. Look where we ended up respectively. Sidmouth home was Unfortunately North Devon all over again. Thumped by tea again. This time was more down to us. They were good obviously but we were very poor again. This time just 1 point. Were these one and two pointers gonna cost us?. So to the halfway point. Ottery away. Most seasons we seem to get involved in an amazing game. Last season it was Axminster. That day it was a last ball wide to win. This year it was two to win one ball. A tie, quite unbelievable. We didn't bat or field overly great again, but we showed how deep we could bat with our middle order almost getting us home. 16 points for a tie was almost as good as a win, so I was pretty happy . All season wides was a big issue for us. Its something we all need to do some serious work on. Not many teams bowled more than we did. Two of our defeats and the tie could quite easily have been victories. Average over 30 per game isn't great. But halfway we were in an ok position and if we could repeat it we would have had a good year. So Bradninch at home. We have struggled to bat out our overs all season. Getting through the first 15 without losing a wicket hardly happened. Generally it was 3 or 4 down. That puts under great pressure. Bradninch was a typical example. 153 All out with a few overs left. We would have to bowl exceptional to win this one. This we did. Connor and myself reduced them to 45-6. We again made hard work of it allowing them to get within 10 runs. But we got there in the end. So 5 wins and a tie. Woodbury away was were we started to struggle. Each week we would lose three or four key players. This would generally end up being the difference. Woodbury was a typical example. 70-0 after 12. Then 160 all out. Very disappointed with our effort that day. With both opening bowlers missing we struggled to keep the runs down and they won comfortable with plenty in hand. Unfortunately another poor performance. Countess Wear at home, we were fortunate that they we a bit short. 12-2 after 10 overs, I was very concerned. But a massive 225 run partnership between Ian and Connor got us to 288-4. Bowling them out for 153 we picked up 20 much needed points. Just to highlight again we still managed to bowl 30 wides. North Devon away was gonna be tough. No Marten, no Chris or Connor. Ian also played basically on one leg due to a first team withdrawal at 9:30 in the morning. Bowling first we struggled at the start again. Our usual openers not there again. We did though peg it back a little even though we didn't take many wickets. Thinking they might make 400. 250 was ok I thought. With Our frailties with the bat surfacing again we could only muster 120. Again with overs still to bat. A full strength and fully fit team would have given us a real chance, but alas it wasn't to be. Upottery away was a must win for us. And although we did win our fielding and bowling was poor again. Connor and James Hayter did brilliantly with a 227 opening stand. 377-4 was a great effort. They managed to get 250 which I was very disappointed with. Only taking 3 wickets was very poor. Winning with only 16 points when it wasn't even close was disappointing. Still we had won it. With 4 games to go one win and reasonable points from the other should be enough to keep us safe. Topsham was gonna be tough but the weather washed this one out so just 6 points. The teams below played and won so gained points on us. Uplyme home was again a frustrating game. We bowled ok but could only manage 5 wickets. Batting all our overs has been our achilles heal along with wides. Uplyme did bat theirs and made 205. We could only manage 36 overs and fell 70 short. Another typically disappointing batting effort. Sidmouth away was the penultimate one and pretty much summed up our season. Several key players missing. A poor batting performance. 105 from 36 overs. Then some good bowling mixed in with some poor balls and poor fielding. Comfortably beaten again. So to the final game. All or nothing. Ottery brought a few first teamers with them, something we couldn't do. I was Hoping for a big performance from the team, one last effort. But as with all season something was lacking. We made it to the last over but only mustered 153. We again did ok bowling but again something was missing. Repeating myself again I know but beaten comfortably. Wides again contributing well as he had done throughout the season. So a bit of a damp sqib of an ending. One which ended in relegation. I felt we had the quality to stay up at the very least. But in my opinion our inconsistency and I hate to say a lack a fight particularly near the end gave us exactly what we deserved. Before I summarize, there were some good performances.
Batting was generally poor. Batting all 45 overs was a big issue which cost us several times .But in odd games we blow teams away with some massive partnerships. Connor twice, Ian and James Hayter all made centuries. James only played a few games but made 200 runs averaging 33. Pete had a great first half but struggled a bit second half. He made 270 runs averaging 20. Ian made 288 at 26. Keith was our most consistent batsman scoring 312 at 24 from 16 innings. But the batting award ended up going to Connor Nash who scored 422 runs averaging 42 from 10 innings. Two fifties and two hundreds. If only he could have played a handful more. Still was a great effort and one that helped us win several games . So well done to Connor.
As with the batting our bowling was generally poor. Bowling out sides was a struggled and as I said wides contributed massively every week. There were though some great performances mixed in. Four 5fers in one season is almost unheard of. Connor and Marten Stanbury with two each. All match winning efforts. Cameron Atkinson took 13 wickets. Had he played more for us he would probably have won the bowling award. He bowled well each time he played. Shame it was only a handful of times. Tim Cooke proved a useful asset picking up 14 wickets. Connor was our best all rounder taking 15 wickets. His highlight being 6-22 against Topsham. Again if only he had been able to play a few more. But our most consistent bowler was Marten Stanbury . 19 wickets including to 5fers. One at Countess Wear and the other home against Upottery. Great season from Marten well done. Unfortunately his last. Big Shame that.
So finally to the fielding. Sorry but needs saying again. It wasn't great on a lot of occasions. There were some good ones though. Keith taking a worldy at slip against Woodbury was brilliant. Darren's run out in the same game was great to. Ian did his usual good stuff behind the stumps. James Hayter was a class act as usual just didn't play enough. Marten, Connor, Pete and others all took the odd good catch. Oh mustn't forget Chris's couple of slip catches and Tom Anderson's one to. Always tough. For me though the most consistent and definitely most improved fielder was Tom Stone. Very few if any noticeable mistakes. He took some great catches. The Upottery one springs to mind. Lots of great stops in the field contributed to Tom having what I thought was a great season and was I think our best fielder. So well done to him. Hope he can make a similar improvement next season.
Player Of The Season 2019
The final award is for Player of the season and as always I try to go for the player who has been the most consistent all round. Runs, wickets and great fielding all help but attitude, commitment and games played help massively too. This year for the first time I had a big decision to make. Normally I have an idea. So when I ask several others to give their opinion. One player gets 90% of the vote. This time though I had 5 different names. All had done well and for different reason would have deserved the award. Marten Stanbury played lots of games, was our most consistent bowler. His attitude was great as always. Ian was similar. Played lots of games even helped out when injured. Scored some good runs. Kept well also. Chris wasn't quite his usual self but the attitude was great as always. Several great efforts, Countess Wear and Ottery springing to mind. But unfortunately helping out the firsts meant he missed several games. Had Connor played a handful more he may well have won. He batted and bowled and fielded well. Our best all round player. Little bit like Chris missing 8 games cost him. So that just leaves the winner which was Keith Berry. Well done Keith. His effort all season has been great. Only missing two games is great commitment to the cause. He scored between 20 and 40 virtually every time he batted. Batted along time on occasions too. His enthusiasm when passing fifty at Ottery was brilliant. Never have I seen anyone so delighted. Almost as if he had scored an Ashes century for England. His one handed diving catch at Woodbury will also live long in the memory. So well done to Keith, thanks particularly from me for all the effort this season. I hope you will be keen to continue it into next season.
Now to thank various people for what they do. Every team we play always comment on the teas we provide. Every single time its great and we are so lucky to have great people willing to make the effort. So thanks to all, Mr and Mrs Ball, Hannah Luxton, Pete and Sarah Stevens and Mrs Hayter. Hope I remembered everyone. Major thanks to Marten Hockin for producing great wickets for us to play on every week. Particularly strapping the covers down when rain is due. He'd even come down game days and help when required. Watering the wicket at 9pm on a Saturday night shows how much hard work and commitment is required. So thanks to Martin for that. Thanks also to Andy who does so much unseen work. Emptying bin, hoovering and general tidying on top of cutting the outfield. Just some of the jobs that make our club a great place to play cricket. And thanks to everyone else who also work hard at the club.
Must thank Ike for the couple umpiring stints he did, along with Richard Stone who did some scoring stints for us. Both were a great help.
And finally thanks to all the players who have played. In particular the guys that have stepped in and helped out. Richard Faulks and Ian Leonard away at Topsham. James Corry and Tom Anderson at home to Bradninch. Both games we won, but wouldn't have without their help so thanks to them. Must also mention Ian Hayter stepping in even when injured at 9:30 in the morning. always appreciated. And finally thanks to all that have played even the odd couple games. There are too many to mention.
Want to just mention Ben Perry our overseas player. Great asset to the club, great guy and is gonna be a great cricketer in the future if he continues as he is. The colts think he's marvelous, don't see that myself haha just kidding, I Hope he has enjoyed his time here and maybe considers a return in the future. He'd be welcomed I'm sure.
So that's it another season done and dusted. Not the greatest one for us or the club with both teams being relegated. I do believe though that I can say the same about both team. In my opinion both were more than good enough to stay up. The ability is there, but there seems to be something missing. Losing players in the winter obviously doesn't help but i believe they could possibly have been avoided. I hope that we can do everything we can stop it happening again. Still we should still have had enough to do well. I do believe everyone gives 100% on the field, but without a little extra effort off the field, i.e Practice. We are never gonna be consistent. Wides has been a major problem in the seconds. The only way to address this is to bowl a few overs in the nets. 30 wides every game is not acceptable really. With the extra balls bowled thats about 50 runs we gift the oppsition every week. Cutting that in half would help massively. The general fielding has been poor also. Again that will only get better with practice. Tim Cooke would probably have won the batting award by a mile had we been able to catch. Some efforts were genuinely appalling. And finally the batting. Hitting 50 balls in the nets every week would definitely help. Attitude towards batting is something I have been a little disappointed with. Playing your own game is fine when things are going to plan. But sometimes looking at the scoreboard and looking who's left to come in are important too. Bradninch at home was a perfect example of that. 153 all out with 10 overs left. 9 players out caught. I was the only one out caught behind the wicket, no excuse I know but everyone else out caught trying to smash the ball. When the previous three have done it maybe try digging in for a bit is more appropriate. Sorry to be harsh but if we continue as we are the only way is down. I except people have lives outside cricket and maybe I don't. But surely 20 minutes batting or bowling in the nets isn't to much to ask. I'm of the opinion that would make a huge difference. Also I do except maybe I should have insisted on a 10 minute warm up before games. In my defence though half the team turning up 1pm and gone doesn't give much time. So basically to summarize a little practice will go along way. Concentration and use of our brains can make huge differences. I hope people will be willing to address some of these issues. I certainly will try. My request to the club as a whole is that we all try and work together to address the issues we have. Also the seconds desperately need an Umpire and scorer as often as possible. It seems to be getting harder and harder every year. Juggling the team to suit who can score and who can umpire isn't ideal. Sorry for some harsh words but you'll be glad to know I'm done now haha
Last bit I promise,but the most important bit i feel. Due to poor form on my part and beginning to struggle with the on field captaining. I have decided that my captaining stint must come to an end. Being Honest relegation was the nail in the coffin. Unable to inspire the team, several mistakes throughout the season made me decide to fall on my sword. As I have said before we have the ability in the club. We just need some one to extract it. Unfortunately over the last couple season I haven't been able to and have found myself losing the excitement for playing I once had. Getting older and getting more niggly injuries hasn't helped as many will have noticed recently. I haven't hung up my boots yet and will definitely consider another stint captaining in the future. I feel its time to let some one else give it a try. I hope that someone is keen to give it a go. It's not the easiest job but I found it greatly enJoyable 90% of the time. There are some great people at the club and I've had loads of help which I'm very great full for. Over 100 people have played for Bideford 2nds in my time as captain and I'm appreciative of every single one. In my eleven years Bideford 2nds have played 185 games. I have played every one. I'm assuming its a record. So if anyone fancies taking it good luck haha I do hope to keep my record of 204 games without missing one going though . I will have to work hard though as I'm not gonna be the first name on the sheet anymore. So for the FINAL time thanks to everyone for the opportunity to captain a great club, its been a pleasure and a blast. And as Frank say I Did It My Way
Your ex Captain, current Team Mate and hopefully current Friend
Batting was generally poor. Batting all 45 overs was a big issue which cost us several times .But in odd games we blow teams away with some massive partnerships. Connor twice, Ian and James Hayter all made centuries. James only played a few games but made 200 runs averaging 33. Pete had a great first half but struggled a bit second half. He made 270 runs averaging 20. Ian made 288 at 26. Keith was our most consistent batsman scoring 312 at 24 from 16 innings. But the batting award ended up going to Connor Nash who scored 422 runs averaging 42 from 10 innings. Two fifties and two hundreds. If only he could have played a handful more. Still was a great effort and one that helped us win several games . So well done to Connor.
As with the batting our bowling was generally poor. Bowling out sides was a struggled and as I said wides contributed massively every week. There were though some great performances mixed in. Four 5fers in one season is almost unheard of. Connor and Marten Stanbury with two each. All match winning efforts. Cameron Atkinson took 13 wickets. Had he played more for us he would probably have won the bowling award. He bowled well each time he played. Shame it was only a handful of times. Tim Cooke proved a useful asset picking up 14 wickets. Connor was our best all rounder taking 15 wickets. His highlight being 6-22 against Topsham. Again if only he had been able to play a few more. But our most consistent bowler was Marten Stanbury . 19 wickets including to 5fers. One at Countess Wear and the other home against Upottery. Great season from Marten well done. Unfortunately his last. Big Shame that.
So finally to the fielding. Sorry but needs saying again. It wasn't great on a lot of occasions. There were some good ones though. Keith taking a worldy at slip against Woodbury was brilliant. Darren's run out in the same game was great to. Ian did his usual good stuff behind the stumps. James Hayter was a class act as usual just didn't play enough. Marten, Connor, Pete and others all took the odd good catch. Oh mustn't forget Chris's couple of slip catches and Tom Anderson's one to. Always tough. For me though the most consistent and definitely most improved fielder was Tom Stone. Very few if any noticeable mistakes. He took some great catches. The Upottery one springs to mind. Lots of great stops in the field contributed to Tom having what I thought was a great season and was I think our best fielder. So well done to him. Hope he can make a similar improvement next season.
Player Of The Season 2019
The final award is for Player of the season and as always I try to go for the player who has been the most consistent all round. Runs, wickets and great fielding all help but attitude, commitment and games played help massively too. This year for the first time I had a big decision to make. Normally I have an idea. So when I ask several others to give their opinion. One player gets 90% of the vote. This time though I had 5 different names. All had done well and for different reason would have deserved the award. Marten Stanbury played lots of games, was our most consistent bowler. His attitude was great as always. Ian was similar. Played lots of games even helped out when injured. Scored some good runs. Kept well also. Chris wasn't quite his usual self but the attitude was great as always. Several great efforts, Countess Wear and Ottery springing to mind. But unfortunately helping out the firsts meant he missed several games. Had Connor played a handful more he may well have won. He batted and bowled and fielded well. Our best all round player. Little bit like Chris missing 8 games cost him. So that just leaves the winner which was Keith Berry. Well done Keith. His effort all season has been great. Only missing two games is great commitment to the cause. He scored between 20 and 40 virtually every time he batted. Batted along time on occasions too. His enthusiasm when passing fifty at Ottery was brilliant. Never have I seen anyone so delighted. Almost as if he had scored an Ashes century for England. His one handed diving catch at Woodbury will also live long in the memory. So well done to Keith, thanks particularly from me for all the effort this season. I hope you will be keen to continue it into next season.
Now to thank various people for what they do. Every team we play always comment on the teas we provide. Every single time its great and we are so lucky to have great people willing to make the effort. So thanks to all, Mr and Mrs Ball, Hannah Luxton, Pete and Sarah Stevens and Mrs Hayter. Hope I remembered everyone. Major thanks to Marten Hockin for producing great wickets for us to play on every week. Particularly strapping the covers down when rain is due. He'd even come down game days and help when required. Watering the wicket at 9pm on a Saturday night shows how much hard work and commitment is required. So thanks to Martin for that. Thanks also to Andy who does so much unseen work. Emptying bin, hoovering and general tidying on top of cutting the outfield. Just some of the jobs that make our club a great place to play cricket. And thanks to everyone else who also work hard at the club.
Must thank Ike for the couple umpiring stints he did, along with Richard Stone who did some scoring stints for us. Both were a great help.
And finally thanks to all the players who have played. In particular the guys that have stepped in and helped out. Richard Faulks and Ian Leonard away at Topsham. James Corry and Tom Anderson at home to Bradninch. Both games we won, but wouldn't have without their help so thanks to them. Must also mention Ian Hayter stepping in even when injured at 9:30 in the morning. always appreciated. And finally thanks to all that have played even the odd couple games. There are too many to mention.
Want to just mention Ben Perry our overseas player. Great asset to the club, great guy and is gonna be a great cricketer in the future if he continues as he is. The colts think he's marvelous, don't see that myself haha just kidding, I Hope he has enjoyed his time here and maybe considers a return in the future. He'd be welcomed I'm sure.
So that's it another season done and dusted. Not the greatest one for us or the club with both teams being relegated. I do believe though that I can say the same about both team. In my opinion both were more than good enough to stay up. The ability is there, but there seems to be something missing. Losing players in the winter obviously doesn't help but i believe they could possibly have been avoided. I hope that we can do everything we can stop it happening again. Still we should still have had enough to do well. I do believe everyone gives 100% on the field, but without a little extra effort off the field, i.e Practice. We are never gonna be consistent. Wides has been a major problem in the seconds. The only way to address this is to bowl a few overs in the nets. 30 wides every game is not acceptable really. With the extra balls bowled thats about 50 runs we gift the oppsition every week. Cutting that in half would help massively. The general fielding has been poor also. Again that will only get better with practice. Tim Cooke would probably have won the batting award by a mile had we been able to catch. Some efforts were genuinely appalling. And finally the batting. Hitting 50 balls in the nets every week would definitely help. Attitude towards batting is something I have been a little disappointed with. Playing your own game is fine when things are going to plan. But sometimes looking at the scoreboard and looking who's left to come in are important too. Bradninch at home was a perfect example of that. 153 all out with 10 overs left. 9 players out caught. I was the only one out caught behind the wicket, no excuse I know but everyone else out caught trying to smash the ball. When the previous three have done it maybe try digging in for a bit is more appropriate. Sorry to be harsh but if we continue as we are the only way is down. I except people have lives outside cricket and maybe I don't. But surely 20 minutes batting or bowling in the nets isn't to much to ask. I'm of the opinion that would make a huge difference. Also I do except maybe I should have insisted on a 10 minute warm up before games. In my defence though half the team turning up 1pm and gone doesn't give much time. So basically to summarize a little practice will go along way. Concentration and use of our brains can make huge differences. I hope people will be willing to address some of these issues. I certainly will try. My request to the club as a whole is that we all try and work together to address the issues we have. Also the seconds desperately need an Umpire and scorer as often as possible. It seems to be getting harder and harder every year. Juggling the team to suit who can score and who can umpire isn't ideal. Sorry for some harsh words but you'll be glad to know I'm done now haha
Last bit I promise,but the most important bit i feel. Due to poor form on my part and beginning to struggle with the on field captaining. I have decided that my captaining stint must come to an end. Being Honest relegation was the nail in the coffin. Unable to inspire the team, several mistakes throughout the season made me decide to fall on my sword. As I have said before we have the ability in the club. We just need some one to extract it. Unfortunately over the last couple season I haven't been able to and have found myself losing the excitement for playing I once had. Getting older and getting more niggly injuries hasn't helped as many will have noticed recently. I haven't hung up my boots yet and will definitely consider another stint captaining in the future. I feel its time to let some one else give it a try. I hope that someone is keen to give it a go. It's not the easiest job but I found it greatly enJoyable 90% of the time. There are some great people at the club and I've had loads of help which I'm very great full for. Over 100 people have played for Bideford 2nds in my time as captain and I'm appreciative of every single one. In my eleven years Bideford 2nds have played 185 games. I have played every one. I'm assuming its a record. So if anyone fancies taking it good luck haha I do hope to keep my record of 204 games without missing one going though . I will have to work hard though as I'm not gonna be the first name on the sheet anymore. So for the FINAL time thanks to everyone for the opportunity to captain a great club, its been a pleasure and a blast. And as Frank say I Did It My Way
Your ex Captain, current Team Mate and hopefully current Friend
Bideford 2nd XI v Ottery 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
31/08/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ian Hayter
3. James Hayter
4. Chris Luxton
5. Darren Willcocks
6. Pete Stevens
7. Tom Stone
8. Keith Berry
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Tim Cooke
11. Cameron Atkinson
Meet 12:30 at the Ho! For a 1:30 start
2. Ian Hayter
3. James Hayter
4. Chris Luxton
5. Darren Willcocks
6. Pete Stevens
7. Tom Stone
8. Keith Berry
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Tim Cooke
11. Cameron Atkinson
Meet 12:30 at the Ho! For a 1:30 start
Sidmouth 3rds v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
24/98/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ben Gifford
3. Pete Stevens
4. Darren Willcocks
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Ian Hayter
7. Julian Hayter
8. James Hayter
9. Tim Cooke
10. Keith Berry
11. Cameron Atkinson
Meet 10:45 for a 1:30 start at Newton Poppleford 😀😂😂😂💪💪💪💪💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥
2. Ben Gifford
3. Pete Stevens
4. Darren Willcocks
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Ian Hayter
7. Julian Hayter
8. James Hayter
9. Tim Cooke
10. Keith Berry
11. Cameron Atkinson
Meet 10:45 for a 1:30 start at Newton Poppleford 😀😂😂😂💪💪💪💪💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥
Bideford 2nd XI v Uplyme 1st XI
Devon League
E Division East
17/08/19
Team Sheet
1.
2. Connor Nash
3. Keith Berry
4. Josh Stephenson
5. Darren Willcocks
6. Ian Hayter
7. James Hayter
8. Marten Stanbury
9.Tim Cooke
10. Ollie Keates
11. Marcus Bulled
Meet 12:30 for 1:30 start at Westward Ho!
2. Connor Nash
3. Keith Berry
4. Josh Stephenson
5. Darren Willcocks
6. Ian Hayter
7. James Hayter
8. Marten Stanbury
9.Tim Cooke
10. Ollie Keates
11. Marcus Bulled
Meet 12:30 for 1:30 start at Westward Ho!
Match Report
Just a reminder of the bbq after this weeks game. All and everyone invited. Hope to see many there😀
Bideford 2nd XI v Topsham 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
10/08/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ian Hayter
3. Marten Stanbury
4. Ben Gifford
5. James Hayter
6. Julian Hayter
7. Tim Cooke
8. Connor Nash
9. Jim Keates
10. Ollie Keates
11.
Meet 12:30 at the Ho! For a 1:30 start
2. Ian Hayter
3. Marten Stanbury
4. Ben Gifford
5. James Hayter
6. Julian Hayter
7. Tim Cooke
8. Connor Nash
9. Jim Keates
10. Ollie Keates
11.
Meet 12:30 at the Ho! For a 1:30 start
Match Report
Yesterday’s game was unfortunately washed out. We tried our best but the wind and rain got the better of us. Must say big thanks to Martin Hockin for his Stirling efforts which were in vain in the end. Due to most other games being played and the results going the wrong way, our gap to the relegation zone has been trimmed to just 16 points. Both Countess Wear and Ottery have given themselves a chance of staying up. This means that we need to get at least one more victory to keep us safe. With three tough games left we are gonna have to work hard. We’ve had a good season so far but there is still work to do. I’m sending out a rallying cry to all players to give there all to help keep us in the safe zone. We got a little lucky yesterday. Only ten players and a couple of us playing with injuries. Please can everyone pull together to make sure we end up having had a good season which is what we’ve had so far. Lyme Regis are almost promoted so a win for them will pretty much do it, which means it will be a very tough game.
Now just a reminder that next week is my annual birthday bbq. All and everyone are invited and I hope plenty will be there and also cheer us on. See you all next week
Cheers
John Weeks
Now just a reminder that next week is my annual birthday bbq. All and everyone are invited and I hope plenty will be there and also cheer us on. See you all next week
Cheers
John Weeks
Upottery 2nd XI v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division
03/08/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Jim Keates
4. Ollie Keates
5. Tom Stone
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Connor Nash
8. Martin Stewart
9. Ben Gifford
10. Ian Hayter
11. James Hayter
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Jim Keates
4. Ollie Keates
5. Tom Stone
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Connor Nash
8. Martin Stewart
9. Ben Gifford
10. Ian Hayter
11. James Hayter
Match Report
The trip to Upottery was a long one due to loads of traffic on the roads. Not knowing where the new ground was didn’t help either. So turning up at 1:15 wasn’t ideal be at least we all arrived on time, just😀Nice looking new ground and a decent pavilion too. Another new ground to add to the list. As always, particularly recently, I lost the toss but was asked to bat. Exactly what I wanted to do so good news. With Connor back and James Hayter available they opened up the batting. Both had a slice of luck in the opening overs. On another day both could have been caught out. Both though pushed on and ticked the scoreboard along nicely all the way to drinks without any real problems. Lots of great shots for four from both along with the odd six got us to 147-0 at drinks. Probably one of our highest ever halfway totals. James passed 50 first and confidently pressed onto a brilliant hundred. Connor followed on bringing up his fifty and hundred shortly after James did. Both played excellently and records looked like they were going to be broken. Both individual and team ones. Unfortunately though James went back to a short one which didn’t bounce as he expected. He was bowled for 117 in a 227 run partnership. Great effort. Martin Stewart joined Connor. They put on 50 runs before Martin was caught and bowled. Connor was tiring but managed to continue on to a brilliant 138 before he was out caught also. The scoreboard had ticked past 300 for the first time in a long while for us. Ian kept the runs coming and was 47 not out at the end. A magnificent total of 377-4. Not quite record breaking but up there with our best totals ever. Must say Upottery soldiered on in tough circumstances, so credit to them for keeping going. After tea Darren opened the bowling with Tom Stone. Several wides and a few loose deliveries gave Upottery a lightening quick start. They were never realistically going to chase our total so they batted fairly sensible and basically punished our bad balls. We did give them quite a few. Their opening stand was 138 off 30 overs. Both Martins tried and failed to make a breakthrough. It was very frustrating, we lacked a bit of consistency. Finally a great catch from Tom Stone broke the partnership. We continued to be inconsistent though and the result was another decent partnership of 90. Disastrously from them their other opener was caught out on 99 by Darren off Martens bowling. We picked up a late wicket. Ian taking a stumping off Ben. But that was it. 254-3 was how they finished. Not our best effort in the field. The big target probably contributed. In a must win game for us we did what was needed. 16 points is good and cements us in the middle of the table. Player of the match is really tough with two standout performances. Connor and James both batted excellently and basically batted Upottery out the game. Thinking of just tossing a coin. But I’m gonna go with James. Apart from the early drop I thought he looked really good and played some excellent and authoritative shots. Connor did as well but think it’s time he let someone win one. So well done James great effort. Same again next week please 😀😀must thank all for the effort. But we need as always to work on being more consistent. In the end though the result we wanted and we move on to Topsham at the Ho! Next week. Will be a much tougher game I’m sure so let’s work hard to try and get another positive result. Finally will say well done to Upottery for keeping going in tough times and making a decent fist of things in the end. Thanks to all who drove and Richard for his stint in the scoreboard. Appreciated as always.
Now just a reminder that a certain someone has a significant birthday coming up so there will be a bbq after the Lyme Regis game on Saturday 17th August. A few celebratory ribena’s will be had also I’m sure. All and everyone are invited as always. So hope to see lots there, hopefully supporting us during game too😀🍻🍾🥃🍦🥓🥩🍗🍟🍸🍹🎂
Cheers
John Weeks
Now just a reminder that a certain someone has a significant birthday coming up so there will be a bbq after the Lyme Regis game on Saturday 17th August. A few celebratory ribena’s will be had also I’m sure. All and everyone are invited as always. So hope to see lots there, hopefully supporting us during game too😀🍻🍾🥃🍦🥓🥩🍗🍟🍸🍹🎂
Cheers
John Weeks
North Devon 2nd XI v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
27/07/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Keith Berry
4. Jim Keates
5. Tom Stone
6. Pete Stevens
7. Richard Hall
8. Martin Stewart
9. James Greenleaf
10. Tim Cooke
11. Marcus Bulled
Meet 12:30 at Instow for a 13:30 start
Anyone requiring a lift please let me know asap
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Keith Berry
4. Jim Keates
5. Tom Stone
6. Pete Stevens
7. Richard Hall
8. Martin Stewart
9. James Greenleaf
10. Tim Cooke
11. Marcus Bulled
Meet 12:30 at Instow for a 13:30 start
Anyone requiring a lift please let me know asap
Match Report
Apologies for the delay writing this😀
Game 13 was the really long trip to Instow. It took me all of about 5 minutes of travelling to get there. Was expecting a very tough game and that’s exactly what we got. We were a little short again and had we been at full strength I believe things could have been a lot closer. One main issue was none of our normal opening bowlers were playing. Me and Darren had to step up when losing the toss. Both of us struggled and they got off to a lightning start. Our fielding was ok but as usual a few mistakes. I quickly changed things with Richard Hall taking over from Darren and Martin Stewart from me. We managed to slow them down a bit and also picked up a few wickets. Richard’s spell was very impressive as was Tom Stone who replaced Martin. Tim did an ok job and picked up a wicket also. We just lacked a little bit of extra quality. The runs came steadily and in the last ten overs we couldn’t make a breakthrough. Everyone made a decent effort but we were just lacking that quality our missing players may have added. Keeping them to 250 was a reasonable effort after the lightning start they had. After tea the aim was to bat out all our overs if possible and get as close to them as possible. We did reasonably getting through overs but struggled to score many runs. Keith and Darren both did well. With Richard having to leave early unfortunately he didn’t bat, and with Ian hardly able to stand we were effectively two batsmen down. I managed to survive for a while. Several of our lower order perished trying to smash the ball out the park when it was really needed. Little bit disappointed with that. So with around 6 overs remaining and the the total 119, Ian hobbled out and smashed a big 6 to get us the extra batting point. After that there wasn’t much point making Ian carry on so we declared our innings. Had Ian been fit and Richard able to bat we probably would have made a better fist of things.Saying that North Devon probably would have done things slightly differently had they been under more pressure. Still we made a game of it and picked up 5 valuable points. Effort from all was good. Just need to work on our consistency. Once again our friend wides contributed significantly. Player of the Match this week has three candidates for me. Keith batted well again. Richard bowled excellently and had he batted and scored some runs he would have won. But I’m going for Ian who stepped in at 9:30 on the day of the game even though injured. Then kept as well as he could on one leg. Then finally hobbling out to bat and get us a valuable extra point. He showed the effort and commitment that we all need to show. So well down Ian and thanks from me for your effort. Next game is Upottery away. Most will already know what happened there, but for those that don’t I’ll keep the suspense and write a report later. It is, was a must win looking at the table. Finally thanks to all for the effort. We were beaten by a good team. If only we could be more consistent in everything we do. Batting, bowling, fielding and selection we could be a decent team. Hopefully we will all work hard to make this happen.
Cheers
John Weeks
Game 13 was the really long trip to Instow. It took me all of about 5 minutes of travelling to get there. Was expecting a very tough game and that’s exactly what we got. We were a little short again and had we been at full strength I believe things could have been a lot closer. One main issue was none of our normal opening bowlers were playing. Me and Darren had to step up when losing the toss. Both of us struggled and they got off to a lightning start. Our fielding was ok but as usual a few mistakes. I quickly changed things with Richard Hall taking over from Darren and Martin Stewart from me. We managed to slow them down a bit and also picked up a few wickets. Richard’s spell was very impressive as was Tom Stone who replaced Martin. Tim did an ok job and picked up a wicket also. We just lacked a little bit of extra quality. The runs came steadily and in the last ten overs we couldn’t make a breakthrough. Everyone made a decent effort but we were just lacking that quality our missing players may have added. Keeping them to 250 was a reasonable effort after the lightning start they had. After tea the aim was to bat out all our overs if possible and get as close to them as possible. We did reasonably getting through overs but struggled to score many runs. Keith and Darren both did well. With Richard having to leave early unfortunately he didn’t bat, and with Ian hardly able to stand we were effectively two batsmen down. I managed to survive for a while. Several of our lower order perished trying to smash the ball out the park when it was really needed. Little bit disappointed with that. So with around 6 overs remaining and the the total 119, Ian hobbled out and smashed a big 6 to get us the extra batting point. After that there wasn’t much point making Ian carry on so we declared our innings. Had Ian been fit and Richard able to bat we probably would have made a better fist of things.Saying that North Devon probably would have done things slightly differently had they been under more pressure. Still we made a game of it and picked up 5 valuable points. Effort from all was good. Just need to work on our consistency. Once again our friend wides contributed significantly. Player of the Match this week has three candidates for me. Keith batted well again. Richard bowled excellently and had he batted and scored some runs he would have won. But I’m going for Ian who stepped in at 9:30 on the day of the game even though injured. Then kept as well as he could on one leg. Then finally hobbling out to bat and get us a valuable extra point. He showed the effort and commitment that we all need to show. So well down Ian and thanks from me for your effort. Next game is Upottery away. Most will already know what happened there, but for those that don’t I’ll keep the suspense and write a report later. It is, was a must win looking at the table. Finally thanks to all for the effort. We were beaten by a good team. If only we could be more consistent in everything we do. Batting, bowling, fielding and selection we could be a decent team. Hopefully we will all work hard to make this happen.
Cheers
John Weeks
Bideford 2nd XI v Countess Wear 1st XI
Devon League
E Division East
20/07/13
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Connor Nash
3. Chris Luxton
4. James Greenleaf
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Jim Keates
7. Tim Cooke
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Ian Hayter
10. Tom Stone
11. Keith Berry
Meet 12:30 at the Ho! For a 1:30 start
2. Connor Nash
3. Chris Luxton
4. James Greenleaf
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Jim Keates
7. Tim Cooke
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Ian Hayter
10. Tom Stone
11. Keith Berry
Meet 12:30 at the Ho! For a 1:30 start
Match Report
All week the weather forecast was for it to rain all day Friday and most of Saturday morning. We therefore decided to put the covers on , on Thursday night. The rain certainly did come on Friday but by Saturday morning the sun was out and it was another glorious day at the Westward Ho! Countess Wear were the visitors this week. Having comfortably beaten them away and looking at the league table I was hoping we could get a decent result again . Last week at Woodbury we were missing 3 of our main players which definitely cost us. This week they were all back so that was a great bonus for us. On losing the toss I was surprised to be asked to bat. I’m always a little weary when the opposition unexpectedly give you want you wanted. After about 10 overs though I realised why they wanted to bowl. 2 decent opening bowlers had us 14-2. Me and James Greenleaf back in the pavilion. Connor who had opened was joined by Ian Hayter who has struggled this season to get going. The game changed dramatically though once the openers had finished their spells. The back up bowling wasn’t of the same standard and both players cashed in. Both hit several boundaries and kept the score ticking along nicely. By the time drinks had come around we had 100 on the board. After the slow start that was a great effort. Still only two wickets down, we now had a great platform to build on. After drinks the runs came thick and fast. Several big overs in a row got us to 200 with 12 overs still remaining. Both batsmen were hitting regular boundaries and having both past fifty shortly after drinks, were now edging towards centuries. The big run overs kept coming and finally Ian made it to a fantastic 100, which included 6 sixes. Not to long after Connor made it to his first ever century. Another brilliant effort. No centuries all season, then two in one game. Amazing effort. The last time I saw that happen was Andy Webbe 217 not out and James Corry 121 not out. About 5 seasons ago. Unfortunately though both were out caught in the same over. A little tiredness creeping in I think. A partnership of 225 though was awesome. Chris Luxton and Keith kept the runs coming in the last few overs. Both were not out and the final total was 288-4. A great effort and probably the first time this season our top order have stepped up properly and done virtually all the scoring. The back up bowling wasn’t the best but still has to be put away so was a brilliant batting effort. Thanks to Mr and Mrs Ball we had another awesome tea. Then it was our turn to bowl. They got off to a slightly better start scoring wise than we did but once Connor picked up the first wicket bowled, their chase looked doomed. Two more wickets in his next over confirmed this. Chris didn’t get a wicket but was miserly as always. Jim did ok and was rewarded with a wicket bowled. Needs to work on the wides though , a few to many again. Darren did well also picking up two wickets. Along with Jim though around half their conceded runs came because of wides. Still both did well. Tim was good to. Creating plenty of opportunities. Three of which were taken. One catch, one stumping and an lbw. Tom bowled four decent overs but it was left to Marten Stanbury to finish things off with the last wicket bowled. 153 all out was a really good effort. Our wide count was a little disappointing again though . Four extra overs bowled. Against better opponents this will cost us as we seen this season. Still a win and 20 points is a fantastic effort. There was some individual brilliance but it was still a great all round team performance. The batters did the batting and the bowlers did the bowling. Player of the Match is tough. Two choices really. Connor or Ian. Both with centuries. Connor also 3 wickets and a catch. Ian with two stumpings. I’m struggling to separate them so I’m not going to. So a joint one this week. Well done to both a fantastic effort. Thanks to all the team again the effort was great and we got the result we deserved. With the two teams above us losing, things have become very tight. About 10 points between us. We have the daunting trip to North Devon next week. Again 3 of our main players missing so it will be extra tough. If we put in the effort you never know. I’m thinking Pete’s due a big one. Hopefully it’s next week😂I hope we can at the very least make a game of it , which I’m sure we will. It’s the shortest away Devon League game ever so no travelling hangovers which is good. Must thank everyone again for the effort. I’m now convinced that, that effort barring ridiculousness will keep us safe from the drop. Something we certainly don’t want. And you never know how high it may take us . Let’s keep it up and see😀Mustn’t finish without thanking Ollie Keates for his umpiring stint, Richard Stone for his scoring stint, the Balls for another excellent tea and most importantly Martin Hockin for his efforts providing us with a great wicket to play on. Another great day to be beside the sea. Upthebide😀💥
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Woodbury 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
13/07/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Pete Stevens
4. Ian Hayter
5. Marcus Bulled
6. James Keates
7. Tom Stone
8. Tim Cooke
9. Keith Berry
10. Cameron Atkinson
11. Ollie Keates
Meet 11:00 on the Pill
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Pete Stevens
4. Ian Hayter
5. Marcus Bulled
6. James Keates
7. Tom Stone
8. Tim Cooke
9. Keith Berry
10. Cameron Atkinson
11. Ollie Keates
Meet 11:00 on the Pill
Match Report
So to Woodbury we went. Trip down wasn’t to bad. The weather was hot but a little overcast. We were missing 3 of our main players ( Connor, Chris and Marten) so I was hoping others would be able to step up. I decided to bat when winning the toss. Hoping as always we could bat through all our overs and post a 200 plus score. That will always give us a good chance. Everything started off well. Me and Pete hit several boundaries each and after 12 overs we had made it to 70 which was very good. Pete then picked out one of the two fielders on the leg side and was caught. He had though helped to get us off to a decent start. Ian then managed to pick out the other leg side fielder the very next ball and was also caught. Woodbury’s two first change bowlers bowled well and me and Cameron decided to see out a few overs and rebuild. I though missed judged one and was bowled. The score around 85-3. Marcus made just 3 before chopping on which partnered Cameron with Keith. At this point the runs dried up a little and slowly the overs were running out. Unfortunately both Cameron and Keith got out just as they were set. Darren and Tom Stone scraped us to 160. Both were out caught. Then two run outs left us 161 all out . Only about 3 overs left but after the start we had 200 should have been achievable. Someone from the top six needs to try and bat till the last couple of overs. Plus we need to try and keep the scoreboard ticking. Not necessarily boundaries, but a few more singles along the way. 161 was always gonna be tough to defend. Me and Darren opened up. Both of us took an over to get settled. They had a little luck and once again a couple pieces of poor fielding cost us a couple boundaries. I managed a wicket well caught by Cameron. But Woodbury had got off to a reasonable start. I then turned too spin. With Cameron and Tim combining. Both did well but with only a low total to defend it was tough. Keith produced the highlight of the day. A brilliant one handed diving catch at slip off Cameron. The runs kept coming though. As always with us wides contributed nicely for them. Everyone contributed a few. Tom and Jim took over and bowled 4 overs each. Again they did ok but the runs kept coming and slowly they edged towards our total without having to take many risks. Jim did get a wicket bowled. Darren then produced another highlight, throwing down the stumps from third man for a run out. That was four down but not many left to get. Cameron picked up a late wicket bowled but they passed our total easily with about 8 overs remaining. Not a great game for us really. We were a little lack lustre I thought. We needed to have shown a bit more intent in the middle overs and also give ourselves a chance to have a go at the end. Batting all the overs may not have made a difference this week. But as we found out last week it made a massive difference. Had we batted out the overs, bowled ten less wides and cut out the fielding mistakes things would have been very much tighter. We have to work to be more consistent. Player of the match is tough because nobody really stood out much. Me and Pete batted ok but one of us needed to at least pass 50. Keith and Cameron similarly did ok but needed to carry on to till the last couple overs. The same with the bowling. Everyone did ok. Just not quite consistent enough. I’m gonna give it to Cameron who was probably just about our best player. He batted ok and two wickets along with some decent fielding. So well done to him. I did also think that Tom and Marcus fielded well though. Ollie gave his all as always. And to highlight our inconsistencies Darren and Keith both produced star moments. So we need to move on from this. Hopefully we will have a couple back next week. They seem to be the little extra bit of quality that we were missing today. The league is very tight. We are just as likely to get promoted as we are relegated. We are 20 points from both. A couple wins puts us right up there. A couple defeats puts us in trouble. With North Devon sandwiched between Countess Wear and Upottery, it’s going to be a big three games. Realistically we should be looking for two wins which will take pressure off for the last few games. If we keep working hard and keep giving our all we will be fine I’m sure. So thanks to all for the effort and to all that drove. As I said Countess Wear next. We need to be right up for that game. With them below us and the league so tight it’s almost a must win. But let’s at least give ourselves the best chance by making the effort. I’m sure we will.
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Bideford 2nd XI v Bradninch 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
06/07/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Pete Stevens
3. Connor Nash
4. Josh Stephenson
5. Tom Stone
6. Jim Keates
7. Keith Berry
8. Rose Ball
9. Cameron Atkinson
10. James Corry
11. Tom Anderson
1:30 start at the Ho!
2. Pete Stevens
3. Connor Nash
4. Josh Stephenson
5. Tom Stone
6. Jim Keates
7. Keith Berry
8. Rose Ball
9. Cameron Atkinson
10. James Corry
11. Tom Anderson
1:30 start at the Ho!
Match Report
First game of the second half of the season was the return fixture against Bradninch. We hadn’t bowled or fielded great in the away game. Something I hoped we would put right this time. Two more new faces were added to our ever expanding squad of players. James Corry making a comeback after 3 years away and Tom Anderson from Victoria Park. So on a glorious day batting first was the best option when winning the toss. We would just have to bat really well. Batting out the overs would again be key. And give us a chance. Pete and Connor opened up. Pete was unfortunately caught and bowled in the first over. Cameron joined Connor and both did a great job. With some good shots and a little luck they kept the runs ticking over. They got us to 83 before Cameron was out caught for 33. Connor carried on and made it to fifty. Another decent effort from him. He was unfortunately caught soon after. The rest of the batting wasn’t great. All except Jim who was bowled were out caught. We again left 3 overs unused. 9 people out caught suggest we went for one big shot too many. The top 6 need to try hard to be there at the end which is the time for the big shots. When we lose a couple of quick wickets we need to dig in and stabilise a bit. We were going well at 83-1. We were then 128-8. All 7 out caught🤔We did though manage to scrape past 150 and as I said Jim was bowled on 155. Not our best effort. We lacked a little in the middle to latter overs. 200 was a must on our wicket. Only a fantastic bowling effort would give us any chance, knowing the depth of batting Bradninch had. Pete and Sarah produced another excellent tea, so thanks for that. With Chris away I opened up with Connor. Luck was on our side but putting the ball in the right area helped to. First over Connor picked up a wicket bowled. I managed it also in the second over. Both batsman chopping on. Then amazingly the wickets kept coming. Tom Stone taking good catch off Connor and another bowled. Then a brilliant catch by Tom Anderson at slip off my bowling put them 5 down for just 15. At 30 Josh Stephenson took a good catch to put them 6 down and us into a brilliant position. I know they had batting depth and knew that they would fight hard. I decided to save Connor’s last couple overs for later. Rose probably wants to forget her one over spell. Tom Anderson and Cameron Atkinson took over and both did well. It took a while for the seventh wicket though. A plumb lbw from Cameron. 78-7 now and surely we can mop things up. Bradninch fought on though and probably became favourites at 128-7. With Connor back on he produced a brilliant slower ball to pick up his 5th wicket off his final delivery. Next over Cameron lured their experienced batsmen into a sweep shot which was top edged to me at square leg. 128-7 was now 128-9. We were now favourites again. But still Bradninch dug in. Cameron was done so Jim took over and did a good job in his two overs. But it was debutant Tom Anderson who was the hero bowling their last man on 146. And a 9 run victory. Just another run of the mill epically entertaining Bideford 2nd XI game. We never seem to do things easily. At 30-6 we could have been a bit more ruthless. A few extras from our friend wides and a couple drops didn’t help . Also fielding could still be better. But the result is the main thing and again we fought hard right to the end and got our rewards. I think our desire to win got us over the line this week. The same desire that got us an epic 16 point draw last week. I always think I have seen it all but then games like this come along and blow me away again. Days like this are why I keep playing. Player of the match is easy but without lots of help from his teammates it would have been in vain. Cameron batted and bowled well. If he sticks with us he will be a major asset. I and Tom Anderson bowled really well also. But for the first time ever I think in my 11 years as captain a 5fer and 50 in the same game. Anyone know differently please correct me. Player of the match is Connor Nash. Another excellent effort and the little bit of quality that we needed. Well done mate, Marten is now looking over his shoulder as I’m sure Pete is to. The target now should be to do an Alex Crisp and win all three awards in the same season. Batting, bowling and fielding. Never thought I’d see it but he did it, can you? 🤪Must thank James and Tom for helping us out and contributing massively to our victory. I hope you will be keen to help us out again in the future. Everyone else made a decent effort and again all contributed. Thanks to Pete and Sarah for another marvellous tea. Next week is Woodbury away. Should be no need for a rallying call for this fixture. Hopefully we can perform as we know we can and come away with a decent result. Finally just making comment on the fact neither team had an umpire which wasn’t helpful for either side😡as always we had no scorer. But fortunately they did and must thank him for a Stirling job, well done. Not only did he do there book and the scoreboard, he did our book also. Every ball and I mean every ball. More people need to step up and learn how to do it. It’s not difficult. If one man can do an immaculate job in two books surely everyone else can manage one book. Only takes a small effort from all. Anyway thanks to all for the effort in another epic game. Once again it’s been a great day to be beside the sea. Up the bide, 2nds rule😀💪😀💪😀💪😀💪😀💪😀💪😀
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Ottery St Mary 2nd XI v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
29/06/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Dan Smith
3. Jim Keates
4. Connor Nash
5. Chris Luxton
6. Pete Stevens
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Tom Stone
9. Tim Cooke
10. Keith Berry
11. Marten Stanbury
1:30 Start. Meet 11:15 on the Pill
2. Dan Smith
3. Jim Keates
4. Connor Nash
5. Chris Luxton
6. Pete Stevens
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Tom Stone
9. Tim Cooke
10. Keith Berry
11. Marten Stanbury
1:30 Start. Meet 11:15 on the Pill
Match Report
Ottery away marked the halfway point of the season. In my opinion it was a game we needed to win to keep us significantly away from the relegation places. So on a scorching hot day we arrived in plenty of time. We quickly decided that batting first was definitely the way to go. As you can guess though I lost the toss and was asked to field. Chris and Connor opened as usual. Connor picked up an early wicket lbw. After that though the runs ticked over quite quickly. A run out brought the second wicket on 58. One of their openers was going well, punishing our bad balls. Marten and Darren took over but couldn’t stop the runs coming. Finally Marten managed get their opener out well caught by Tim for 53. With runs coming quick, Tim took over from Darren and did a great job. He picked up a stumping early on. A good partnership of 70 then frustrated us. Some poor fielding contributed all innings to the runs coming quick. Something we all need to work on. Tim picked up two quick wickets but that didn’t stop runs. They kept coming regularly. Dan and Jim bowled 3 overs each but were a little expensive as most were. Both did pick up wickets though which helped. This put them 9 down. With exactly 3 overs remaining Chris finished them off for 263. A good effort to bowl them out and we kept going well. But as I said before we were poor in the field. Admittedly the heat didn’t help. Again our good friend wides contributed massively. A little more consistency and concentration could have restricted them more. Still the old saying bat the overs and we won’t be far away was apt. Tea was decent and out to bat went Connor and Pete. With 15 off the first over you can probably guess who faced it. Connor then hit a couple good shots before he was given out lbw with the score on 29. Tom joined Pete who was riding his luck. Dropped twice. Easy ones too. Tom was then bowled and I was run out ( no comment) which made the score 72-3. Pete thrashing it around and loads of wides had kept us up with the rate. Pete though was finally caught for 44. 74-4 now meant big trouble. 190 still to get. Lots of overs to go and decent batsmen to come. Wickets would be the key. Three quick wickets had partnered Chris and Keith at the crease. Both did well but it was Chris who kept the momentum of runs going in their partnership. They put on 80 runs in good time. Unfortunately for us Chris was out caught just as we thought he was gonna see us all the way home. 38 ball 43 was a great effort though and kept us in the hunt. Marten Stanbury was next. He managed to take over from Chris and keep the runs coming. Keith was playing the odd quality shot in between holding an end up. Another 80 plus partnership got us to 240-6. Keith had done an amazing job 59 off 100 balls. He produced the most exuberant half century celebration I’ve seen for a long time when he passed 50. Great sight, great effort. Still the game wasn’t over though. Darren now joined Marten in a big pressure situation. 24 needed just 3 overs remaining. The 43rd over only conceded 2 runs. 8 off the 44th left 14 off one. My mind raced back to Axminster almost exactly 1 year ago. Surely it wasn’t going to happen again. A final ball decider. Surely too many for us to get. Darren though had other ideas. Two 2s and two 4s in the first four balls. Wow 😲great hitting and running. 2 off 2. Are we gonna pull off an amazing victory? Arrrggg 🥵😫Darren is bowled. Devastation. Marten stuck at the wrong end. So once again picture the scene. Dan Smith walking to the crease. 1 ball. 2 to win. 2 to tie. Dot for defeat. Surely not a wide again.🤞🤞This time a swing and miss. Both batsmen run. The keeper collects, throws at the stumps. From the side we couldn’t see if he had directed the throw well enough. 🤞🤞He’s missed, it’s a tie😂unbelievable ending to a great game. First Devon League tie for me. Another entertaining game. We seem to be involved in plenty of them. Would definitely advise people to come down and give us a watch. We never do things the easy way. Both teams will think they should have won. Lots of wides and poor fielding from both. Some good batting also from both teams. In the end a fair result. 6 points for a draw means we picked up 16 points which is a decent haul in the end. Player of the match was tough because several players contributed massively to the result. Tim bowled well. Pete got us off to a good start. Chris, Keith and Marten stepped up in the middle order. Then Darren did brilliantly to get us so close. For me though it has to be Keith who held an end and contributed to two 80 run partnerships. Just a shame he couldn’t see us home. For me though his celebration when passing 50 showed the desire and commitment needed. We can all do it. Keith showed us how. An amazing game which Ottery contributed to. They will be cursing their poor fielding and wide count as we will be. It was a great game to be involved in. Hopefully there are many more to come. Thanks to all for the effort again. Thanks to those who drove. And finally Bradninch at home. Hopefully we can perform better against them this time. If we show the fight we did this week, I’m sure we will have good game.
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Bideford 2nd XI v Sidmouth 3rd XI
Devon League
E Division East
22/06/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Connor Nash
3. Jim Keates
4. Ian Hayter
5. Darren Willcocks
6. Marcus Bulled
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Tom Stone
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Keith Berry
11. Tim Cooke
1:30 start at the Ho!
2. Connor Nash
3. Jim Keates
4. Ian Hayter
5. Darren Willcocks
6. Marcus Bulled
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Tom Stone
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Keith Berry
11. Tim Cooke
1:30 start at the Ho!
So on a glorious day for cricket we welcomed Sidmouth to the Ho! Having only lost one game to a strong North Devon team, I knew it’s was going to be a tough game. When winning the toss I opted to bat. As we have struggled all season to bat out the overs. It was probably would have been a better decision to bowl. Probably our best chance of gaining more points. But out to bat we went anyway. Another completely new opening partnership certainly doesn’t help. Connor and Marcus this time. Some good consistent bowling accounted for Marcus bowled in the 3rd over. Me and Connor saw off a handful of overs before Connor decided to leave one which crashed into the stumps. I was given out LBW a few overs later🤔Tom Stone was in and was joined by Keith who nicked off and followed me back to the pavilion 20 odd for 4 wasn’t great. The bowling was good. We just need a couple to see out some overs. Tom did a really great job but no one else could stick around to support him. Ian smashed one straight up and was caught, Marten lbw and then Darren well caught by their keeper. Tom was digging in though and although not many runs, looked quite comfortable. Josh and Jim both got out caught and finally Tim was bowled. In between Tom hit a couple of good shots for four and ended 22 not out in a final total of 75. Not the best effort but the bowling was decent and consistent which made it tough to score. Seeing out the two openers for 1 or 2 wickets down was key. So out to bowl before tea and not a lot to say really. They were again a decent standard and played some good shots. They were keen to get things over quickly, which they did. Two terrible drops and a missed stumping just summed up our day. As we saw last week these chances have to be taken if we are to have any chance of winning games. Cost us last week. This week probably cost us a point. Fielding is something we probably need to work on. We have been quite poor this season. Tim would probably have 20 wickets if we could all catch well. So in summary we were probably never gonna beat them but we should have been able to put in a better showing. Batting out the overs and taking the good chances we create will help massively. I know most struggle to but a little practice might make the difference. Still we all tried our best as always but unfortunately we were out played on the day. Player of the match is simple. Tom Stone batted how we all should have and are all quite capable of. Great effort from him, so well done Tom. Next week is Ottery away. A game we have a good chance in if we turn up and apply ourselves. So let’s all work hard and put the effort in. A win will give us 5 victories in the first half of the season which is a great effort. Had we also seen off Uplyme as we should it could have been even better. Thanks to all for the effort. Let’s go again next week. Finally must thank Mr and Mrs Ball for another outstanding tea. Just a shame it was after the game. This was not such a great day to be beside the sea😂😂😂
Uplyme 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
15/06/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Connor Nash
4. Ian Hayter
5. Julian Hayter
6. Tim Cooke
7. Pete Stevens
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Keith Berry
11. Tom Stone
2. Chris Luxton
3. Connor Nash
4. Ian Hayter
5. Julian Hayter
6. Tim Cooke
7. Pete Stevens
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Keith Berry
11. Tom Stone
Match Report
Thought I’d better do this before this weeks game starts. So it was the daunting away trip to uplyme. We arrived in plenty of time. I managed to win the toss and decided to have a bowl. They tried to smash the ball about and We dropped a couple of catches.This got them off to a decent start. Connor was unlucky but Chris managed to snaffle two wickets both caught. The dropped catches got them off to a good start but we pegged them back taking regular wickets. Darren bowled through his 9 overs picking up two wickets, as did Marten who snapped up 3. At around 120-8 we had got ourselves into a great position. They dug in though and eked out some late runs. Combined with a couple more dropped catches they got to 160. It was frustrating that we couldn’t bowl them out and that they got a few more runs than they should have. But still 160 was a score we should be able to knock off comfortably. Just bat out the overs and we would be fine. With Pete not well Julian opened with me. We did ok but struggled to get many runs. I got out with the score on 30. Julian did well batting for 15 overs, just lacked a few runs. Ian made 15 before being caught. Connor, Keith, Pete and Tom all failed to trouble the scorer much. We were now in a bit of trouble.50-1 became 62-5. Not great but still decent batsmen to come. Chris and Darren dug in though and with plenty of overs to go, they slowly got us back in the game. Both did well but both unfortunately perished going back to short deliveries that didn’t bounce. Marten and Tim tried their best but we were eventually bowled out for 128. Not the best effort. Bat out the overs and we have a comfortable win. We did well fielding but should have had them out for much less than they got. Then a bit more application batting would have seen us win. Their bowling was ok but we should still have been good enough to see things home. We did well but lacked the ability to finish the job. Everyone made the effort as always. We just came up short. Player of the match is really tough. Lots did ok but everyone slipped up as well. So in the end i let stats talk. That means it’s Marten again. 3 more wickets cements his place as our top bowler. Another decent bowling effort. Commitment and hard work generally pays off as Marten proved every week.Well done mate keep going😀was a frustrating day. We should have won but didn’t. We proved we are good enough, just not quite up to seeing things out. If we can sort that out we could have a great season. Sidmouth will be tough next week but with effort and commitment we have every chance. We are a good side. We just need to learn to be a bit more ruthless. Thanks again to all for the effort and particularly those who drove the epic journey. Lets learn from this and rectify things today. Sorry for the lateness of this report. Hopefully we can perform better this week.
Cheers
John Weeks 😀😀
Cheers
John Weeks 😀😀
Topsham 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
08/06/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Richard Faulks
3. Marten Stanbury
4. Pete Stevens
5. Tim Cooke
6. Chris Luxton
7. Dan Smith
8. Josh Stephenson
9. Ian Leonard
10. Keith Berry
11. Connor Nash
Meet 11:15 on the Pill
2. Richard Faulks
3. Marten Stanbury
4. Pete Stevens
5. Tim Cooke
6. Chris Luxton
7. Dan Smith
8. Josh Stephenson
9. Ian Leonard
10. Keith Berry
11. Connor Nash
Meet 11:15 on the Pill
Match Report
Game six is a trip to Topsham. After last seasons game at the same ground I wasn’t overly looking forward to playing. Especially batting on their wicket. Ive mentioned previously about selection being a bit of a nightmare sometimes. Well this week has probably been the most ridiculous week of selection ever. I’ve been short before but never quite like this. The cricket World Cup and injuries decimated our squad of players. So woke up Friday with 8 players and no more ideas. Somehow though Marten Stanbury dug up two players from somewhere. Added to a stroke of luck that Ian could play at home we actually had a team. I’m still amazed and am forever indebted to Marten for his help. We still had a decent side though and play well and we’d have every chance. On arrival there was a small shower but nothing too much. The wicket looked exactly as it had done last year. On winning the toss I decided to bowl, believing that , that was our best chance. Connor and Chris opened up and did a brilliant job. The outfield was rugby pitches which made it tough fielding and the wicket wasn’t great. Connor bowled great and regularly took wickets. It was really tough to score and without our all to regular friend Wides , they would have struggled even more. Connor’s first wicket was bowled. The second was a great gulley catch by Ian Leonard. Connor took the first 5 wickets at regular intervals and reduced Topsham to 44-5. We had put down other chances too which would have made things even better. Chris got the wicket he deserved to make it 46-6. At this point we had a great chance. Connor struck again, another slip catch for Chris. Two in the game and four this season. It’s great having someone there who can take the chances when they come. So a brilliant effort from Connor. 6-22. After 18 overs they were 46-7. Me and Marten took over. Although we bowled ok we couldn’t find a wicket. Not a massive partnership, only 30 odd but a decent one in the circumstances. Once Tim was able to break it the end came quick. Ian took another good catch. There was a comical run out and then Marten caught and bowled the last man. 91 all out. A really great effort but probably still 30 more than it should have been. On this wicket I knew that 91 was going to be tough to get. We would need to dig in and work hard. So after tea I opened up with Pete. I won’t comment on the umpiring but just reiterate that we seriously need to think about having one of our own every week. Apparently I was in good company today though with my first ever diamond duck😡😡😡Pete did his usual, a quick fire 16. Connor lost his mind going for a suicidal run and was run out.21-3 wasn’t the best start. Ian did well though supporting Keith. More indifferent umpire saw Ian given out lbw. 42-4 now. The match winning partnership between Keith and Chris was excellent. Both experienced heads knew what to do. Only 30 runs but 30 vital ones. We were 72 needing 20. We then had an Axminster esque collapse. 72-4 became 90-8🥵Tim and Dan managed to see us home though . A great win. 18 hard fought and well deserved points. Winning the toss was massive. But we did the job really well. Our experienced heads stepped up and got us over the line. On a really tough wicket we dug in well. How we got there isn’t overly important. Just getting there is. Must thank everyone who played and contributed to our 4th win in six games. Richard and Ian helping out last minute was massive for us . Without them and their effort we definitely wouldn’t have won. Everyone did well and I appreciate it as always. Man of the Match has to go to Connor for his awesome bowling spell. 6-22 is a brilliant effort. Well done mate. Must say though that Marten, Chris and Keith made equally important contributions. Chris bowling, batting and slip catching. All rounder supreme 😀Keith dug in brilliant when batting and Without Marten we don’t have 11 players. He bowled and fielded ok to. Dan, Tim and Stevie did well also. Finally Ian and Richard fielded great and thanks so much for playing. Games like today make us realise how lucky we are to get to play our home games at the Ho! Another win puts us in third. It’s been another great start. Four years in a row now we have managed to win 4 of our first 6 games. Hopefully we can keep things going. With so many changes every week we have coped really well. In my opinion although we have done great, we haven’t played at our highest level. If we can get there we can have a great season. Next week the epic trip to Uplyme. Another new ground for me. Let’s hope we can put in another good showing. Thanks again to all for the effort. Well done to the first team for their third win. Up the bide 😀😀😀😀💪💪💪
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Bideford 2nd XI v Upottery 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
01/06/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ian Hayter
3. Connor Nash
4. Keith Berry
5. Julian Hayter
6. Pete Stevens
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Jim Keates
9. Darren Willcocks
10. Marten Stanbury
11. Ollie Keates
1:30 Start at the Ho!
2. Ian Hayter
3. Connor Nash
4. Keith Berry
5. Julian Hayter
6. Pete Stevens
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Jim Keates
9. Darren Willcocks
10. Marten Stanbury
11. Ollie Keates
1:30 Start at the Ho!
Match Report
After last weeks game I was hoping we could forget what happened and be up for a must win game in my opinion. Selection never ceases to amaze me and this week was another week of frustration that ultimately works out reasonably well in the end. The team was full of changes once again. Being consistent is tough with so many changes each week but we seem to be coping well with it. So to the game. It was a glorious hot day and hooray I won toss. With only nine players I decided to put them in the field and let them run around in the heat. With Chris missing I opened up with Pete. I particularly was very cautious and Pete was doing a good job also. We managed to see out the opening 12 overs and although only 41 on the board. 10 wickets still in hand. I then fell to a decent slip catch. Pete carried on and made 35 before he was out. That partnered Ian and Connor who both played well and kept the score ticking nicely. 90 odd at drinks was great and I was hoping we could push on and a 250 score was what I was hoping we’d get. Unfortunately Ian and Connor both got out around 130. Both batted well though, Ian 42, Connor 35. We still had good batsmen to come so I was still confident. We did struggle though to beat the field and runs dried up a little. When Julian was bowled and then Marten was caught behind we were in a little trouble. 146-6 with just 8 overs to go. I was getting concerned we wouldn’t make 200. That was the minimum requirement. Keith was joined by Darren and they got us back on track. Both hit some great shots and comfortably got us to 200. Darren fell for a brilliant 34 in the last over which left Keith 24 not out. In the end 206 was a reasonable score. But we will have to do better in the future as that is only really a par score on our wicket. Still it was ok and gave us a good chance. Tea was as always great thanks to Pete and Sarah, so thanks for that. Connor opened the bowling with Jim. Connor bowled some great deliveries and was very unlucky. With the odd bad ball the runs were coming quickly. Both struggled a little with their lengths. Some not great fielding also contributed to a rapid start for them. With Marten replacing Jim we finally took our first wicket caught and bowled. The runs kept coming though and things weren’t looking great. Julian struggled a little with his lengths also and so had to also be replaced. Marten swapped ends and bowled down hill. This worked straight away. Another good catch from Pete. I then managed to provide some entertainment. Miss fielding one. I stopped it but very painfully 🥵Then blinded by the sun took one in the side on the full from Martens throw😭 Still I managed to pick myself up and take on the bowling duties myself. At 100 for two it didn’t look great but between us me and Marten were able to peg things back. Some straight bowling gave us a wicket every other over. Helped by an excellent catch from Ian Marten picked up another 5 wicket haul. Another awesome effort. I then managed to mop up the tail picking up three wickets. With just nine players that was enough. 132 all out was a great effort after the start they got. And shows how things can change if you keep plugging away. All round we were below par but a few experienced heads stood up and got us over the line. 20 points is great however they come. Player of the match is easy but several did well. Pete batted well again as did Ian and Connor. Darren and Keith did great to get us above 200. Connor was unlucky bowling but I managed to bowl well and pick up 3-9. But Marten was awesome again. 5 more wickets is excellent and reward for the effort put in every week. Great effort mate, a match winning one. Thanks to all for the effort made, we got there in the end. It was hard work but we were rewarded with 20 points. Next week is Topsham away. Will be a tough game for sure but put in the effort and you never know. Thanks to Ike for umpiring and Pete and Sarah for another excellent tea. Liverpool winning topped off a great day. So as always another great day to be beside the sea.
😀💪😀💪😀💪😀💪🏏🍺⚽️⚽️⚽️
😀💪😀💪😀💪😀💪🏏🍺⚽️⚽️⚽️
Bideford 2nd XI v North Devon 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
25/05/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Keith Berry
5. Pete Stevens
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Marten Stanbury
8. Rose Ball
9. Tim Cooke
10. Cameron Atkinson
11. Mike Ball
Umpire Ike Aviston
1:30 Start at the Ho!
2. Chris Luxton
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Keith Berry
5. Pete Stevens
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Marten Stanbury
8. Rose Ball
9. Tim Cooke
10. Cameron Atkinson
11. Mike Ball
Umpire Ike Aviston
1:30 Start at the Ho!
Match Report
Finally getting round to writing a report, although for those who participated there isn’t a great deal to say. We knew beforehand that they would probably be a strong side. And with us a couple batsmen light it was always going to be tough. I lost the toss as usual and was asked to bat. Batting out the overs always gives you half a chance so that was the aim at the start. But unfortunately with there decent bowling lineup and our lack of proper batsmen we struggled massively. Slight achievements were passing Upottery’s 14 and then our lowest ever score of 27. But not really much else to shout about only that we got one batting point. 58 all out. A great all round bowling attack was far to good on the day for us. If Josh Atkinson is having to play seconds it just show their strength in depth. Hopefully we will be slightly stronger batting wise in the return fixture and make a decent game of it. Realistically we were never gonna defend 58 but we did put in a good effort. They tried to win it quickly which they did but we managed to pick up 3 wickets which gave us a second point. Had we bowled first I think we could have picked up a few more points. Rose and Cameron looked good in the overs they bowled. Tea was obviously taken after the game and thanks to Hanna Luxton for that awesome as always😀 North Devon are a quality side and they even had a few missing.So Well done to them.They will almost certainly go straight back up. Some very decent youngsters to go with some quality experienced players too. We are heading in the right direction but still have a way to go to get to their standard. Player of the match, well wasn’t gonna give one but I will as Rose Ball did bowl great picking up two wickets. So well done to her. Just wish she could be a little more consistent. Although could say the same for pretty much everyone. Next week is Upottery who are yet to win. We are missing a couple but hopefully have a few coming back in. Let’s work hard and not let them get there first win of the season against us. Countess Wear who we beat last week beat Lyme Regis this week. So it seems North Devon and Sidmouth at the top and the rest seem to be beating each other. If we can have some consistency in selection and in performance there’s no reason we can’t have decent season. Move on from this game and concentrate on the next one. Thanks to all for the effort as always. Of course also Ike for umpiring and finally the North Devon scorer for uploading the results. Saved me lots of hassle. If only we could find someone to do it for us.
Cheers
John W
Cheers
John W
Countess Wear 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
18/05/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Ollie Keates
4. James Keates
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Pete Stevens
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Steve Bond
9. Tim Cooke
10. Keith Berry
11. Marcus Bulled
1:30 Start, Meet 10:45 on the Pill
2. Chris Luxton
3. Ollie Keates
4. James Keates
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Pete Stevens
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Steve Bond
9. Tim Cooke
10. Keith Berry
11. Marcus Bulled
1:30 Start, Meet 10:45 on the Pill
Match Report
After a week of people pulling out and then trying to find others to play, it was great to finally get to the game. 6 changes including two debutants from the previous week meant it was going to be an interesting game. On winning the toss I decided that we should bowl as we hadn’t played there before and therefore didn’t know what the wicket was like. Also we were a little lite on the batting side. With James Hayter stepping up to the first team it meant we had Steve back. He opened up the bowling with Chris. They got us off to a quite incredible start. Steve bowled great creating several chances and going for very few runs. At the other end Chris was unbelievably economical. 32 dots in a row. 10 overs for just 12 runs. The wicket was quite slow, as was the outfield which helped but the bowling was excellent. This pressure resulted in a run out for the first wicket. The second wicket was a good catch from Marcus off Chris. Another good catch this time from Ollie gave Chis figures of 9-6-7-2. Quite brilliant 😀. Marten Stanbury replaced Steve and kept the pressure on. The pressure told and wickets fell regularly, mostly to Marten. Everyone was doing well in the field. Jim bowled a good spell but couldn’t get a wicket. Tim followed Jim and did a great job picking up a wicket LBW. But it was Marten who reaped most rewards. Bowling great lines he picked up two LBW’s and two bowled. An excellent slip catch from Chris gave him his first ever 5 wicket haul. A brilliant effort. Steve came back on and nabbed the final wicket. 79 all out was a brilliant effort from all, particularly the bowlers. Even though it was a small target I know it was going to be tough to get. We would have to bat sensible and well to get over the line. After a nice tea Pete replaced James, opening up with Chris. They got us off to a great start. Chris holding an end up and Pete being Pete smashing it around. Pete only made 25 but in quick time which pretty much broke the back of the chase. A slight wobble came though when Chris was out LBW and then Steve was run out. That partnered Keith and Marcus together. Both did a brilliant Job either side of tea. A partnership of around 35 saw us almost home. Both did really great, batting very sensibly. Especially Marcus who looks like he’s gonna be a great cricketer. Josh Stephenson helped Keith see us home for a comfortable in the end 6 wicket win. Everyone contributed to an excellent game. Our first 20 point win of the season and 20 much needed points. Countess Wear weren’t as good as I had expected them to be but in fairness we were excellent. The bowling particularly was awesome. If we can bowl like that all season we will be very successful. Consistency will be the key. Player of the match is really tough because everyone was excellent. Pete, Marcus and Keith all batted well and did the job that was required on a tough wicket. But it has to go to a bowler. Chris was amazing, more overs than runs. Steve, Jim and Tim all did brilliant but today stats told and player of the match has to be Marten Stanbury who took 5-24. A brilliant spell which kept up the pressure built by the openers. His first ever 5fer steered us to victory. Well played Mart excellent 💪 Must thank all for the effort. Everyone contributed to a great win. Two debutants did excellently and will be big assets for us in the future. Thanks to all the drivers. Next week is North Devon at the Ho! Will be a very tough game I’m sure but if we play like this again we will always be in the game. Can’t finish without congratulating the firsts on a great win. Up the Bide😀💪😀thanks again
Cheers
John W
Cheers
John W
Bideford 2nd XI v Woodbury 1st XI
Devon League
E Division East
11/05/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Ian Hayter
4. James Hayter
5. Rose Ball
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Connor Nash
9. Keith Berry
10. Pete Stevens
11. Cameron Atkinson ?
1:30 Start. Meet 12:30 at the ground
2. Chris Luxton
3. Ian Hayter
4. James Hayter
5. Rose Ball
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Connor Nash
9. Keith Berry
10. Pete Stevens
11. Cameron Atkinson ?
1:30 Start. Meet 12:30 at the ground
Match Report
Game two was our first home game of the season against Woodbury 1st XI. Before the season I had earmarked two or three teams that I knew, and that I thought we would need to beat to have a good season. Having played Woodbury last season I knew roughly the standard they were at and felt that if we played well we would have a great chance. But I’m was always wary as they may have added to their squad over the winter. Still if we played well we should have a chance against any teams. So I turned up to Westward Ho! On a glorious day and was greeted by a glorious looking ground. Thanks to all for the effort getting it that way. When Woodbury turned up I recognised most of them so that was a good thing. As for the toss, that went the way it generally does. I lost but was surprisingly asked to bat on a decent looking wicket. James opened up with Chris who is gonna take on opening duties for us this year. Both did ok at the start seeing out most of the opening bowlers overs. Run rate was just 3 but wickets in tact. That was until Chris was bowled on ten. Ian joined son James but he also fell for not many. Debutant Connor Nash joined James and both were looking good. James had made it passed 30 and was looking good for a big score. Unfortunately he got a short ball that didn’t bounce as he expected and so he was caught plumb in front. Still a good effort and looked good. This sent Marten out to join Connor. Connor was going well ticking the runs along. But Marten came out the traps quite quickly and buffeted the score along nicely hitting several fours. They both upped the rate slightly and things were looking good for a 250 plus score. Unfortunately Marten got out on 43, but Connor made it to 55 before he was out caught with the score around 200. Great start from him and plenty more runs for him I’m sure. 3 wickets in an over derailed us a bit though. Darren and Cameron following Connor back both for first ball ducks. That left me Rose and Keith to scrape us to 230 all out in the last over. Getting to the last over was very important. A few more wickets in hand would probably have seen us pass 250 but 230 was great and last season that exact same score was enough by about 40 runs. It was a good all round effort with several getting some decent time in the middle. Thanks to Pete and Sarah we had another excellent Bideford tea. Connor opened up the bowling with Chris. Chris was almost back to his old self, bowling through his 9 overs for under 30. Just no wickets to show for it . That didn’t matter though as Connor bowled 5 tight overs at the other end which kept them behind the rate. It took a good catch from Connor off Roses bowling for the first wicket to fall. The second was a run out brilliantly executed by the Hayter family. Mainly James with an excellent stop and throw. Ian just had to whip the bails off. Rose bowled really well and picked up a third wicket bowled. Cameron who came back from the firsts was the star bowler though. Bowled some great deliveries and picked up 3 big wickets in the middle part of the game. With few runs conceded also, it was a decisive spell. Well behind the rate and few overs to go, they didn’t really go for it and around 170, they decided to shut up shop and block out the last few overs. These were bowled by Darren and Keith. Both did ok, certainly better than last week as everyone was. Keith picked up two late wickets but we couldn’t get the 10th one which was frustrating but not the end of the world. So a 53 run fairly comfortable win in the end. Everyone contributed to the win which was great, meaning everyone was involved and had a chance to get some more match time under their belts. 19 points is very welcome and will hopefully give some confidence going into future games. Although at least 4 of this weeks team will be missing next week. Player of the match is tough this week as several put their hands up for it. Rose, Connor and Chris all bowled well. Cameron though was excellent. His spell pretty much ended their chase. James, Connor and Marten all looked in good touch with the bat. James was as always a star in the field. Have boldly decided to give it to Connor though who on debut did an excellent all round job and hopefully will be an asset in the future for us. Well done mate but want plenty more please haha😀😀. So thanks to everyone for a great effort on a great day. Next it’s one of our new clubs to face. Countess Wear. New to me so I look forward to it. Hopefully the guys that step in can keep us moving forward. Will be a tough game but on our day we can be and should be tough to beat. Thanks again to Pete and Sarah for excellent teas, Martin for an excellent wicket and to the team for the effort. I can bring out my cheesy finish now to. Another great day to be beside the sea 🌊😀☀️☀️
Cheers
John W
Cheers
John W
Bradninch 2nd XI v Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
E Division East
04/05/19
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ian Hayter
3. James Hayter
4. Marten Stanbury
5. Pete Stevens
6. Chris Luxton
7. Gareth Davies
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Keith Berry
10. Tom Stone
11. Rose Ball
Meet 11:15 On The Pill
2. Ian Hayter
3. James Hayter
4. Marten Stanbury
5. Pete Stevens
6. Chris Luxton
7. Gareth Davies
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Keith Berry
10. Tom Stone
11. Rose Ball
Meet 11:15 On The Pill
Match Report
First game of the season was a trip to promoted Bradninch. We arrived in plenty of time on a decent day and a decent looking ground. The team was filled with experienced players who I hoped would help us have a decent game. Did I win the toss. Well of course not, so we were asked take the field. Rose took the new ball and started off with a beamer first ball. This set the tone for the whole innings. Lots of wides, the odd no ball and to add to our woes 5 penalty runs for a comical run out effort which resulted in the ball striking The helmet. Everyone made the effort but a couple left handers made it tough for us to keep to our lines. I managed just 3 overs. Rose picked up the first wicket LBW. Then Tom produced ball of the day hitting the stumps for the second wicket. Then a 100 run partnership in quick time got them to 166 with 15 overs to go. I took a good high catch as did Pete to get us two more wickets. James picked up a wicket in the final over but we couldn’t stop them reaching 300. Marten and Chris did ok but we all struggled with our line and lengths. Our fielding wasn’t overly great either. Some good stops but the concentration levels were lacking a bit. 50 plus wides and no balls cost us at least 100 runs. Being honest a lack of pre season practice was a big part of why we lacked consistency. I understand that most can’t make it but in the cold light of day that for me is part of the problems we had. Cut out half the extras and several of the runs we gifted them in the field and it could have been at least 50 runs less. That score then doesn’t look quite so bad. Still 300 was on the board and we had to give our best to at least get as many points from the game as possible. So after a decent tea Pete opened up with James. Pete got us off to a great start smashing 46 quick runs. He fell through with the score on 58. A mini collapse then occurred with Chris, Ian and Marten perishing for a combined 5 runs.Me and Darren managed to take the score past 100, but struggled to keep up with the rate. We both fell in quick succession and soon after Keith and Rose fell too. We had scraped past 120, but just Gareth and Tom left. Both did well though particularly Gareth and almost got us another point, but alas Tom was LBW on 154. Again a good effort but probably a bit of rustiness also. With five overs still to bat and without the runs we gifted them we could have been a lot closer to them. Concentration and a bit more consistency will help us massively. As the weeks go by I hope this will get better and better. The possibility of a couple players coming in should help also. I understand that we are only second teamers but concentrating every ball and doing the basics reasonably well can make a huge difference and I don’t think this is a lot to ask of every player. I’m not the best of players but I like to think that by concentrating on every ball, a little practice and attempting to adapt to the situation of the game helps me do an ok job. My lack af talent stops me from being able to dig us out of the holes we dig for ourselves. I sure everyone tries there best ever week. I just think that a little more effort could be made with the basics. You don’t need cricketing ability to concentrate on the game. I’ll now apologise for maybe being a bit harsh but just want us to at the very least make the most of the abilities we have. We have shown in the past what we can do. I hope that as the weeks go by we will get better and better. Back to the game though, Bradninch played well and will I’m sure have a good season. So well done to them. Now to a player of the match. Well Tom, Marten and Chris did quite well bowling. James make his few usual great stops. Me and Pete took a couple good catches. Batting was dominated by Pete’s quick fire 46. Plus me and Gareth did ok too making 20 odd each. Almost didn’t give it to Pete due to his unforgivable mistake of not being in the ring when he should have been but other than that he did a good job. And with the way he batted he is quite capable of being our top batsman this year with a bit of consistency. So well done to him. Thanks to all for the effort and as I said hopefully we can get more consistent as we get more into the season. Thanks also to the drivers and Richard (Mr Stone) for his Stirling work with the scoreboard. There are probably gonna be a couple players to fit in this week, so apologies to those who may have to miss out. It may not come to pass as someone may be unavailable but not up till now. Let’s forget this game and move on to Woodbury next week. As I expect the firsts will also be doing. I’m confident we can have a good season and at the end of the day enjoyment is the main reason for turning out each week so let’s all make sure we enjoy the games however they turn out.
Cheers
John W
Cheers
John W
Season Preview
Finally we arrive at another Devon League season. My 11th as captain .As always I’m looking forward to hopefully another decent and exciting campaign. Last season was certainly both these things. Some amazing close encounters and some very hard earned victories, sprinkled around a few poor performances also. Thanks to everyone’s effort we did ok and held our own. I’m expecting this season to very similar. Lots of well matched teams playing some very competitive games. Hopefully we can perform well and be on the right side more often than the wrong one. Most of last seasons team is again turning out and willing to make another effort for the team. The obvious glaring absentee is of course Andy Webbe who will be sorely missed but that only served to-give others more opportunity to score us a few runs. Hopefully myself and others will step up and make sure he is not missed to much. The younger guys in the team are a year older and have another year of experience under them so I’m hoping they in particular will step up and keep on improving. Several new teams means a few more brand new grounds to play at. Ours thanks to Martin Hockin and his team is looking amazing and I hope we can play well there. The short journey to instow will be a first in the Devon League for me and the shortest away game ever. If we work hard, do the basics well and show a bit of desire, I’m sure we will have a great and enjoyable season. Last season we had very few easy games and I expect more of the same. So long as we give our all in ever game we will be fine I’m sure.
Must wish the first XI well on another season in the A Division. Hopefully it will be good one for them. With regular commitment from all I’m confident both teams can do well. Good luck to all Bideford CC teams. Hopefully it will be a successful one all round.
Cheers
John Weeks
Oh yeah sorry about the old picture. Will replace with a more updated one as soon as possible 😂
Must wish the first XI well on another season in the A Division. Hopefully it will be good one for them. With regular commitment from all I’m confident both teams can do well. Good luck to all Bideford CC teams. Hopefully it will be a successful one all round.
Cheers
John Weeks
Oh yeah sorry about the old picture. Will replace with a more updated one as soon as possible 😂
Bideford Devon League 2nd XI And North Devon League 1st XI
2018
Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
End of Season Review
2018
Another season has come to an end and what a season it’s been. Lots of great games, some lost, some won and several had amazing finishes. Going into the season I was very wary of what standard of cricket we would face. 7 first XIs made me think it would be quite high and we would have to be at our best to compete. On the whole that was true. There were only a couple game we won very easily and a couple we lost easily. Most were very hard fought and every victory was well deserved. There were a few I feel we should have won and although we had a great season, just a little more consistency and use of our brains could have resulted in a couple more wins. Still it was an amazing season and everyone worked really hard and in the end we probably finished where we deserved to, smack bang in the middle. So to the first game and our first new team. Exwick. For the first time ever we had to play a Devon League game on an artificial wicket. I’ll just say that I hope that doesn’t happen again. Not great but we had a strong team and coped really well and came away with 19 points which was a great start. Everyone contributing to an easy victory. I didn’t get to exited though as I expected the standard to get higher. Game two our first home game against another new team. Woodbury. After a shaky start Ian smashed us to a decent total which we defended reasonably comfortably. Two out of two ace. Next was Sampford Peverall away. They were decent, we were a couple short. On a sweltering day we did well but they were a bit better on the day. 9 points from a defeat though was good. Next was two home games. Thorverton and Axminster. Thorverton were dispatched fairly comfortably thanks mainly to our opening pair. James and Webbe, with a few lusty blows from Pete getting us to 270. Then bowling them out for 110. Axminster went similarly with Webbe and James getting us off to a great start as we racked up 280. Axminster gave us a little scare though as they managed 260. Now 4 wins out of 5, top of the league. Beginning to think what was I worried about. But then came a run of games against 3 of the top four sides. First Kentisbeare away. I knew it was small but it’s still a shock when you see it. No 30 yard circle straight as it’s not long enough. We batted ok and made 200. But good bowling stopped us getting the 300 we would probably have needed to make it a tight game. They knocked the runs off easily. Honiton away was a nightmare all round. Smashed to all parts for 350 and bowled out for 190 by probably the best team in the league. I was now realising things weren’t going to so easy. Topsham at home was closer but with a couple missing and some dodgy umpiring we lost fair easily. So now 8 games 4 wins and 4 defeats. The final first half game was Ottery away who we had played the previous season. This was a game I hoped we would win and stop our run of 3 defeats in a row. This we did thankfully, thanks to our experienced heads stepping up. Me, Darren, Pete and Chris the main performers in a fairly comfortable victory. Game 10 was the return home game with Exwick. I expected them to be better and they were. But that was the day our player of the season stepped up and made a fantastic century. That helped us win again fairly easily. 6 wins and 5 loses. We were in fifth and that’s where would would remain. Woodbury away was probably our worst game all round. Not an enjoyable day at all. Didn’t perform at our best, I made a couple bad decisions and they weren’t the best bunch we have come across. Those that were there will understand so I’ll leave it there. Defeat though which was disappointing. Then Sampford Peverall at home. We did well to restrict them to 230. We should have then easily knocked off the runs but alas we gave it away. A loss that should have been a win. Our bad luck continued away at Thorverton when the rain cost us an almost certain victory. Then the long trip to Axminster. I’m still in disbelief as to had we pulled that one out the fire. Jack Perham produced one of the great innings. Only 79 but just when we needed it. The dramatics of the last over will live me forever. What young Jim Keates was thinking only he knows. An amazing victory and one that altimately sent Axminster down. Kentisbeare at home was a wet grey day where very few games were played. We did though and should have won but for one batsmen who stood up and made a match winning century and we lost. Another final over game. The following week was League leaders Honiton who had smashed us in the away leg. Batting first at least we wouldn’t get smashed around for 300 plus this time. We did ok against some good bowling to make a reasonable 168. We were doing ok but they were edging to victory at 140-4. But Darren Willcocks and Jim Keates had other ideas knocking over 6 wickets for just 16 runs. Another quite amazing finish. Just shows what we are capable of if we give all right to the end. So to game 17. Topsham away. They were probably slightly the better team but winning the toss and batting first on a shocking wicket was the luck they needed. We worked hard but were beaten easy in the end. Would have liked to see them bat second though. So to the final game, home against Ottery. Nothing on it for us but they needed to win. We were missing several regulars and they added a couple first teamers to help them out. That was the difference in the end. We were 50 runs short of making it a tight game. As I said it didn’t matter in the end and we were quite happy to see Ottery stay up. So the season is over we finished decently in fifth place. 8 victories is decent. And knowing that we probably should have had two or three more shows that we are a good team and on our day can give anyone a game. We won pretty much the games we should have and lost the one against the better sides. So in all we did well and had a great season.
This season our batting has been pretty good. Particularly in the first half of the season we managed to score 200 plus on most occasions. We have had several players pass 200 and a handful pass 300 also. We definitely batted better in the first half of the season. I was very disappointed in my effort though. I will be making a big effort to rectify this next season. Chris just missed out on 200 runs with 195. Darren made 236 which is a decent effort and Pete made 245 with 3 half centuries. If only he could have played a few more. I made 277 which is ok but I would have liked alot more. Marten had a decent season make 318 runs. Last seasons top run getter Ian Hayter made 340 which again is good and very consistent. James Hayter was excellent, very consistent and made a great opening partnership with Webbe. 1 magnificent century to go with several other great efforts got him to 408 with an average of 31. A great season from him. But the top man is Andy Webbe. Yet again he was extremely consistent he made 1 century and several fifties. In 12 innings he made 551 runs at an average of 45. When he plays regularly he scores tons of runs and the team always does well. He has been a great help to James and has formed a great opening partnership. He is a big asset to the team , one I hope he will be for years to come.
Now for the bowling. We have found it very tough to bowl sides out this season. A combination of better batsmen and rock hard wickets due to the hot weather meant we have struggled. But we have done well.Jim Keates has done well with the opportunities he has been given. His heroics against table toppers Honiton a highlight. James Hayter showed his all round talent with 6 wickets. Rose Ball did a great Job bowling well on several occasions and taking 7 wickets. Cameron Atkinson was brilliant at the start with 8 wickets in 3 games. That propelled him into the first team which is where he stayed. Steve Bond was similar taking 8 wickets and doing well. He probably played half the season for us and the other half for the first team. Me and Gareth took 10 wickets each. We helped out when people were missing. We did ok if a little expensive. Marten Stanbury was our unluckiest bowler. He bowled 118 overs and deserved way more than the 12 wickets he took. That leaves the top 2. Darren and Chris. Darren chased Chris all the way to the last game but came up agonisingly 1 wicket short on 17. He bowled very consistently and was almost back to his old self. That means for the third season in a row Chris is our top man. Another great season. He like Marten deserved way more than he got. His consistency again is fantastic and also like Webbe is a major asset to the team. Mustn’t finish without quickly mentioning Keith Berry who took our only five wicket haul of the season.
Now to the fielding. Everyone gave their all as always. We had to field on some not very nice outfields. Topsham, Sampford Peverall and Exwick spring to mind. Josh Stephenson made a big effort. Ian did a great job keeping wicket again on some dodgy wickets. All round we did ok. We took lots of good catches but we also dropped one or two which could have changed games. This year though we were all upstaged by James Hayter who was magnificent. He took several good catches and made countless amazing stops particularly at cover. I remember bowling an over at Ottery where James fielded every ball and he made a couple brilliant stops to give me a maiden over. He was excellent and again is a major asset to the team, hence his player of the season award.
It is no coincidence that over the last 3 seasons we have had decent results and decent seasons. A promotion and two good finishes in to tough leagues. It has coincided with several experienced players becoming available and playing regularly. Ian, Chris, Webbe, Gareth, Pete, Marten and Darren make a massive difference. With several of them in the team I go into games knowing we have a chance. They all perform really consistently and are great help to the youngsters. Regularly I would get asked if Webbe was playing or is Chris in this week. If I said yes I along with the rest would be delighted knowing we had a great chance. If I said no it’s oh no we’re in trouble then. So basically they all add so much to the team and help the youngster a lot. You only have to see how well James has batted this year. Nearly all his good performances have come with Webbe at the other end. Just wanted to highlight these guys to everyone and let them know how much they mean to the team. Without them we would struggle. So thanks to them for all the efforts and as I said if they play regularly then we regularly do well.
Would now like to thank all the other players who have helped out this season. Mike Ball, Ollie Keates, Tom Stone, Dan Smith, Jack Perham,Matt Parkhouse, Mike Lemmings, Keith Berry and of course Rob Hill😂 If I missed anyone I’m sorry. I appreciate all and everyone whether you play one game or 18. So Thanks. Must now thank everyone who has driven. Once again we have had some long trips. As your aware I particularly appreciate the lifts so thanks to all for that. Must thank Ike, Dave Staddon and Paul for the games that they umpired. Not having one was an issue on occasions. Also thanks to scorer Andy. Sorry not sure of his second name. That’s poor I know but he was a great help doing most of our home games. Then to some of the most important people. The ladies and gents who provided us with teas. All round our teas were great this season and particularly at home. That was thanks to Monica Hayter, Hannah Luxton, Lucy Davies, Pete and Sarah Stevens and Mr and Mrs Ball. Everyone was fantastic so from me and all the players thanks so much. Must thank all those who came down to support us. I particularly noticed it and appreciate it very much. John Luxton wins the supporter of the season award again 😀 Two people I certainly must thank, probably the most important ones from a players point of view. And that’s Andy and Martin who combine to produce a ground that isn’t bettered anywhere we have been this season. The wickets have been awesome as always so thanks for that. I know all the players appreciate the effort that’s put in and after our trips to Exwick and Topsham I’m certainly very glad to play my cricket at Westward Ho!. So a big hand to them and everyone else I have mentioned who have helped us have a cracking season. One I hope we can improve on playing wise next year. I have very much enjoyed it and I must apologise for shouting at people now and again. It genuinely only because I know we can be better sometimes. Next season will be another interesting one with six new teams. A highlight will playing a Devon League game at North Devon, something I’ve never done. It’s also the shortest away trip ever which again is great news. Webbe can work that day haha. I am very much looking forward to it and hope everyone else is too.
Now to say Well Done to the first XI for staying in the A Division. A great effort especially without an overseas. If that can be rectified next year then a top half finish is very much on. Hopefully this seasons achievements can be built on and maybe one day push for promotion. That will require effort and commitment from the whole club. It’s been great to see former and current second teamers come in and do well. Jack is obviously a colossus 💪💪 Cameron and Steve have stepped up brilliantly to. So let’s all work hard and make the effort to improve on this season, next, even if it’s only a slight improvement it will be a great effort. I think I have probably rambled on for long enough. So I finish by saying thanks to all who came to my 10th anniversary and birthday bbq. I very much appreciated that. And finally Bideford 2nds and Liverpool FC are the greatest teams in the world. That’s all folks. See you next time
Cheers
Your captain , team mate and friend
John Weeks😀😀💪💪
This season our batting has been pretty good. Particularly in the first half of the season we managed to score 200 plus on most occasions. We have had several players pass 200 and a handful pass 300 also. We definitely batted better in the first half of the season. I was very disappointed in my effort though. I will be making a big effort to rectify this next season. Chris just missed out on 200 runs with 195. Darren made 236 which is a decent effort and Pete made 245 with 3 half centuries. If only he could have played a few more. I made 277 which is ok but I would have liked alot more. Marten had a decent season make 318 runs. Last seasons top run getter Ian Hayter made 340 which again is good and very consistent. James Hayter was excellent, very consistent and made a great opening partnership with Webbe. 1 magnificent century to go with several other great efforts got him to 408 with an average of 31. A great season from him. But the top man is Andy Webbe. Yet again he was extremely consistent he made 1 century and several fifties. In 12 innings he made 551 runs at an average of 45. When he plays regularly he scores tons of runs and the team always does well. He has been a great help to James and has formed a great opening partnership. He is a big asset to the team , one I hope he will be for years to come.
Now for the bowling. We have found it very tough to bowl sides out this season. A combination of better batsmen and rock hard wickets due to the hot weather meant we have struggled. But we have done well.Jim Keates has done well with the opportunities he has been given. His heroics against table toppers Honiton a highlight. James Hayter showed his all round talent with 6 wickets. Rose Ball did a great Job bowling well on several occasions and taking 7 wickets. Cameron Atkinson was brilliant at the start with 8 wickets in 3 games. That propelled him into the first team which is where he stayed. Steve Bond was similar taking 8 wickets and doing well. He probably played half the season for us and the other half for the first team. Me and Gareth took 10 wickets each. We helped out when people were missing. We did ok if a little expensive. Marten Stanbury was our unluckiest bowler. He bowled 118 overs and deserved way more than the 12 wickets he took. That leaves the top 2. Darren and Chris. Darren chased Chris all the way to the last game but came up agonisingly 1 wicket short on 17. He bowled very consistently and was almost back to his old self. That means for the third season in a row Chris is our top man. Another great season. He like Marten deserved way more than he got. His consistency again is fantastic and also like Webbe is a major asset to the team. Mustn’t finish without quickly mentioning Keith Berry who took our only five wicket haul of the season.
Now to the fielding. Everyone gave their all as always. We had to field on some not very nice outfields. Topsham, Sampford Peverall and Exwick spring to mind. Josh Stephenson made a big effort. Ian did a great job keeping wicket again on some dodgy wickets. All round we did ok. We took lots of good catches but we also dropped one or two which could have changed games. This year though we were all upstaged by James Hayter who was magnificent. He took several good catches and made countless amazing stops particularly at cover. I remember bowling an over at Ottery where James fielded every ball and he made a couple brilliant stops to give me a maiden over. He was excellent and again is a major asset to the team, hence his player of the season award.
It is no coincidence that over the last 3 seasons we have had decent results and decent seasons. A promotion and two good finishes in to tough leagues. It has coincided with several experienced players becoming available and playing regularly. Ian, Chris, Webbe, Gareth, Pete, Marten and Darren make a massive difference. With several of them in the team I go into games knowing we have a chance. They all perform really consistently and are great help to the youngsters. Regularly I would get asked if Webbe was playing or is Chris in this week. If I said yes I along with the rest would be delighted knowing we had a great chance. If I said no it’s oh no we’re in trouble then. So basically they all add so much to the team and help the youngster a lot. You only have to see how well James has batted this year. Nearly all his good performances have come with Webbe at the other end. Just wanted to highlight these guys to everyone and let them know how much they mean to the team. Without them we would struggle. So thanks to them for all the efforts and as I said if they play regularly then we regularly do well.
Would now like to thank all the other players who have helped out this season. Mike Ball, Ollie Keates, Tom Stone, Dan Smith, Jack Perham,Matt Parkhouse, Mike Lemmings, Keith Berry and of course Rob Hill😂 If I missed anyone I’m sorry. I appreciate all and everyone whether you play one game or 18. So Thanks. Must now thank everyone who has driven. Once again we have had some long trips. As your aware I particularly appreciate the lifts so thanks to all for that. Must thank Ike, Dave Staddon and Paul for the games that they umpired. Not having one was an issue on occasions. Also thanks to scorer Andy. Sorry not sure of his second name. That’s poor I know but he was a great help doing most of our home games. Then to some of the most important people. The ladies and gents who provided us with teas. All round our teas were great this season and particularly at home. That was thanks to Monica Hayter, Hannah Luxton, Lucy Davies, Pete and Sarah Stevens and Mr and Mrs Ball. Everyone was fantastic so from me and all the players thanks so much. Must thank all those who came down to support us. I particularly noticed it and appreciate it very much. John Luxton wins the supporter of the season award again 😀 Two people I certainly must thank, probably the most important ones from a players point of view. And that’s Andy and Martin who combine to produce a ground that isn’t bettered anywhere we have been this season. The wickets have been awesome as always so thanks for that. I know all the players appreciate the effort that’s put in and after our trips to Exwick and Topsham I’m certainly very glad to play my cricket at Westward Ho!. So a big hand to them and everyone else I have mentioned who have helped us have a cracking season. One I hope we can improve on playing wise next year. I have very much enjoyed it and I must apologise for shouting at people now and again. It genuinely only because I know we can be better sometimes. Next season will be another interesting one with six new teams. A highlight will playing a Devon League game at North Devon, something I’ve never done. It’s also the shortest away trip ever which again is great news. Webbe can work that day haha. I am very much looking forward to it and hope everyone else is too.
Now to say Well Done to the first XI for staying in the A Division. A great effort especially without an overseas. If that can be rectified next year then a top half finish is very much on. Hopefully this seasons achievements can be built on and maybe one day push for promotion. That will require effort and commitment from the whole club. It’s been great to see former and current second teamers come in and do well. Jack is obviously a colossus 💪💪 Cameron and Steve have stepped up brilliantly to. So let’s all work hard and make the effort to improve on this season, next, even if it’s only a slight improvement it will be a great effort. I think I have probably rambled on for long enough. So I finish by saying thanks to all who came to my 10th anniversary and birthday bbq. I very much appreciated that. And finally Bideford 2nds and Liverpool FC are the greatest teams in the world. That’s all folks. See you next time
Cheers
Your captain , team mate and friend
John Weeks😀😀💪💪
Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League
Player of the season
2018
Once again the season has come to an end and it’s time to pick out a player of the season. As with pretty much every season, several players have been in contention. But when asked everyone says the same name as their first choice. And this season was no exception. I have the final decision but as I said there isn’t really one to make. There have been some great individual performances. But for me consistency and a great attitude are what counts most. Someone going above and beyond what you expected of them. Webbe did great with several great scores and an average of about 50 but that’s what he always does. He did pretty much what I expected him to do. The same can be said of several others. Chris took 18 wickets for few runs, batted ok on a few occasions and had a great attitude. Darren Willcocks and Marten Stanbury both batted well, bowled well, were very consistent and again had great attitudes. Ian batted and kept well and was fairly consistent. Again what you’d expect from them. Lots of others did well. Some didn’t play as much as others but did great when they did. Rose Ball, Gareth Davies, Steve Bond , Josh Stephenson , Jim Keates, Jack Perham and Pete Stevens all had great attitudes and did well as you’d expect of them. But to win this award someone needed to stand out a little from the rest. This person did and that person was James Hayter. He had a fantastic attitude, batted very consistent, fielded amazing and even bowled and kept when required. He formed a great partnership with Webbe, regularly getting 50 plus opening stands. As well as a couple over the 100 mark. He was therefore unanimously voted player of the season for 2018. From the first game to the last he has been excellent. His match winning century against Exwick a particular highlight. Several other 50 plus scores resulted in 408 runs which is brilliant. Had he not missed a handful of games he’d have pushed Webbe for the batting award. On top of this he has been our best fielder by a long margin. Some unbelievable stops mainly in the covers. Don’t remember any drops but do remember lots taken. He kept once and even bowled a few decent overs when required taking 6 wickets as well. This all combines to make him our best all round player. His hard work, brilliant attitude and all round abilities have helped him have a great season. So well done James , thanks for the effort and as always it’s been a pleasure to play in the same team. You were the first name everyone mentioned when asked which shows you how much your team mates appreciate you too. Keep going as you are and you’ll become a great cricketer, who will sooner rather than later be a first team regular. You have contributed massively to us having a very decent season. So thanks from me for that. I hope you’re keen to go again next year. I’m looking forward to seeing how you get on. My final job is to tell you about the exclusive club you’ve joined. That’s the coverted 2nd XI player of the season award club. Darren Willcocks, Fred King(2), Marten Stanbury, Jamie Lathwell, Tom Brend, Tom Parkhouse, Chris Luxton, Jack Ford and now James Hayter. Knowing most of these guys you’ll hopefully understand what it takes to win. That’s also nearly a team now and what a team😀 So well done mate your a star ⭐️
Your Captain, team mate and friend
John W💪💪
Your Captain, team mate and friend
John W💪💪
Bideford 2nd XI v Ottery St Mary 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
01/09/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ian Hayter
3. James Hayter
4. Marten Stanbury
5. Darren Willcocks
6. Keith Berry
7. Pete Stevens
8. Julian Hayter
9. Rob Boundy
10.Chris Luxton
11. Josh Stephenson
1:30 start. Meet 12:30 at the Ho
2. Ian Hayter
3. James Hayter
4. Marten Stanbury
5. Darren Willcocks
6. Keith Berry
7. Pete Stevens
8. Julian Hayter
9. Rob Boundy
10.Chris Luxton
11. Josh Stephenson
1:30 start. Meet 12:30 at the Ho
Match Report
Finally we arrive at the last game of the season. Half way through the week I was thinking I’m gonna struggle to put out 11 players. No Webbe, Perham, Keates, Smith, Ball, Stone, Bond or Davies who had gone with the firsts. Nearly a whole team. In the end though thanks to Pete coming back Rob helping out and Julian making his debut we actually put out a decent team. For us it was a game where the result wouldn’t affect our season in anyway. Wanted to win of course but enjoying the game without pressure was a good position to be in. Ottery on the other hand had to win or at least get 5 more points than Axminster. To do that they would probably have to win. This meant they would be up for the game. On losing the toss again we were asked to bat. I opened up with James. After a great season scoring over 400 runs James unfortunately fell in the first over trying to cut a ball that was to straight and was caught at slip. Chis was promoted to 3. It was hard to score off some quite accurate bowling. The left armer certainly wasn’t a regular second teamer. We got to around 30 off 10 before Chris was unlucky to be caught flicking one down the leg side. Josh was given a go at four but played all around a straight one and we were 30 odd for 3. The first change bowler was the tallest person I’ve ever seen. Around 7 foot. Another helper from their first team. He bowled decently and accounted for Marten bowled. 40 odd for 4 then became 5 down when I copied James and was caught at slip. That paired Darren and Julian who both did ok and got us into the 60s. But Darren was bowled and Julian got out caught leaving us at 81-7. With the slight change in the order we still had good batting to come. Pete was enjoying himself smashing the ball around and made a brilliant 50. Unfortunately only Ian managed to support him. With some good bowling the rest fell and we finished up 138 all out. I was a little disappointed that we hadn’t batted our overs. But with nothing on the game for us it didn’t really matter. Thanks to Mrs Ball our final tea was great as it has been all year so thank for that. With Darren pushing Chris for the bowling award I gave both the chance at opening. Both bowled well keeping the runs down. Darren struck first with a catch behind for Ian. Then Chris struck straight after with a catch at mid on for Pete. 30-2. That became 40-3 when Darren took another. Another catch for Ian. When James took a great catch to give Darren his third wicket we had given ourselves a great chance. 49-4. Unfortunately Keith couldn’t recreate last weeks magic going for 30 off 4. Marten and James tried hard but some good batting got them to 106 before Marten picked up the fifth wicket well caught by Darren. Rob and Julian also tried hard but we didn’t have enough runs to defend. With 10 overs left we were at least 50 short of a competitive total. With players missing and the odd changes we didn’t quite perform as we can. So a final day defeat but a decent season in the end. Man of the Match today goes to Pete for another entertaining 50. If only he could have played a few more games. Still well done mate. Thanks to the guys who helped out and to everyone for the effort. Big thanks to Ike for umpiring and of course Mrs Ball for the great tea. As I said we have had a good season, with lots of close games. Which we have been on both sides of. Must say well done to the first team for keeping themselves in the A Division. A great effort. So that’s it for this season. A final review will follow soon.
Cheers John W
Cheers John W
Topsham 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
25/08/18
1. John Weeks
2. Dan Smith
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Ian Hayter
5. James Hayter
6. Matt
7. Jack Perham
8. Josh Stephenson
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Steve Bond
11. Keith Berry
Meet 11:15 on the Pill
2. Dan Smith
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Ian Hayter
5. James Hayter
6. Matt
7. Jack Perham
8. Josh Stephenson
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Steve Bond
11. Keith Berry
Meet 11:15 on the Pill
Match Report
Game 17 was our final away trip to Topsham. We had been given Steve back but were missing four regulars in Rose, Chris, Gareth and Webbe. In came Keith, Matt, Dan and Jack was back from holiday. So still a decent side. Having not played there before I was unsure what we'd find. With it also being a rugby ground it was never gonna be a bowling green. On inspection of the wicket the toss was gonna vital. Of course I lost and we were asked to field. Me and Jack opened up. Both weren’t at our best. A few extras and a few good shots got them to fifty of 8. So I swapped it round with Steve and Marten coming on. Both bowled great. I reckon Marten would love to bowl on it every week. He bowled some outstanding deliveries as did Steve. Steve was really unlucky. 3 dropped catches and several near misses. He finally took the first wicket caught behind. The ball was doing all sorts. Marten almost bowled a bouncer off a length delivery. With 50 off 8. They did excellent to keep it to under 100 at drinks. Marten finally picked up some wickets with 3-27. Steve’s figures were 1-19. It quite easily could have been a lot better. After Marten, Keith came on as did Darren for Steve. Both did ok but both went for a few runs. Keith picked up a wicket. He was going for runs but every other over would snaffle a wicket. This result in a five wicket haul. A little expensive but with a little more practice could be a big asset for the team. Dan had a go at the end but struggled a little. The runs kept coming and they were closing in on 200. Then came a big moment. Dan managed to flick the ball which was driven back to him onto the stumps. The batsman was 2 meters out but alas neither umpire saw it so it couldn’t be given. All the players did though. This meant they finished 9 down and made 20 more runs than they would have. I was Seething,not for the first time this season. Another point missed out on. 223-9 was a few more than I’d have like and with the wicket deteriorating it was gonna be tough. There were several occasions where batsmen were hit. Ian would take one ball on the bounce and the next one off the same length, above his head. I for one was for the first time ever was gonna wear a helmet whoever was bowling. So tea was ok and with Webbe away Steve stepped up to open with James. As expected it was very tough going. James perished for just 7 and Matt at 3 could only manage 9. Steve ground it out for 15. Ian and Jack were stitched up by the wicket. The lack of bounce accounting for them both. Darren and Marten stopped the rot for a bit making about 20 each. With the score on 94 they both had perished leaving me with the tail end. With 20 overs still to go I decided to try and bat some time and attempt to scrape past 120. Josh was doing great seeing out the overs until he thumped a full toss straight to mid off. Their quickest bowler was on and he saw off Keith and Dan in the same over to finish us off. Still 7 overs to go we were 114 all out. We made a decent effort. The toss made a big difference. Would have like to have seen them bat second on that wicket. Chris and Webbe were sorely missed. But they made the most of batting first and were probably better than us on the day. I’m not looking forward to having to play there again next year. The effort though was great as always and thanks for that. Man of the Match is always tough, this week no exception. Marten bowled the best spell I’ve seen him bowl. Steve bowled great, Ian did well keeping on a tough wicket. Batting was tough which we all found out. Today though I’m gonna go for Keith who could be a future asset for us bowling a good spell. Letting the batsmen get themselves out. Apologies if I’m wrong but I think that is the first five wicket haul of the season, so well done Keith. Thanks again to everyone for the effort. Of course thanks to Ike again for umpiring. Next week is the final game, a home one v Ottery who need a victory to stay up. This means they will be up for it so we will need to be to. Let’s make one more last effort. Jack and Steve have finished for the season as has Rose and Webbe so thanks to them for their efforts this season and really hope they are keen to do it all again next. Mustn’t finish without saying well done to the first XI for their excellent victory. Just make sure you don’t balls it up after giving yourselves an excellent chance. Remember it’s not over till the last ball is bowled😀 Thanks to all, it’s nearly done 😀
Cheers
John W
Cheers
John W
Bideford 2nd XI v Honiton 1st XI
E Division East
Devon League
18/08/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Gareth Davies
4. Andy Webbe
5. Ian Hayter
6. Matt Parkhouse
7. Marten Stanbury
8. Josh Stephenson
9. Mike Lemmings
10. Darren Willcocks
11. James Keates
1:30 Start. Meet 12:30 the Ho!
2. Chris Luxton
3. Gareth Davies
4. Andy Webbe
5. Ian Hayter
6. Matt Parkhouse
7. Marten Stanbury
8. Josh Stephenson
9. Mike Lemmings
10. Darren Willcocks
11. James Keates
1:30 Start. Meet 12:30 the Ho!
Match Report
So to game 16. With James out through injury and Rose and Jack unavailable we were lucky to have Darren back and also Mike Lemmings able to help out for one week. As Honiton are top of the league with just one defeat I was expecting a really tough game. The toss was going to be vital. You wouldn’t believe it but even though I lost they asked us to bat. Either they thought the weather might intervene or they were confident of bowling us out cheaply. Mike Lemmings took on the job of opening with Webbe in James absence. They did an ok job for the first few overs until Mike missed one and was bowled. Matt joined Webbe who was struggling a little. He was eventually also bowled for just 1 run. Matt played and missed at a few but in between hit 5 cracking cover drives for fours. When Webbe was bowled Ian went out to join Matt. He copped a quick short ball from their opener which he gloved onto his helmet. With no strap his helmet flipped off and wasn’t far from hitting the stumps. A little dazed he had to come off. This meant Marten had to go out and face the opener, which he certainly wasn’t looking forward to. Second ball he turned his back and took one to the body which I’m sure hurt terribly. As is the case though with him he managed to soldier on and eventually make a very valuable 30 runs. Matt was unfortunately bowled for 20 which brought Gareth out who didn’t last long nicking off. Or did he? He thought not. When Darren definitely nicked off we were in big trouble. Ian wasn’t technically out but we were unsure if he would return. Thankfully though Chris batted the innings of his season and played some great shots on his way to a second fifty of the season. Marten was just happy to hold up an end and let Chris do most of the scoring. We passed 100 and then the point scoring 120. If we could bat our overs I was confident of passing 160 and maybe closing in on 200. But alas Chris was out just as he passed 50 and then Marten ran himself out soon after. I was joined by Josh with around 10 overs to go and about 140 on the board. I heaved at a few and managed to hit 15 runs before being given out lbw. Josh decided to to play across a straight one and was bowled 10 seconds after me telling him not to crossbat the straight ones until we had gotten to the last 3-4 overs. That left Jim and Ian to face the final few overs. They got through a couple but when Jim was bowled we were 168 all out. 4 points was a decent effort after our start but as always would have liked a few more. They bowled well but with a fairly long batting lineup we dug in well and at least gave the bowlers half a chance. This week Gareth and Lucy were on teas and well magnificent again is all that needs saying. After tea me and Chris opened the bowling. Last week I mentioned that I could almost copy and paste the same sentence to discribe Chris’s spell and I almost could’ve. The only difference was 1 wicket instead of 3 off nine for I think 26 runs. The consistency is quite amazing. I then bowled the best spell I’ve bowled in a long time. 7-1-16-1. So this resulted in a decent start. But when Lemmo dropped Mr Haysom on about 10, my head nearly exploded and most of the rest had head in hands having been on the receiving end off a double century from him. Oh dear what had we done. It went reasonably high but still he should have had it. When Marten took over from Chris and dropped the othe batsman in, one he should have taken. I thought it’s not gonna be our day. Both batsmen made the most of their luck. One passed fifty and the other Mr Haysom was bowled by Lemmo in the forties. A slight reprieve. Their captain then came out and he chipped one to me off Mike for the fourth wicket. But with 140 on the board and six wickets left I though it was still pretty much done. I then decided to make the bold decision to bring off Marten and Mike. Being honest I did it mainly to give Darren and Jim a bit of a game and a few overs each. But it turned out to be an inspiring decision. Darren bowled accurately and picked 3 quick wickets in just 3 overs for just 2 runs. Quite amazing. In between Jim was bowling well. They had decided to go for it and try knocking the runs off quickly. This contributed to their downfall as there were two great catches on the boundary, one by Webbe and the other from Chris. It was turning into another epic finish. All this carnage had meant 157-9. Plenty overs though. Once again Jim was at the centre of it. This time he had ball in hand, rather than a bat. 12 runs or 1 wicket. He bowled full and straight which was the main thing and the batsman eventually missed one which crashed into the stumps. Lost for words again. That’s twice in three weeks as well as a last over lose in between. We are having some great hard fought games and it’s great to be on the right side of a few. Everyone was brilliant apart from the dropped catches. 19 points and a win against probably the best team in the league is a top effort and shows that it’s not over till the last ball is bowled. It also shows what we can do when we work hard. Man of the Match is tough because there were several great efforts. Lemmo bowled very well as did Darren and myself. Chris had a great all round game with fifty and nine good over and a top catch. But this week I’m gonna go for Jim Keates who bowled a brilliant match winning spell. He has been involved in both our recent tight finishes and both times he has managed to get the right result. Most games he doesn’t get huge opportunity but always gives his best when one comes along. And that effort is starting to pay off. 3 wickets for just 12 runs and the all important final wicket. Well done Jim great effort. But also thanks to everyone else too, especially Ian and Marten who once again soldiered on after picking up knocks. We now have over 200 points which was one of my pre season targets. And we still have two games to go. So it’s been a brilliant effort by all and let’s keep it going two more times. Several times we have been on the wrong end of tight games which shows that things could have gone even better. Must thank Ike for umpiring again and of course Lucy for the quite amazing teas. Brilliant again guys. Wasn’t overly sunny but was another great day to be beside the sea😀💪😀💪😀💪
Will just finish by thanking all who stayed on after for the bbq. Was great to see lots there. I had an awesome time and hope all who attended did to. I’m already looking forward to unfortunately the big one next year. Thanks to Gman for once again sourcing the food, it went down well as always so thanks mate. Massive thanks to Mr and Mrs Keates who were cook and barman. Your help was very much appreciated and as I said Ollie I’m forever in your debt haha
Bideford is a great club with some awesome people and I for one don’t know where I’d be without it. The after party in Appledore was very entertaining, thanks to those who were there and I believe it carried on in Bideford after that 🍺🍺. Hope it was an enjoyable night for all. It was a day I certainly won’t forget for a while. That’s me done till next week thanks again. Up the Bide
Cheers John W.
Will just finish by thanking all who stayed on after for the bbq. Was great to see lots there. I had an awesome time and hope all who attended did to. I’m already looking forward to unfortunately the big one next year. Thanks to Gman for once again sourcing the food, it went down well as always so thanks mate. Massive thanks to Mr and Mrs Keates who were cook and barman. Your help was very much appreciated and as I said Ollie I’m forever in your debt haha
Bideford is a great club with some awesome people and I for one don’t know where I’d be without it. The after party in Appledore was very entertaining, thanks to those who were there and I believe it carried on in Bideford after that 🍺🍺. Hope it was an enjoyable night for all. It was a day I certainly won’t forget for a while. That’s me done till next week thanks again. Up the Bide
Cheers John W.
Bideford 2nd XI v Kentisbeare 1st XI
E Division East
Devon League
11/08/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Andy Webbe
3. Chris Luxton
4. Gareth Davies
5. Matt Parkhouse
6. Ian Hayter
7. James Hayter
8. Josh Stephenson
9. Rose Ball
10. Marten Stanbury
11. Jim Keates
1:30 Start, meet 12:30 at the Ho!
2. Andy Webbe
3. Chris Luxton
4. Gareth Davies
5. Matt Parkhouse
6. Ian Hayter
7. James Hayter
8. Josh Stephenson
9. Rose Ball
10. Marten Stanbury
11. Jim Keates
1:30 Start, meet 12:30 at the Ho!
Match Report
Somehow on a horrible day weather wise we were able to get pretty much a full game in. One of very few in Devon. The forecast of rain all afternoon influenced their decision at the toss to bowl first. There is no way they would have bowled normally. So that was our first piece of bad luck. With a little rain at the start the game was reduced to 44 overs. James and Webbe braved the rubbish conditions and opened the batting. It pretty much drizzled on and off for the first hour. But thanks to a blossoming partnership between Webbe and James they were able to get us off to a great start. Some good tight bowling at the start was seen off well and then they took advantage once they had got themselves in. Webbe got going first but every time he pulled away James would smash a four or too and catch up. One point from memory was 6 fours in 7 balls. Three each. Their partnership passed fifty and then 100 in decent time. Unfortunately Webbe eventually skied one for 62 runs with the score on 107,but passed 500 runs for the season in the process which is a great effort again from him. Rose joined James. After riding her luck once being dropped on the boundary she tested it a second time but wasn’t so lucky and was caught. Matt Parkhouse didn’t last long making just 2. Ian joined James who by now had passed fifty. With 125 at drinks I was hoping we could double it by the end. But when Ian skied one and was once again caught by the same guy as the rest their Captain I was a little concerned.Marten played some good shots but was out for 14. The overs were ticking by and the runs were harder to come by for the new batsmen. Webbe and James had got themselves in so found it easier. A little lesson for the rest there I think. I joined James who with about 9 overs left needed 30 for a century. But alas he was caught out on 80. Still another great effort which had got us to 200 and him to 400 runs for the season which again is a great effort. With just 3 overs left I was caught on the boundary, Stevie was run out and Gareth was bowled. Chris hit a late six to get us to a decent total of 221. Would have like 20 or 30 more after our good start but reasonably happy at tea. Tea was awesome as always thanks to Mrs Luxton. All afternoon I was expecting it to rain at some point and end the game. It seemed to be raining all around but never over the ground so we had to continue on. Me and Chris opened up and both did well. I surprised myself a little managing to bowl my nine overs for 29 and a wicket. With Chris you probably know what’s coming. 9 tidy overs 3 great wickets for just 26. Could almost copy and paste that sentence onto every match Report. Another great effort from him. This meant that they were four down with around sixty on the board after 18. There was a few bits of luck for the batsmen also which could have made it even better. Marten once again bowled a good spell just can’t seem to pick up a wicket. Perhaps he should pray to which ever god he believes in before he goes out to field😀 James bowled a good spell as did Matt but some good patient batting got them to 150 before another wicket fell. Webbe picked up an LBW and then a catch from Chris to give us some hope. But one of their openers was still in and frustratingly kept punishing the bad balls that we bowled.He passed 100 as they closed in on our total. James managed to snare him LBW but with 219 and one over left it was pretty much over. With no miracle last over we lost by 3 wickets with 5 balls to spare. A good game on a crap day. A little more luck somewhere and we may have won. Missing Steve, Jack and Darren who all would have bowled didn’t help. But we made a decent effort and picked up 8 points.The Man of the match award can return to the Hayter household. James batted great again making 80. Just a shame he couldn’t make the century. Brilliant mate well done. Everyone else made the effort as always so thanks for that. Next week is Honiton who will be very tough but if we play well you never know. Must thank Ike for umpiring, appreciate that and of course Hannah for the always excellent tea. Thanks again to all for the effort just 3 more and we are done.
As I hope your all aware this Saturday there will be a bbq after the game so as always all and everyone invited. Really hope lots can come. I will probably venture into Appledore after as well so if anyone fancies joining me that would be great. I do have a request though. Due to me playing I quite probably wont be finished til after 7:30. So I’m currently down on one knee begging😀 if anyone could help me out by starting to cook some food about 6 to 6:30 just until the game is over then I will take over. Any help massively appreciated by me and I will forever be in your debt. Thanks in advance. Either way hope to see you all there.
Cheers John W
As I hope your all aware this Saturday there will be a bbq after the game so as always all and everyone invited. Really hope lots can come. I will probably venture into Appledore after as well so if anyone fancies joining me that would be great. I do have a request though. Due to me playing I quite probably wont be finished til after 7:30. So I’m currently down on one knee begging😀 if anyone could help me out by starting to cook some food about 6 to 6:30 just until the game is over then I will take over. Any help massively appreciated by me and I will forever be in your debt. Thanks in advance. Either way hope to see you all there.
Cheers John W
Axminster 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
04/08/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Andy Webbe
4. James Hayter
5. Ian Hayter
6. Rose Ball
7. Marten Stanbury
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Jack Perham
10. Steve Bond
11. Jim Keates
Meet 10:45 the Pill
2. Chris Luxton
3. Andy Webbe
4. James Hayter
5. Ian Hayter
6. Rose Ball
7. Marten Stanbury
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Jack Perham
10. Steve Bond
11. Jim Keates
Meet 10:45 the Pill
Match Report
The dreaded Axminster away. The Long winding road to Axminster took around 2 hours and due to several hundred new houses we took a couple wrong turns before eventually arriving at around 1pm. This meant several team mates were already there and had, had a peak at the wicket. With not very many complimentary comments. One from memory being that it was a good way to save money on diesel by not mowing half the wicket. This basically lead me to think bowling first was the way to go. All the way down I was adamant we should bat. But as is with me I made the decision to bowl first when winning the toss. We had a decent side so I thought we would do well whatever we did. So to the bowling. Jack and Chris opened. Both did ok as did Rose and Steve who took over. But with two decent batsmen at the crease who were running well we couldn’t take a wicket and the runs were racking up. The out field wasn’t great and a few miss fields cost us a few runs to. Finally though with 130 on the board they took one risky run too many and Chris was able to punish them by running out the son of the other batsmen in who was as expected disappointed to have BBQ’d him. That brought their captain out who was able to keep the runs flowing with another 100 partnership. Marten and Darren again bowled well but couldn’t pick up a wicket. Chris was able to stem the flow of runs a little though as was Rose who got a deserved wicket near the end. A great catch from James gave Jack a late wicket also. But unfortunately that was it for wickets. 265-3. It was tough and swelteringly hot but we weren’t at our best. Combined with some good batting we had a tough total to chase. Although at half way I was expecting 300 to be racked up so it could have been worse especially with only 3 wickets taken. Teas were good and out to bat went James and Webbe. Both did well and were getting themselves in. Just before the first drinks brake Webbe hit one straight to square leg and was well caught for 26. I joined James, hit two fours and was then bowled. Rose did pretty much the same and was also out. Around 100 for 3 now. James was still going well and was joined by his dad. James was doing great until he was given out LBW. A little unluckily in a lot of opinions. That partnered Ian with Jack. The second drinks was taken at 30 overs. With the score on 116, we were well behind the rate. With 10 an over required something amazing was going to have to happen. Amazing was certainly a word I would use for what happened next. I was hoping we would at least pass 200 and gain our maximum batting points. Both Jack and Ian batted well. Ian gave Jack most of the strike and boy did Jack make the most of it. He hit several fours and some huge sixes. Virtually every over there was a six or a four.7 overs to go 84 still needed. 5 overs left 55 needed. Some awesome hitting particularly from Jack kept the rate needed around 11. More great hitting got it down to 26 off 3. Jack was then caught for a magnificent 79. He had given us a great opportunity, just a shame he couldn’t finish it off. With Ian still in on 40 and batting to come I was beginning to think we could win. Marten joined Ian but could only manage 2 runs before getting out. Darren then joined Ian . Ian had been brilliant and with 7 balls left we need 12 runs, Willcocks on strike. Jack had hit some huge sixes all massively important, but Darren hit probably the most important one. The timing and execution of the shot was perfect. A brilliant shot for 6. That left 6 required off 1 over. I was extremely confident with 4 wickets also in hand. But in the past I have witnessed a last over wicket maiden when the score were level, so there was still a little worry. First ball, probably should have gone for four or at least a single, was hit straight in the air to cover, Ian out😡 Now getting very nervous, but still Chris walks out and with Darren the other end surely we can make it 😀 when Chris smashed his first ball for four, I thought surely that’s it. Next ball he grabbed a single and the score was tied. Brilliant from Chris. Now Darren just finish off. 1 off 3 easy😂 Darren chips one straight back to the bowler and is caught and bowled 😩 surely we can’t blow it after all the effort already made. Steve batting at ten showed how deep we batted but u wouldn’t have thought that when Steve played his first ball. Well he didn’t play it. He swiped at a full straight delivery and was bowled😱😱😱 What were we doing. Our greatest victory was becoming our greatest Ballz up. Young Jim to the crease. Picture the scene. Last man, last ball, one to win. Every fielder within about 10 yards of the bat. I would have been bricking it. What he was thinking only he knows. It was a very strange moment watching it. Almost an anticlimax. Had we won. Would you believe it a leg side wide🤩 WOW we had won probably the most dramatic game I have ever witnessed. I witnessed some strange finishes before, the wicket maiden being one but for me this has to be the best. Dead and pretty much buried alive to winning on the last ball with the last man and having lost three wickets in the last over. I can’t find the words to describe the feeling when we had won. We probably weren’t as exuberant as I hear the first team were. Our ageing team and in my case the disbelief that we had won, probably factors but also in my case utter delight that we were finally able to show what we are capable of. Man of The Match can only go one way. Jack Perham was spectacular. The timing of some of his shots was awesome to watch. He is a fantastic all round player and he showed us what he can do with the bat. We are extremely lucky to have him come back each year and play a handful of games for us. Each time he does he helps us massively. And this week he almost single handily took us to a most amazing win. Will say though that he needed a little help along the way from team mates. Everyone worked hard in tough fielding conditions. Thought Rose and Chris stopped them getting close to 300 at the end, by bowling well. James and Ian Hayter both batted great, with Ian supporting Jack brilliantly. Then Darren with his magnificent late six and Chris again an all important calm head in the last over. And must mention Jim who probably had the most daunting job of all facing the final delivery. So well done to everyone on a most spectacular day. Jack you are a superstar and I along every other member of the team appreciate the effort you make for the team and also won’t forget the memories of this game for along time to come. A top cricketer and top bloke, and can say the same about everyone else too. Except Rose of course who’s a top woman. Thanks once again to all for the effort made and particularly those who drove. I as always appreciate it massively. This victory pretty much secures our safety in this league barring any outrageous events. But still there are four games to go so I expect us to make four more decent efforts. We have some tough games coming up but to be fair, every week pretty much has been tough. We should be able to secure 200 plus points now which is another great effort in my opinion. I’ll say once more thanks to all for all the effort and let’s push right to the end. My birthday bbq is on the 18th of August after the home game v Honiton. All are welcome to help me celebrate whether playing or not. Hope to see many of you there. When I think things can’t get better , I get to be involved in a game like this. This is why I and probably most others play the game for epic days like that. Up the bid and good night. It’s 1:30 am id better go to bed.
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Thorverton 2nd XI v Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
28/07/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Gareth Davies
3. Chris Luxton
4. Josh Stephenson
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Ian Hayter
7. James Hayter
8. Andy Webbe
9. Rose Ball
10. Tom Stone
11. Ollie Keates
Meet 11:15 on the Pill
2. Gareth Davies
3. Chris Luxton
4. Josh Stephenson
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Ian Hayter
7. James Hayter
8. Andy Webbe
9. Rose Ball
10. Tom Stone
11. Ollie Keates
Meet 11:15 on the Pill
Match Report
So a trip to winless Thorverton. Most of the way the weather wasn’t looking good. But the closer we got the better it was. On arrival it was fairly dry and they hadn’t had much rain. The forecast was for it to come in later so when winning the toss I opted to field first. Chris was his same self bowling through his 9 overs for just 18 and picking up a wicket caught behind by Ian. Rose opened also and did well but no success wicket wise. James took over from Rose and bowled a great 5 over spell for just 9 runs. But alas still no wicket. The score was ticking over around the 3-4 mark throughout their innings. Marten did his usual 9 overs for around 30 runs. A couple of rain breaks chopped off 4 overs each. Tom Stone bowled a good 5 over spell and picked up his first Devon League wicket. Gareth did well in his 3 over spell picking up 2 wickets. Rose also picked up a late wicket. We struggled to take wickets but they could only manage 4 an over so 172 was in my opinion a very gettable score. After tea Webbe and James opened. Everything was going to plan and after 6 overs we had 48. 84 was our 20 over target if the rain came. Unfortunately it did come about an hour to soon. Some may have seen Chris’s posts on Facebook which showed a big downpour for around an hour. This unfortunately ended the game and any hope of victory. 9 points wasn’t what we wanted but due to our great first half of the season we are still in a reasonable position League wise. We will still need to put in a couple more decent performances to guarantee our safety. Everyone did ok but due to the unfinished game I’m not gonna give Man of the Match. Just say thanks to all for the effort and without the rain interference probably another victory. Must also thank Paul for his stint umpiring. Makes things so much easier having an umpire. And also thanks to all who drove. Next week is AXMINSTER away. Not the nicest of trips but if the above team is able to take the field we should have a decent chance. The middle part of our season hasn’t been brilliant but let’s make the effort to make the last third a good one. There are some tough games coming up but if we all can commit and perform well we will always have a chance.
Cheers John W
Cheers John W
Bideford 2nd XI v Halberton 1st XI
E Division East
Devon League
21/08/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Jack Perham
3. Chris Luxton
4. Gareth Davies
5. Josh Stephenson
6. Darren Willcocks
7. Ian Hayter
8. Andy Webbe
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Steve Bond
11. Pete Stevens
1:30 Start at the Ho!
2. Jack Perham
3. Chris Luxton
4. Gareth Davies
5. Josh Stephenson
6. Darren Willcocks
7. Ian Hayter
8. Andy Webbe
9. Marten Stanbury
10. Steve Bond
11. Pete Stevens
1:30 Start at the Ho!
Match Report
In the away game against Halberton I thought we did quite well. They were the better team but I thought Steve Bonds bowling and Andy Webbe’s batting may have made the difference. So when I was able to pick a side with both them in, along with Jack Perham and the usual regulars, I was quietly confident we had a great chance. Over the last few weeks we have had lots of bad luck with injuries and niggles. Gareth and Ian seem to have permanent ones but soldier on every week. Me, Darren and Chris have picked up an injury which has stopped us either batting or bowling. So after playing as a bowler and not being able to offer much batting, Chris finally had step down when injuring his knee, meaning this time he couldn’t bat or bowl. Fortunately this week I had several options, so at 10am I started my search. Would you believe it. The first phone call was successful and Ollie Keates was in. So big thanks to Ollie for that although it apparently got him out of gardening so he maybe owes me and Chris one for that😀 so into the game. It was a very hot dry day again, although there had been some over night rain. You wouldn’t have known though. My winning the toss streak coincided with our run of good results. My losing the toss streak has seen us lose a few. So on losing the toss again I was asked to field. All our wins so far have come batting first😡 With Jack and Steve we still had a decent opening pair. Both did great early on and kept the runs down. Neither was able to take a wicket though and once in one of there batsmen started hitting some big shots. With Darren replacing Jack, he felt the rath with three sailing over the nets into the road in one over. Finally he learned a lesson and bowled a short one which he miss queued to Webbe at mid wicket for 48. That was a massive wicket for us. The other opener was still in but wasn’t scoring quickly at all. Marten has taken over from Steve and bowled a great spell. See Mart I do praise you now and again haha. Only 26 runs from 9 overs. Just a shame no wickets to go with it. If only Josh could catch😀 Due to my injury, no Chris, Rose or James Hayter, Webbe had to step up and bowl a few overs after Darren. Darren had picked up a second wicket caught by Webbe on the boundary. He was a little expensive but after his first two overs brought it back well. Webbe did great bowling 5 decent overs. Gareth literally turning to spin did great also. Picked up two wickets. With a bit more practice he could do a great job for us. Steve and Jack came back to finish off the bowling. Steve finally got some luck with two wickets and of course they were both bowled. Jack conceded a few late runs which got them to 232-7. A good total but I thought only just par. If we bat well and bat ALL our overs we would have a chance. With the line up we had with only James missing I was confident. One other thing that we have struggled with is bowling teams out. The wickets are generally good so that makes it hard, but we have been bowled out several times. Holding all our chances and a little more discipline may help too. With Chris umpiring and Andy scoring it was great not to have to worry about those jobs. Thanks for a second time to Mrs Hayter we had another excellent tea. So with James not available I had the job of partnering Webbe. After a couple overs I said to Webbe that there wasn’t to much to worry about, just bat the overs, punish the bad balls and we will be fine. A wide and a four ball most overs was ticking the score along at the rate required. Just keep wickets in hand. Webbe clipped one to mid on and was caught. Disappointed but still plenty to come. Jack was next. Had the same conversation with him.4 or 5 overs went by. Again the odd wide and the one four ball an over was punished, great. Then a carbon copy of Webbe, Jack was out caught😡 Anger was building but I was still confident. Pete strode out. Now I have seen this before so wasn’t to bothered when he put his first ball over the rope for six. I shouted well done but remember there are 35 overs to go. This I kept doing for the next 3 ball which all went for 4. Knowing Pete I was convinced that unless he used his brain this couldn’t continue for too long. 18 runs from four balls then the inevitable, caught mid on all in one over. Now the blood was really boiling. Surely I’m not the only one with a brain. If the bowlers were getting us out understandable, but no we were getting ourselves out. When Marten decided to try smashing one through cover and nicked behind, I thought my head was gonna explode. We had plenty of runs at the time. To be fair to Marten it was a good catch and the young spinner was turning it well. But four of our better batsmen had given their wickets away. Still hope though with Ian next in. He was able to do what the others couldn’t and wait for the bad balls. Together we ticked along nicely for a few overs and things were getting back on track. The young spinner was causing me and Ian a few problems though and I finally pushed to hard a one and was caught at short cover for 34. Before I could finish my shower Darren was out stumped. Gareth scored a few with Ian but was another one out caught. When Ian finally succumbed I thought that was it. Steve hit a few good shots but needed help. Unfortunately there wasn’t much left. Josh was left not out when Ollie decided to take a run without indicating to Josh this fact. Halfway down he realises he needs to get back but is a yard short. 190 all out and 5 overs left unused. Must apologise for my poor attitude after the game but was just gutted to lose when we actually had the better team. They didn’t beat us we beat ourselves. Without to much we could have won reasonably comfortably. Our top 5 need to use their heads a bit. As I said the young spin bowler they had did well but see him off and there would be plenty to be had from the others. If only we could play well and use our heads more. The last two defeats in particular have been hard to take. Yes we’re only 2nd teamers but you don’t need much ability to stop and think for second. Still I accept everyone made the effort so thanks for that. If I can win the toss and we get some good luck with the injuries we can still win a few and have a good season. Man of the Match? Probably gonna go with Steve Who did a great job bowling, fielded well and batted ok too. A good all round performance so well done to him. The bowling was good, as they had some decent bats. Even after our early collapse we weren’t far away so it just shows what we could be capable of. Next week is Thorverton away. Let’s not be their first victory of the season. Thanks to Chris for the umpiring, Andy for scoring and anther great tea thanks to Mrs Hayter. Must thank Ollie for stepping in last minute. I will also thank all the players for the effort, but just please stop and think now and again. I’m not expecting miracles, just let’s try and make the opposition beat us rather than give it to them on a plate.
Cheers John W
Cheers John W
Barnstaple v Bideford
NDL Division 2
15/07/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ollie Keates
3. Jim Keates
4. Martin Stewart
5. Richard Stone
6. Ollie Hannam
7. James Greenleaf
8. Rob Hill
9. Keith Berry
10. Cameron Atkinson
11. Josh Atkinson
Start 11:00am. Meet 9:45 on the Pill
2. Ollie Keates
3. Jim Keates
4. Martin Stewart
5. Richard Stone
6. Ollie Hannam
7. James Greenleaf
8. Rob Hill
9. Keith Berry
10. Cameron Atkinson
11. Josh Atkinson
Start 11:00am. Meet 9:45 on the Pill
Woodbury 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
14/07/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Andy Webbe
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Marten Stanbury
5. Keith Berry
6. Gareth Davies
7. Chris Luxton
8. Ian Hayter
9. Rose Ball
10. Dan Smith
11. Tom Stone
1:30 Start. Meet 11:00 on the Pill
2. Andy Webbe
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Marten Stanbury
5. Keith Berry
6. Gareth Davies
7. Chris Luxton
8. Ian Hayter
9. Rose Ball
10. Dan Smith
11. Tom Stone
1:30 Start. Meet 11:00 on the Pill
Match Report
Ok so I have had a beer, no 4 ciders before writing this which probably means I'll be a bit more honest with my opinion of yesterdays game. It was another glorious day and we had a reasonable team. Although we were missing a couple we had two debutantes in Dan and Tom. I lost the toss which was the first piece of bad luck during the day. And was asked to field. On a scorching hot day this was going to be tough particularly when having to chase a total. Chris was once again was his magnificent self taking two wickets bowled early on. Unfortunately a dropped slip catch would cost us 88 runs. Sorry Webbe. Rose opened to and did a good job. Keith did ok replacing Rose but couldn't manage a wicket. Next came our second piece of bad luck when Darren held a catch but slipped and hurt his side which meant he did a Gareth and only managed 3 overs.Again sorry Gman couldn't resist haha. Marten Stanbury did great but was a little expensive. He picked up two wickets though which was good. A couple other drops didn't help us. It was tough fielding on not a great outfield but I do think we lost a little concentration late on. Then my dilemma came. Do I bowl or do I let Dan and Tom Bowl. I went for the Dan and Tom option in the end. My thought was that bowling 9 overs then opening was not only beyond me fitness wise but would make me feel guilty bringing two debutantes and not give them a game. Probably contributed to us losing but as we are probably safe I stick by my decision. With them making 281 I was disappointed but still had hope if we batted all our overs. Normally I don't comment much on the umpiring but first u can ask Chris about his LBW. Apparently it pitched outside leg stump. 6 inches outside off stump is obviously the new leg stump. Then as I bowled what I thought was the last ball. It was given no ball. Apparently Keith made the mistake of being outside the ring. Supposedly he did this twice. With no line he must have had a great eyesight as it can have only been an inch or two. He did though manage to lose this magnificent eyesight when it came to us batting. Tea was ok and as I said I went out to bat with Webbe. We did a good job and got us to 42 off 8. I then decided to leave one which was very close to the stumps. When it bounced off the keepers gloves and then back on to the stumps, I thought they were appealing for a stumping but actually it was bowled. The umpire conveniently didn't see it hit the stumps but was still able to give it out. So as u can guess I was in a great mood as I walked off. Rose then joined Webbe and did well but was caught behind on 16. Gareth only made 7 but Marten made a brilliant 45. He and Webbe were looking like knocking off the runs. But unfortunately both were out caught when going well. I'll quickly mention there fielding. Genuinely he made a good stop but when your body rolls over the rope by a foot that to me is a four but apparently not. Another one conveniently not seen. And apparently we are a bunch of ****suckers for not agreeing. Anyway back to our batting. Ian made 19 but the rest struggled and we fell short by 49 runs. We didn't field great, the bowling could have been better and we did well batting but missed out in my opinion. Darren not being able to bowl, me not bowling and some dodgy umpiring contributed to us losing. We didn't play well but were still the better team. Batting first we win. Steve and Pete play we win. I was gutted to lose, but more gutted in the way we lost. My bad decisions, umpiring and bad luck all contributed. As for them bowling beamers and bouncers at Dan who's 13 and the way they got him out, well what to say. Swear words probably but I wont. They obviously needed the win more than we did. I really hope we don't go there next year and thanks to Ottery winning we might not. If we do then I will certainly be up for that one. I'll stop there and go to the Man of the Match. Webbe was the only one to stand out so well done to him for 81 more runs. Dan did great just a little unlucky. Rose bowled ok as did Marten, Tom and Keith. We had the better side, just didn't perform as we can. I cocked up and luck went against us. Thanks though to all for the effort it was great as always. Next week is Halberton home. With a full side out we in my opinion have a chance. Even though they are top. We are definitely better in home games, so i'm confident we will do well. Thanks to our effort so far i believe we are safe from the drop. But I still want to win as often as possibly. Thanks to all for the effort, all who drove and those who helped out. Next week will be tough but we are more than capable of pulling off victory. I for one will be trying my up most to achieve this. Lets forget this weekend and move onto next. I will be begging the committee to provide us with a regular umpire. Hopefully they will help us out. Thanks again, see you all next week and just a reminder that my Birthday BBQ will be on the 18 of August and of course Bideford 2nd XI are the greatest. Plus as sad as it is the film True Romance is awesome. So I do recommend watching it. It was obviously on while I was writing this epic match report. Can't find the two fingered emoji so i'll let you imagine its there.
Cheers
John W
Cheers
John W
Bideford 2nd XI v Exwick 1st XI
E Division East
Devon League
07/07/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ollie Keates
3. Jim Keates
4. Ian Hayter
5. James Hayter
6. Andy Webbe
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Chris Luxton
9. Gareth Davies
10. Steve Bond
11. Rose Ball
Start 1:30. Be at ground 12:30😀
2. Ollie Keates
3. Jim Keates
4. Ian Hayter
5. James Hayter
6. Andy Webbe
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Chris Luxton
9. Gareth Davies
10. Steve Bond
11. Rose Ball
Start 1:30. Be at ground 12:30😀
Match Report
So the second half of the season starts. If we can perform as well as the first half we would have had a great season. 5 wins so far and I was hoping for at least 5 more. So Exwick at the Ho! A slightly different experience. Wicket was a road on a boiling hot day. I finally lost a toss, but amazingly they asked us to bat. Maybe chasing down 287 the week before for their first win swayed them. Webbe was back so he partnered James. We got off to a lightening start, 30 off 4 overs. But alas webbe was bowled for 13. Ian joined his son but only lasted a few balls. Caught behind for 4. Rose and me both then perished for ducks which put us in massive trouble. 60-4, not good. Gareth was also back so he went out to join James. Gareth hit some great shots and along with James also hitting a few good ones, the score was racking up. 121 at drinks was brilliant. Unfortunately Gareth was bowled for 31. Steve was another one back after a stint in the first team. He carried on where Gareth left off. Helping James to keep the score moving. James was going great and passed 50 for the first time in the Devon League. But he didn't stop there. He continued on and on. Steve was finally out for 31 LBW. I thought James was going to carry his bat. He smashed a four to bring up an awesome century. One of many i'm sure. A great effort and as big a roar from the crowd as when England scored. With just 3 overs left he was out caught on the boundary. Chris, Ollie and Josh got us to 246-9. In the end an awesome effort mainly thanks to James but helped out by Gareth and Steve. So with England 2 up it had been a good first half. Lucy Davies produced our regular awesome tea, so thanks for that. Out to field we went. This week Rose opened with Chris. They both did a good job and managed to keep the runs down. Chris took the first wicket bowled. Steve took over from Chris and did an excellent job taking two more wickets. Unfortunately Gareth broke down after 3.2 overs which meant I had to step up. Their Aussie was getting going and was feasting on some of my bowling. When I finally managed to bowl him I was particularly delighted. They were now 142-4 and still in with a chance. But superstar James came on and took 2 wickets for just 16 in 6 overs. Not a weakness in sight. I managed a second one also and this is were I thought we were safe. Steve came back and picked up a third. Rose came back and picked up a wicket which left Jim to finish things off. Another plus was they got stuck on 199 as we had done in the reverse fixture. On such a hot day I was exhausted but ecstatic at the same time. I expected it to be tougher and it was. With our experienced heads stepping up last week it was brilliant to see our younger heads stepping up this time. Everyone made a top effort but James Hayter was magnificent and is easily Man of the Match. He is our best fielder, a great batsman and who'd have known a great bowler too. A massive asset to have in the team. Everyone else helped out though and without that team work we wouldn't have won. Sometimes though a bit of brilliance makes the big difference and today James stood up and delivered. Well done to him. Thanks to Chris and Gareth for going through the pain barrier and everyone else for the effort. Thanks to Andy for scoring, Ike for Umpiring and Lucy for another awesome tea. A quality day all round. The sun shone, England won, and Bideford 2nds won their 6th match of the season. Thanks to all for the effort as always. Our excellent season rolls on. Another great day to be beside the sea. Up the Bide.
Cheers John W
Cheers John W
Bideford v Westleigh
NDL Division 2
08/07/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. James Ford
3. Jack Ford
4. Ollie Keates
5. Jim Keates
6. Keith Berry
7. James Hayter
8. Dan Smith
9. Josh Stephenson
10. Ollie Hannam
11. James Greenleaf
Start 1:30. Meet 12:30 the Ho!😀
2. James Ford
3. Jack Ford
4. Ollie Keates
5. Jim Keates
6. Keith Berry
7. James Hayter
8. Dan Smith
9. Josh Stephenson
10. Ollie Hannam
11. James Greenleaf
Start 1:30. Meet 12:30 the Ho!😀
Match Report
Sandford v Bideford
NDL Division 2
01/07/18
Team Sheet
Match Report
match rained off fortunately 💪😀💪😀
Ottery St Mary 2nd XI v Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
30/07/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Chris Luxton
4. Rose Ball
5. James Hayter
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Ollie Keates
8. Pete Stevens
9. Ian Hayter
10. Mike Ball
11. Jim Keates
1:30 Start. Meet 11:15 On The Pill
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Chris Luxton
4. Rose Ball
5. James Hayter
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Ollie Keates
8. Pete Stevens
9. Ian Hayter
10. Mike Ball
11. Jim Keates
1:30 Start. Meet 11:15 On The Pill
Match Report
Thanks to Mike Ball stepping in last minute we had 11 players for what I thought was a big game for us. One that I thought we had a good chance of winning if we worked hard and played well. It was a glorious hot day. Maybe a little to hot. For the 5th time in a row I managed to win the toss and decided to bat again. We have done well batting first up to now, passing 200 on 6 occasions. I opened the batting with James. James was excellently caught at first slip and Ian was then caught at mid off. When Rose was out LBW we were 32-3 and in a little trouble. I was joined by Darren who did a great Job. Between us we managed to tick the score along with a little help from their bowlers. We got passed 100 and most importantly kept wickets in hand. I struggled a little in the middle to score but probably got out just at the right time for a patient 37 runs. That sent Pete out to join Darren with around 14 overs to go. Unfortunately Darren was bowled on 41 soon after. Pete was joined by Chris who did an amazing job with basically one hand. He blocked or flicked singles to give Pete the strike. Pete did really well also, smashing plenty of 4s. He passed 50 and the team passed 200 which was a great effort after our start. Their partnership of 68 was brilliant and hopefully a match winning one. A handful of late runs from Ollie and Mike meant we finished on 221. After the loss of early wickets several stepped up and got us to a decent score. After tea we had the tough job of fielding in the heat. No wind meant it was really hot. Me and Chris opened the bowling. Both did a good job, but did bowl a few wides. Chris picked up the first wicket really well caught at slip by Darren. I then picked up a wicket. Can't take much credit though as Chris took a stunning one handed (left handed) catch at gulley. Little pieces of brilliance like that can change games. Rose and Darren took over and did well. Rose took a very sharp caught and bowled which kept the pressure on. A great piece of fielding from Ollie along with confusion from the batsmen resulted in a run out for the fourth wicket. James took over from Rose and did great picking up 2 wickets in his four overs along with Darren picking up a couple also. One of their batsmen was going well as he passed 50. He just needed a partner to stay with him for a while. With the ninth wicket falling on 128 we were in a great position and hopeful a quick end. The final pair batted well though and we gave up a few extras. But finally Rose picked up the final wicket with probably her worst ball. Another catch for Lux. So Ottery finished around 170. On a hot day we produced a brilliant effort with everyone contributing to our fifth win of the season. With a full team out I'm convinced we could have had a couple more victories. Firstly I like to say thanks to all the players for the great effort again. And also to apologise for getting angry on occasions. With everyone doing so well its tough to pick a Man of The Match. But I have managed it because one person does stand out. The score book won't make him stand out from the rest but just the fact he turned up and played stands him out. Chris Luxton's commitment to playing is amazing. His stunning one handed catch to go with two other good ones. Not to mention the batting with one hand. His 68 run partnership with Pete was a match winning one. Two valuable wickets for few runs as well. Chris's effort and commitment are brilliant and I particularly appreciate it. The seconds are extremely lucky to have such a player. But we are even luckier to have a whole team of of committed players who put in the effort every week. Quickly I'll mention a few others. Mike, Ollie, Stevie and Jim worked hard and contributed to a great win. James showed his all round ability with a couple of wickets and once again excellent fielding. Darren and Pete both batted well. So in summary an excellent effort, an excellent result on an all round excellent day. Thanks to all for the effort, particularly Chris. Thanks to Mr Smith for umpiring, was a great help. And thanks to all the drivers. Next week is Exwick at the Ho! Another game I'm hoping we can win. If the effort and commitment is the same there is no reason why we can't win for the sixth time. Bideford 2nds are the greatest. 20 points Boom.
Cheers
John W
Cheers
John W
Bideford v Beaford
NDL Division 2
24/06/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. James Greenleaf
3. Keith Berry
4. Dan Smith
5. Jack Ford
6. James Ford
7. Martin Stewart
8. Ollie Keates
9. Jim Keates
10. Josh Stephenson
11. Cameron Atkinson
1:30 Start. Meet 12:00 on The Pill
2. James Greenleaf
3. Keith Berry
4. Dan Smith
5. Jack Ford
6. James Ford
7. Martin Stewart
8. Ollie Keates
9. Jim Keates
10. Josh Stephenson
11. Cameron Atkinson
1:30 Start. Meet 12:00 on The Pill
Match Report
Sorry for the lateness of this. Hopefully I can remember what happened. The one thing I'm definitely remember is the heat. On a roasting hot day I actually won the toss and decided as usual to bat first. We didn't get off to the best of starts thanks to our good friend Steve Bond. You'd think we know what he does by now. Although knowing and then dealing with it is another challenge altogether. 4-7 off 5 overs saw James Greenleaf, Jack, Martin and Ollie back in the pavilion. James Ford though managed to see him out and start the scoreboard ticking. Me and Stevie couldn't help much but he found a decent partner in Keith. Together they got us past 100. When James miss timed a pull he had made 52. Cameron helped out a little making 15 but the inevitable happened and we were eventually all out for 157. An ok effort but probably not quite enough. So it was all down to Paul Heards house for what was yet another excellent tea.To stand a chance we would have to bowl particularly well. With no keeper James Ford took it on. Jack took an early wicket but me and then Martin got slightly smashed about by Lemmings and Bond. Had they carried on we probably wouldn't have heard the end of it. Fortunately Martin got angry and bowled a quick straight one which knocked out Mike's middle stump. That started a collapse which was mainly due to the excellence of Cameron. 3 wickets in an over and 4 in 7 balls got us right back in the game. Pete McMillan bashed a couple of sixes which made things tense. Jack snapped up the other batsmen and with 18 needed and 1 wicket remaining, Cameron pounced for his 5th wicket and ended the game. A great effort and another Sunday win. Man of the Match goes to Cameron who bowled great and batted ok too. James and Keith batted well giving us something to defend. Some good catches helped also but Cameron was the difference in the end. So well done to him and thanks to all for the effort. 4 wins in 5 is a great effort.
Cheers John W
Cheers John W
Bideford 2nd XI v Topsham 1st XI
E Division East
Devon League
23/06/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. James Hayter
4. Ian Hayter
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Pete Stevens
8. Ollie Keates
9. Jim Keates
10. Dave Staddon
11. Keith Berry
1:30 Start. Meet 12:30 at the Ho!
2. Chris Luxton
3. James Hayter
4. Ian Hayter
5. Marten Stanbury
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Pete Stevens
8. Ollie Keates
9. Jim Keates
10. Dave Staddon
11. Keith Berry
1:30 Start. Meet 12:30 at the Ho!
Match Report
After two weeks away we finally get to play another home game. Topsham are another first team so once again not sure on the standard. On a glorious day at the Ho! I managed to win the toss for the fourth time in a row. This time I didn't make a mistake and batted first. With Webbe away I took on the job of opening with James. When one of their bowlers marked his run up out it started from the 30 yard circle. Not something you see that often in the seconds. So yes he was rather sharp. Me and particularly James managed to see out his opening 5 over burst though which was good. But unfortunately as is the way James fell to the first change bowler. So 28-1. Pete came in at three and was going well till he spooned a catch and was out for 19.Chris was next just before drinks. I was bowled just after frustratingly after doing all the hard work for 30. As I was changing Chris took one on the wrist from their opener on his second spell return. Unfortunately it meant he couldn't continue. This was a big blow as he was just getting himself in and he was unable to return. This put Marten and Ian together. They were going great and looking like getting us above and beyond the 200 mark. Ian though was caught behind on 23. So next was Keith who did a great Job supporting Marten who was smashing plenty of fours. Keith hit shot of the day smashing one over cover and over the pavilion for 6.He fell though on 176. They then bought back the opener to finish things off and this he did well. Far to quick and straight for our tail end. All out for 190 was ok but I was worried 30 or so not enough. Marten did great though to get us to this score with 56 vital runs. With a few players missing we had done ok. I was just frustrated at knowing what might have been. Still we had given ourselves half a chance. That was on the proviso that Chris was able to bowl. So at tea it was fingers crossed. Tea was again excellent thanks to Mrs Hayter. In a bit of pain Chris gave bowling a go. Only he would have known he had an injury. He bowled as he always does. I opened with him due to a lack of options. I did ok but between us we couldn't take an early wicket. We finally got two in quick succession. One each. Marten took over from me and Keith from Chris. Marten bowled a good spell and should have had a wicket!!! Won't say too much about the umpiring but giving a wide when the ball is driven through cover gives you a idea. And yes that's exactly what happened. Keith was a little expensive so James took over and although he went for a few also he picked up his first Devon League wicket. Jim and Dave both tried their best as Topsham edged towards our total. They did only what they needed to which was bat out overs waiting for the bad balls. Dave picked up a late wicket but they got there with 3 overs to spare. As I said earlier another 30 or 40 runs would have made things interesting. Their main batsman was out stumped and not give which would also have made things tighter. Still with the players we had missing I thought we stepped up reasonably well. Had Chris been able to bat properly again you never know. Had Pete or Ian survived a few overs more, just maybe. Everyone gave there all though and I thought we did well. They were a good team but with a full side out I believe we have enough to maybe beat them so lets hope we do in the away leg. Man Of The Match goes this week to Marten Stanbury who batted fantastic. Had a couple main batsman been able to stay with him a little longer we could have pushed 250. He made a great effort as always and bowled really well without any luck. So great effort mate well done. But well done to all. We made it a real tough game and on another day things could have gone differently. So thanks to all for the effort, appreciated as always. Thanks to Andy for scoring and once again an excellent tea from Mrs Hayter. Now comes our run of games where I believe we can win and make some decent points. If we can put out reasonable sides and put in the great efforts that we have been I'm convinced we can do well. I as I hope everyone will, will give my all to make this happen. So in summary, although it was disappointing to lose I was delighted with effort. So for a final time thanks to all for that. And still a great day to be beside the sea.
Cheers John Weeks
Cheers John Weeks
Bideford v Petrockstow
NDL Division 2
17/06/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Martin Stewart
3. Keith Berry
4. Ollie Hannam
5. Ollie Keates
6. Jim Keates
7. James Greenleaf
8. Fred King
9. Josh Stephenson
10. Dan Smith
11. Matt Vanstone
1:30 Start. Meet 12:30 at the HO!
2. Martin Stewart
3. Keith Berry
4. Ollie Hannam
5. Ollie Keates
6. Jim Keates
7. James Greenleaf
8. Fred King
9. Josh Stephenson
10. Dan Smith
11. Matt Vanstone
1:30 Start. Meet 12:30 at the HO!
Match Report
Our fourth North Devon League game was home v Petrockstow. Selection was easier this week but I was still a little disapointed at the lack of first teamer's being available. I won the toss and decided to have a bat. Me and Ollie Hannam opened up and we got off to a rapid start. 80 off the first ten was excellent and a massive score was looking on. With the score on 92 I nicked behind for 39. Ollie was going great though and quickly passed fifty. James and Fred didn't last long, but Ollie was going on his merry way. Unfortunately he was caught on 85. 145 on the board and plenty of overs to go. Martin and Josh put on a great partnership. Josh made 31 and Martin 52 which got us to 223. The last few got us to a final total of 255. A good one but a little short of what i was expecting at the start. Tea was once again fantastic thanks to Beth Keates. With rain in the air we were going to have to get lucky to get the game in. Fred opened with Jim and both did ok picking up a wicket each. The runs kept coming though. Keith and Dan carried on and did well but still the runs came. Keith got one though. Martin and Ollie came on and probably made the difference. Martin was great taking 2 wickets in 8 overs. Although Ollie got smashed around a bit he picked up two vital wickets. It was getting close but they were always just behind the rate. Me and Matt bowled the last few overs. We both picked up a wicket with mine finishing the game off. We had won by 33 runs. Everyone made a good effort in tough wet conditions. We dropped a few catches which made things harder than they should have been, but we did what was needed and won which was the main thing. Man of The Match goes to Martin Stewart who batted great again and also bowled really well. His quality shone through. Well done to him. Ollie and Josh also batted well and everyone bowled and fielded well. Another great team effort again. So thanks to all for that. Thanks to Andy for scoring and Beth for the amazing teas. Next week is an interesting one against Beaford. Hopefully it will be a good competitive game. 3 wins out of 4 is a good start. Lets try and keep it going.
Cheers John Weeks
Cheers John Weeks
Honiton 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
16/06/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Jim Keates
4. Ian Hayter
5. Andy Webbe
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Rose Ball
9. Gareth Davies
10. Ollie Keates
11. Richard Hall
1:30 Start. Meet 11:00 on the Pill
2. Chris Luxton
3. Jim Keates
4. Ian Hayter
5. Andy Webbe
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Josh Stephenson
8. Rose Ball
9. Gareth Davies
10. Ollie Keates
11. Richard Hall
1:30 Start. Meet 11:00 on the Pill
Match Report
So game 7 was another away one this time at Honiton. On winning the toss amazingly for the fourth time I made the decision to bowl first. Probably looking back should have stuck to batting first. So Chris and Gareth opened and Chris was his usual magnificent self. He took the first wicket bowled and bowled through his overs for just 25 runs. Unfortunately Gareth struggled a little. Their opener took advantage of the short balls and had 50 out off the first 58 runs. Richard managed 8 good overs for 34, but after that it was a massive struggle. We dropped a couple of catches which maybe would have made a difference, but the batsmen were decent and kept the scoreboard ticking over fairly quickly. Me, Rose, Marten and Jim tried our best but couldn't stop the runs. I did manage 1 wicket and Jim did well to pick up 2. Chris inflicted a late run out but they still smashed a huge 357 runs with their opener making 208. It was a great innings but we did bowl plenty were he wanted them. With a couple players missing we were probably always going to struggle. Hopefully it will push everyone to keep working hard and make sure we aren't on the receiving end of such a score again. After tea I opened with Webbe in the absence of James. We did an ok job, passing 50 and seeing off the openers. One of which tried several times to knock my head off. Its probably time for me to bring out my helmet which has been sat gathering dust for a couple of seasons. With the score on 73 Webbe was caught behind. Only Rose knows what she was doing, caught for a duck. Me, Chris and Marten got starts but couldn't go on. Ian though did great. Pretty much on one leg he smashed a fifty which got us 4 batting points. The rest tried their best but against a good team couldn't quite get us to 200. 184 all out was how we finished. Was a tough day but we fought hard and came away with 6 vital points. We need to get as much out of games like this as we can and win the games that we should. So we come up against probably the two best teams in the last two weeks. We have got a run off games coming up where we need to pick up some decent points. Do the basics well and our quaility should see us right. Man of The Match is tough after such a tough game. Chris was brilliant once again as was Ian's batting. But I'm going for Jim Keates who kept going and picked up his first Devon League wickets. Fielding was also tough but he gave his all. Well done to Jim. Hopefully he will learn from games like this as we all hopefully will. We need to move on and start again. We have another tough one against Topsham 1st XI. Lets keep our heads up and go again. Thanks to all for the effort and those who drove, appreciate it as always.
Cheers John Weeks
Cheers John Weeks
Bideford v Sandford 2nds
NDL Division 2
10/06/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Ollie Keates
3. Martin Stewart
4. Jim Keates
5. Keith Berry
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Dan Smith
8. James Greenleaf
9. Pete Stevens
10. Richard Stone
11. Rose Ball
1:30 start at the Ho!
2. Ollie Keates
3. Martin Stewart
4. Jim Keates
5. Keith Berry
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Dan Smith
8. James Greenleaf
9. Pete Stevens
10. Richard Stone
11. Rose Ball
1:30 start at the Ho!
Match Report
After our tough visit to Petrockstowe I hoped this week would be a bit better. Unfortunately the selection process was a complete nightmare again. It really is a struggle and something somewhere needs to change. I don't know the solution but I hope one can be found soon because for the first time ever I'm not only not enjoying Sundays, I'm beginning to not wanna play like most of the rest of the players. That is until I'm involved in a game like this Sunday. Although, it was down to luck that Rose and Pete were able to help out, which shouldn't paper over the cracks!. This did though give us a reasonable side and one that was able to compete, which is better for everyone including the opposition. On Sandfords arrival I did start to worry when first team captain Richard Foan and former Pakistan test player Faisal Iqbal got out the first car to arrive. But fortunately Mr Iqbal hadn't bought his kit. Rose was keen to take on Captaining the side, so she took over. She duly lost the toss and we had to field on a hot afternoon. Her first action as Captain on the field was to ask ME to open the bowling. Seeing Richard Foan wonder out to open the batting I obviously wasn't keen. Me and Rose did though and did an ok Job. An attempted slower ball by me actually got the first wicket. A good catch by Josh at mid wicket. He took an easier one off me this time at cover for the second wicket. Dan and Jim took over from me and Rose and did a good job. The runs were coming around 5 an over. Jim got his first wicket LBW , good job hey Martin. We were all doing ok in the field. Martin and Keith took over the bowling and did a great job. Martin bowled his 8 overs for 29. Keith took the wickets though grabbing 4-28. A really excellent spell. Jim produced a quality piece of fielding running out their set batsman with a direct hit. He then picked up a wicket in the final over after a great catch from his dad. A good solid effort from all. Sandford finished 210-9. We would have to bat all our overs to stand a chance, but at least we had a fairly decent one. Now to teas. What to say? Well I was almost speechless but the word I used was epic. Pulled pork sandwiches just a small part of a cracking tea, thanks to Beth Keates. This season the teas have all been amazing. Anyway back to the game. Rose was continuing to test me when she then insisted that I open the batting. So out I went with James. Both of us struggled to score but we did manage to keep wickets in tact. Somehow we made it to drinks with 60 odd on the board and 10 wickets intact. And with Pete still to come you never know.James was caught behind but had done a great job batting for 22 overs. Rose was at three and she hit a couple good shots, rode her luck a bit and was then run out for 16. Probably my fault so sorry about that. I was then joined by Pete who flew out the traps smashing their young bowler for 26 off his only two overs. After riding my luck a bit I was finally caught at point for 52. The score 121 and still 90 required. As I came out from showering, Pete was strolling back having been bowled but not before smashing 45 runs and getting the score to 177. Martin was joined by Keith who didn't trouble the scorer at all. And then by Josh who also didn't trouble the scorer much. In between though Martin hit some great shots which kept us in with a shout. A wicket maiden had meant 21 runs required from 2 overs. A cracking 4, a five wide and another 4 was an awesome start to the over. A 2 and a final 4 meant 19 off the over. Just 2 to win 6 balls. Two dots then a single from Martin, scores tied. Richard on strike 3 balls to go. Richard is given out LBW. So 2 balls 1 to win and all pressure on Ollie Keates. No need to worry as Ollie smashed the first ball for 4 and a great win. A brilliant game and a well deserved result. The effort from all was awesome. The games is always enjoyable when both teams have a chance to win. Man of the Match is really tough. Literally everyone made a massive contribution to our win. Rose, Martin, Keith, Dan and Jim all bowled great. Ollie and Josh took some good catches. Jim's run out was brilliant. Me and James set things up well. Then Pete and Martin with Ollie's help saw us home. So only one way to go and give a TEAM Man of The Match for a cracking effort. Well Done to all and well done to Rose in her first game as Captain. If a few extras can commit to play a few times, every week will hopefully be like this one was. So hopefully they will. Great effort again guys was a privilege to be involved. Another home game next week. Above are the ones who have already committed. Anyone else fancies it just let me know. Thanks again and must thank Andy for scoring and Beth again for the epic teas.
Cheers John Weeks.
Cheers John Weeks.
Kentisbeare 1st XI V Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
09/06/18
Team Sheet
1. John Week
2. Andy Webbe
3. Gareth Davies
4. Chris Luxton
5. James Hayter
6. Rose Ball
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Marten Stanbury
9. Dave Staddon
10. Josh Stephenson
11. Ollie Keates
1:30 start, Meet 11:15 on the Pill
2. Andy Webbe
3. Gareth Davies
4. Chris Luxton
5. James Hayter
6. Rose Ball
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Marten Stanbury
9. Dave Staddon
10. Josh Stephenson
11. Ollie Keates
1:30 start, Meet 11:15 on the Pill
Match Report
Kentisbeare away was game six . Having been there in the distant past I was aware of the size of the boundaries but still it was a shock, enhanced by the lack of a thirty yard circle on the two straight ones. With a few players missing we were indebted to Dave and Ollie for stepping in. I won the toss which actually makes 50/50 now and decided to bat having previously won the four games we batted first in. James and Webbe opened again and again did a good job. They batted out 10 overs for 44. Due to the small boundaries Webbe was hitting more sixes than fours. The bowling though was good and very accurate from the start. Very few balls to hit and very few wides. James was the first to fall LBW for 16. Rose hit a four and a six before she was bowled for 12. I only lasted a few balls before i was out LBW. Marten lasted for bit but was bowled by their Aussie for 9. Webbe continued on making another 50 but was caught for 56 with the score on 103. That was a big blow and showed how decent the bowling was. Every bowler was decent with no let up. The pressure was kept up throughout our innings. Then a partnership of 60 between Darren and Chris started to get us back on track. Darren had done well but spooned a full toss to cover for 41. The rest tried their best to support Chris. They managed to hold out until Chris had got the team over the 200 mark and also himself to a well made 50. Unfortunately we left 4 overs still to bat which would have given us a bit more of a chance. 203 was ok but on such a small ground and against a decent team, bowling and fielding was going to be tough. Tea was excellent again. So out to bowl we went. Rose opened this time with Chris. Chris did his usual decent job and picked up the first wicket. He did though bowl a few wides which is unusual and unfortunately this week very infectious. The batting was as high a standard a I remember facing in the 2nds. They waited for us to bowl bad balls and then put them away. Darren, Rose, Dave, Gareth and Stevie all bowled a few wides and the odd bad ball. The quality of batting and short boundaries punished them severely. Gareth did get us a second wicket and a sixth point, and Marten was probably the pick of the bowling with 6 overs for 27. They got there in quick time though, 17 overs to spare. They were a really good all round side who performed well. We were below par though and gifting them 50 runs in wides didn't help our cause. There were some positives but probably a game to leave behind and move on. Man of the Match probably just goes to Chris who showed what he can do with his first fifty of the season and a fairly decent bowling effort. So well done to Chris. Webbe continued on his great form and James batted ok and have to say kept really well too. Everyone gave their usual effort, I just think we had an off day and came up against a good team. So thanks to all for the effort and those who drove. Appreciate that. Next week is gonna be as tough I'm sure. It's Honiton away. So I hope we can put in the same effort again and hopefully we can put in a decent performance. It's still been a great start. 4 wins out of 6 is excellent and gives us a great chance of a great season. Thanks to all again.
Cheers John Weeks
Cheers John Weeks
Bideford 2nd XI v Axminster 1st XI
E Division East
Devon League
02/06/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Gareth Davies
4. Josh Stephenson
5. Pete Stevens
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Andy Webbe
8. Darren Willcocks
9. James Hayter
10. Ian Hayter
11. Ollie Keates
12. Rose Ball
1:30 Start at the Ho! 😀
2. Chris Luxton
3. Gareth Davies
4. Josh Stephenson
5. Pete Stevens
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Andy Webbe
8. Darren Willcocks
9. James Hayter
10. Ian Hayter
11. Ollie Keates
12. Rose Ball
1:30 Start at the Ho! 😀
Match Report
So to match number 5. Another home game this time against Axminster 1st X. A few years ago they were in the same league as our first team, which made me a little wary as to the standard they were at. On a glorious day the Ho! was looking great. And it was great to see loads of kids having a great time at Maggie Luxton's party. So to the game. After a few selection headaches, for change not mine, the team was almost the same as the previous week. Rose and Ollie came in for Cameron and Josh who went with the firsts. I was delighted to win the toss and made the decision to bat on what looked a great wicket. Thanks Martin. That meant James and Webbe could open again. They once again did a fantastic job. They managed to see off the opening bowlers who looked very decent. James just stuck around and let Webbe do the bulk of the scoring. A few extras contributed to a brilliant start and by drinks we had around 100 on the board. James was the first wicket to fall but as last week he had contributed to a great start. He was caught for 22. Rose joined Webbe and hit a couple good shots and stuck around for a bit but was bowled for 13. Pete couldn't recreate last weeks heroics also getting bowled for 7. The bowling continued to be decent but Webbe was continuing on his merry way. He passed 50 and then let loose hitting some big sixes. Marten joined Webbe and helped out with the scoring. Webbe smashed a straight six to bring up a magnificent century. The first century since Ian's in the first game of last season. A great innings which he carried on to 123 before he was well caught on the boundary. I was caught and bowled for 7 which sent Darren out to join Marten. We had passed 200 at this point and I was hoping we could pass 250. This we did thanks to some lusty shots and good running from Darren and Marten.The innings finished with both not out. Marten for 43 and Darren 20. A final total of 284-5 was a brilliant effort. It once again highlighted our long batting line up as again Chris, Ian and Gareth didn't get a bat. This weeks bowling line up was in my opinion superior to Thorverton's last week which means we are improving as the weeks go by. Mainly down to our superb opening pair of James and Webbe. Who knows what could have happened away at Halberton had Webbe been there to partner James. 5 out of 5 springs to mind haha. So in summary we batted great and I was again very confident we could defend it. We were a bowler light with Cameron and Steve in the firsts but still i thought we had enough. Only one word to say about tea epic. Quite a banquet thanks to Mr and Mrs Ball. The strawberry and ice cream a particular highlight. Was just a shame we had to field after.
So to the fielding. Chris and Gareth opened as usual. Gareth struggled a bit though so only bowled 3 overs but did pick up the opening wicket caught behind by Ian. Chris was his usual magnificent self. No wickets but just 23 off his 9 was awesome. Rose took over from Gareth and was equally as good as Chris. She picked up the vital wicket of their captain for just 5. The other opener was still in though and looking good. Then came a kind of strange passage of play. We bowled quite well. They were batting well and running well, building a good partnership. But they were very slowly falling behind the rate. We didnt get a wicket for quite a while but they hit very few boundaries. I like to think that we were fielding well and my field placing were good. In our innings Webbe was smashing fours and sixes in the middle part. This is something they didn't do and probably cost them in the end. Darren did well again bowling as did Marten. Darren picked up three wickets. With Gareth crocked Webbe and me would have to step up and bowl some overs. Webbe only needed to get through two overs but due to his excellence he made it through five which was a massive help. Darren and Rose did a great job finishing off at the top end. As for my stint, Ill just say thanks to all the other bowlers for giving me plenty of runs to play with. Even though I got completely smashed, they were never likely to get over the line, needing 60 ish off the last 4 overs was 22 too many. They gave it a good go though and had they gone for it slightly earlier they may have got there. Fortunately they didn't and we won by 22 runs. Fielding was very hard work and we were all shattered at the end. But this did show how hard we had worked to get the result we wanted. Although there was one outstanding performance, everyone made massive contributions to our victory. Without EVERYONE making the same effort we wouldn't have won. So thanks to everyone for that. So to Man of the Match. Straight forward this week. Webbe was magnificent. Two weeks in a row he has helped us pass 250 and to two impressive victories. He topped it off bowling 5 tidy overs. Well done mate was brilliant to watch. Again thanks to all for the effort made and Ollie for helping us out. Thanks to Andy for scoring and of course the Ball's for the great teas. Next week is away at Kentisbeare. They have been scoring heavily recently but so have we. We have only dropped one batting point so far. It should make for a great game. Hopefully we can put out a similar team. Pretty sure we are in second place which is a great effort after five games. Three home wins in a row shows we are making visitor work hard every game. Lets try and do the same away from home.It was another great day to be beside the sea.
Cheers John Weeks
So to the fielding. Chris and Gareth opened as usual. Gareth struggled a bit though so only bowled 3 overs but did pick up the opening wicket caught behind by Ian. Chris was his usual magnificent self. No wickets but just 23 off his 9 was awesome. Rose took over from Gareth and was equally as good as Chris. She picked up the vital wicket of their captain for just 5. The other opener was still in though and looking good. Then came a kind of strange passage of play. We bowled quite well. They were batting well and running well, building a good partnership. But they were very slowly falling behind the rate. We didnt get a wicket for quite a while but they hit very few boundaries. I like to think that we were fielding well and my field placing were good. In our innings Webbe was smashing fours and sixes in the middle part. This is something they didn't do and probably cost them in the end. Darren did well again bowling as did Marten. Darren picked up three wickets. With Gareth crocked Webbe and me would have to step up and bowl some overs. Webbe only needed to get through two overs but due to his excellence he made it through five which was a massive help. Darren and Rose did a great job finishing off at the top end. As for my stint, Ill just say thanks to all the other bowlers for giving me plenty of runs to play with. Even though I got completely smashed, they were never likely to get over the line, needing 60 ish off the last 4 overs was 22 too many. They gave it a good go though and had they gone for it slightly earlier they may have got there. Fortunately they didn't and we won by 22 runs. Fielding was very hard work and we were all shattered at the end. But this did show how hard we had worked to get the result we wanted. Although there was one outstanding performance, everyone made massive contributions to our victory. Without EVERYONE making the same effort we wouldn't have won. So thanks to everyone for that. So to Man of the Match. Straight forward this week. Webbe was magnificent. Two weeks in a row he has helped us pass 250 and to two impressive victories. He topped it off bowling 5 tidy overs. Well done mate was brilliant to watch. Again thanks to all for the effort made and Ollie for helping us out. Thanks to Andy for scoring and of course the Ball's for the great teas. Next week is away at Kentisbeare. They have been scoring heavily recently but so have we. We have only dropped one batting point so far. It should make for a great game. Hopefully we can put out a similar team. Pretty sure we are in second place which is a great effort after five games. Three home wins in a row shows we are making visitor work hard every game. Lets try and do the same away from home.It was another great day to be beside the sea.
Cheers John Weeks
Petrockstow v Bideford
NDL Division 2
27/05/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Martin Stewart
3. James Greenleaf
4. Ollie Keates
5. Jim Keates
6. Richard Stone
7. Dave Staddon
8. Keith Berry
9. Andrew Argent
10. Ollie Hannam
11. Richard Hall
2. Martin Stewart
3. James Greenleaf
4. Ollie Keates
5. Jim Keates
6. Richard Stone
7. Dave Staddon
8. Keith Berry
9. Andrew Argent
10. Ollie Hannam
11. Richard Hall
Bideford 2nd XI v Thorverton 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
26/05/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Marten Stanbury
4. Darren Willcocks
5. Cameron Atkinson
6. Andy Webbe
7. Pete Stevens
8. James Hayter
9. Ian Hayter
10. Josh Stephenson
11. Gareth Davies?
Start 1:30. Meet 12:30 at the Ho!
Don’t forget the celebratory beer and pizza for my 10th anniversary and of course the big match. All and everyone are invited. There will also be some entertainment in the afternoon as we have a cricket match to play first which I’m sure will be an awesome watch haha
Finally anyone fancies a game on Sunday please let me know. Loads unavailable so am struggling a little. Any help would be grateful.
Cheers John W
2. Chris Luxton
3. Marten Stanbury
4. Darren Willcocks
5. Cameron Atkinson
6. Andy Webbe
7. Pete Stevens
8. James Hayter
9. Ian Hayter
10. Josh Stephenson
11. Gareth Davies?
Start 1:30. Meet 12:30 at the Ho!
Don’t forget the celebratory beer and pizza for my 10th anniversary and of course the big match. All and everyone are invited. There will also be some entertainment in the afternoon as we have a cricket match to play first which I’m sure will be an awesome watch haha
Finally anyone fancies a game on Sunday please let me know. Loads unavailable so am struggling a little. Any help would be grateful.
Cheers John W
Match Report
The fourth game of the season was a home game against Thorverton. Thanks to our new set of covers we were able to prevent 30 minutes of rain an hour before the game from delaying our start. Due to traffic issues Thorverton literally turned up at the start time of 1:30, so we were actually delayed anyway for 20 minutes. We decided to not lose any overs. For the third time out of four I lost the toss and was asked to bat which is what we wanted to do anyway. Finally James had his opening partner back in Webbe. Both were excellent. Webbe back to his usual best and James was continuing on his great form from last week. They both received some abuse from the opening bowler which wasn't nice to hear but I think it probably spurred them on. James particularly coped well and Webbe probably just laughed having seen it all before. Webbe was the quicker scorer as you would expect. He got lucky being dropped but made the most of it and passed 50. James was ticking along nicely and edging his way towards his first Devon league first 50. Webbe was looking good for a century but was caught on 83. Cameron joined James but didn't last long getting bowled on 5. Due to our great start 166 off 32 I decided to send Pete Stevens out to have a go. Disastrously James fell just short again caught on 48. Another great innings though which gave us a cracking start. I then joined Pete and managed to strike a couple of lusty blows in making a quick fire 20. Marten was then bowled for 2 which sent Darren out to join Pete. This is where Pete took over launching sixes all around the ground. Seven sixes and two fours in a brilliant 64 not out. He was ably supported by Darren who hit a couple good shots making 25 not out. The last ten overs yielded over 100 runs. A magnificent effort from all. The best thing for me was that some good experienced batsmen in Ian and Chris and Gareth weren't even required. 283-5 was a top effort, one which I was confident we would defend. My main concern was the weather. Thanks to Pete and Sarah we had another awesome tea. So out to field went. Gareth and Chris opened up and did great. It was clear early that they weren't getting near our total and they didn't really try. I think they were hoping for rain. It did rain a little but it soon cleared. Chris picked up 3 wickets. One was an excellent catch by Josh. Marten bowled through his overs for just 33. Cameron was excellent again, carrying on from last week. 9-4-16-2. Another great spell. Darren then took over from Marten and was great also. 3-19 off his 9. Reluctantly Josh took over after Cameron , but did really well. 1-12 off his 4 overs. We couldn't quite bowl them out but 9 wickets meant 19 brilliant points which puts us second in the table. Everyone fielded great and we got through our overs really well. They ended on 110-9. Man of the Match is one of the toughest decisions I've had. Webbe and James were awesome. Pete was amazing too. Cameron, Darren and Chris were all excellent bowling. Everyone made a great effort. In the end though I have gone for Pete. His innings was spectacular and took our total from a good one to an amazing one. It gave our bowlers so much more to play with and everyone was on a high at tea. Really well done mate, its was spectacular to watch. Next week we are home again to Axminster firsts who I'm sure will be tough. But if we play as well as we have been we should have a great game. In my opinion we have been getting slightly better each week. Hopefully that will continue. So thanks to all for the effort, its been a great start. Thanks to Dave for umpiring and also Pete and Sarah for once again excellent teas.
Now to thank everyone who stayed on after. I'm not gonna say anything about the football, I'm pretending it didn't happen. Will just thank Cameron and Josh for sorting out the tele. I had a great time anyway. Must thank Chris and Hannah for running the bar, Richard for arranging the pizza and the Kings for saving me from a drunken walk home. The singing and late night trivial pursuit was great. So again thanks to all for coming and if your really lucky I might do another ten years haha maybe.
Cheers John W
Now to thank everyone who stayed on after. I'm not gonna say anything about the football, I'm pretending it didn't happen. Will just thank Cameron and Josh for sorting out the tele. I had a great time anyway. Must thank Chris and Hannah for running the bar, Richard for arranging the pizza and the Kings for saving me from a drunken walk home. The singing and late night trivial pursuit was great. So again thanks to all for coming and if your really lucky I might do another ten years haha maybe.
Cheers John W
Halberton & SP 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
18/05/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Chris Luxton
3. Gareth Davies
4. Rose Ball
5. Cameron Atkinson
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Ian Hayter
9. James Hayter
10. Josh Stephenson
11. Ollie Keates
1:30 Start.Meet 11:30 on the Pill
2. Chris Luxton
3. Gareth Davies
4. Rose Ball
5. Cameron Atkinson
6. Marten Stanbury
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Ian Hayter
9. James Hayter
10. Josh Stephenson
11. Ollie Keates
1:30 Start.Meet 11:30 on the Pill
Match Report
This week we faced the relatively short trip to Halberton. As they have recently merged with Tiverton, I was expecting to come up against a decent team and that we did. On arrival I was pleasantly surprised to see a brand new pavilion and reasonable looking ground. Back to normal as I lost the toss and was asked to field. Gareth and Chris opened up. Runs came quickly with the first two balls going for four. With 44 off the first 8 overs I was getting a little worried, but then Chris struck thanks to a great catch from Cameron. A couple overs later Gareth picked up a wicket LBW. Then Cameron took over from Chris and bowled a great spell. He picked up 3 wickets in his first four overs. One LBW, a great catch low down by Gareth and a catch from me. Runs were still coming quite quickly though. But at this point they were 100-5. Rose had taken over from Gareth and did a good job without taking a wicket. The out field was very uneven which made it a nightmare to field on, lightening quick as well. This therefore highlighted some amazing stops by James Hayter at cover. He will certainly have plenty off bruises to show for his efforts. Probably saved us 20 runs on his own. Willco bowled ok and was unlucky but quite expensive. Marten finished off the overs at the other end and again did ok taking 2 wickets, if a little expensive. A middle order stand of 125 got them to a very good score of 273. A couple of drops maybe would have saved us a few runs and the dodgy outfield probably cost us a few to. We made a decent effort but the difference playing against first XI is that they can bat deep which is what they did with their 6 and 7 getting most of their runs. The extras column was a bit better this week, 26 compared to 50 last week. So that was good, just 12 wides. It was a big target but bat all our overs and we shouldn't be far off. Tea was good again as it has been all season so far. With no Webbe again James had the pleasure of my company opening up. His third partner in 3 games. I was hoping everyone could bat in the same position every week. But should have known that would never work out. The bowling was decent and I rode my luck quite a bit but we managed to get to the first drinks break unbroken with around 60 on the board. I was finally bowled for 23, but James was still going well. Just as I walked out from showering I witnessed his first 6 in men's cricket. A great shot over mid wicket and off his Devon team mate. Darren at 3 came and went for 9. James was then joined by Marten who struggled a bit to get going but ended up making 47 valuable runs. James was unfortunately caught out on 49. But it was a great chance less innings which I'm sure he will improve on in the future. Ian, Chris and Cameron didn't trouble the scorer much, but Gareth did hitting some great shots until a mix up with Marten saw him run out. Once Ian and Chris were out we were never realistically going to chase the target so 200 was the new objective. So when Gareth was run out we needed 20 with 3 overs remaining. We then lost Marten and Josh but thanks to 3 great shots for four by Rose we got there comfortably in the end, ending on 207-9. So our first loss but 9 points is a good return. Again we weren't at our best but still took 8 wickets and scored over 200. They were a decent team who will take some beating this year. But for us, if they are one of the better teams, I don't think we are far off. If we can all play at our best I think we will do well. Keeping up the effort and commitment will be the key. So to Man of the Match. Everyone did well in the field in tough conditions. James, Marten, Gareth and Rose batted great. And Cameron was our star bowler. This week although it doesn't go to Ian again it has to stay in the Hayter household as James Hayter was brilliant. He was brilliant in the field as I said before and was unfortunate to get out on 49. But he looked really good and I'm sure he will stack up the runs throughout the season. So well done to James, great performance. Thanks to all for a good effort once again. Again not quite at our best but still a decent out come in the end. Thanks to all who drove. I hope we can keep up the good work next week, the first of two home games in a row against Thorverton. Finally just a reminder, not that anyone should need reminding the mighty Liverpool will on after next weeks game along with a celebratory beer for my 10th anniversary as captain. Hope to see you all there, the weather is looking fine and Hopefully it will turn out to be a double celebration. UP THE REDS . Cheers John Weeks
Bideford 2nd XI v Woodbury &Newton St. Cyres 1st XI
E Division East
Devon League
12/05/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Marten Stanbury
3. Ian Hayter
4. James Hayter
5. Gareth Davies
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Rose Ball
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Chris Luxton
10. Fred King
11. Josh Atkinson
1:30 Start, Meet 12:30 at the HO!
2. Marten Stanbury
3. Ian Hayter
4. James Hayter
5. Gareth Davies
6. Josh Stephenson
7. Rose Ball
8. Darren Willcocks
9. Chris Luxton
10. Fred King
11. Josh Atkinson
1:30 Start, Meet 12:30 at the HO!
Match Report
So to game two. Another new team for me, so unsure again on the standard we would be facing. It was a reasonable day weather wise and another decent wicket to play on. Early in the week i had a slight selection headache but by Friday it had worked out quite nicely in the end. On winning the toss for a change I decided to see how well we could bat. At 5-2 after 7 overs I was beginning to regret my decision. But I needn't of worried as James Hayter and Fred put on a 60 run partnership in quick time. When James was caught for a well made 21, I joined Fred. 85 at drinks was good. Fred batted well and passed fifty. He probable should have made it to a century but eventually missed a straight one on 67. That brought Mr consistency Ian Hayter to the crease. He did what he always does. Waits for the bad ball and punishes it by smacking it to the boundary. I made a very scratchy 17 before I was caught at mid on. Darren joined Ian and both hit some great boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking along nicely. I was hoping to make it to 200. With 5 overs left we needed 35 runs. Darren was bowled for 22 and Chris perished LBW 1st ball. That brought Gareth to the crease. With 2 overs to go we were 191. Gareth smashed a beamer over the pavilion to bring up the 200 and maximum batting points. 1 over left 205. Ian then smashed 24 runs off the last over finishing with a huge six off the last ball. 229 was a great total in the end. One which with the bowling we had I was very confident off defending. So after our excellent tea thanks to Hannah Luxton we went out to field. I opened up with Fred. It didn't go great. Fred did ok but couldn't manage a wicket. I did manage to get one but didn't bowl great. Several wides and boundaries conceded. At the tenth over Ian informed me that he was possibly going to faint! This meant I had to take over keeping, Chris came on to bowl and we had ten fielders for a few overs. In a small way it worked out ok. Gareth picked up a wicket caught behind by me. And Chris was keeping it tight at the other end. With 95-2 at drinks the game could still go either way. Rose took over from Gareth and Marten from Chris. Both did great jobs, hardly going for a boundary. Rose picked up a wicket bowled and Marten grabbed two. One a great catch by Stevie off probably their best batsman. Darren came on and continued the good work taking another wicket caught behind by Ian who was back on the field. We only took six wickets but we were able to restrict them particularly from scoring boundaries. The one concern was the amount of wides. Everyone bowled a few and this was continually keeping them in with a shout. In the end though our total was too much and they finished 193-6. An 18 point win and another great TEAM effort. Several good batting efforts and 7 bowlers used means everyone played a part. The standard was higher than last week and after seeing Halberton chase 286 against Kentisbeare I'm convinced it will only get higher again. We have been up to the task so far with two decent wins even though we haven't been at our absolute best. Hopefully we can get better as the weeks go by. So to Man of the Match. As I said everyone did well. James batted for 26 overs which can only do him well. Fred and Ian were the class batsmen both making great fifties. Willco and Gareth both added some good late order runs. Rose, Darren, Marten and Chris all bowled reasonably well. And everyone did a good job in the field. But for me once again the star player has to be Ian. His extraordinary late order hitting got us a total that we comfortably defended in the end. Without those last 3/4 overs things would have been very tight. So well done again to Ian. I hope next week someone else can outshine him because it will get boring giving it to him every week HaHa. So finally a great team effort and two wins in a row. It was frustrating at times particularly in the field but still a very enjoyable game. Thanks to all for the effort, very much appreciated. Thanks to Andy for scoring and of course our wonderful tea lady Hannah for the always excellent teas. Halberton away next week. Another tough game but two first teams played and two wins. It's an early season top of the table clash (1 and 2) so hopefully it will be a great game. Another great day to be beside the sea.
Cheers John
Cheers John
Exwick 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
E Division East
Devon League
05/05/18
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Andy Webbe
3. Gareth Davies
4. Marten Stanbury
5. Ian Hayter
6. James Hayter
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Steve Bond
9. Cameron Atkinson
10. Pete Stevens
11. Josh Stephenson
Meet 11:15 ON THE PILL
2. Andy Webbe
3. Gareth Davies
4. Marten Stanbury
5. Ian Hayter
6. James Hayter
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Steve Bond
9. Cameron Atkinson
10. Pete Stevens
11. Josh Stephenson
Meet 11:15 ON THE PILL
Match Report
Right then where do I start. I thinking that I'll wake up at some point and yesterday won't have happened. I'll explain the best I can. So on a glorious day I was delighted to get a call from Dave Staddon who offered to umpire. One less thing for me to worry about.Knowing that we were having to play on an artificial wicket I was dubious about how things were going to pan out. It was a reasonable trip down and on arrival I was optimistic as the changing facilities were great.But when we walked the few hundred yards to the pitch it wasn't a great sight. The setting was fine but the outfield wasn't great. Plenty of cut grass everywhere, several holes and very soft. No pavilion meant dragging our kit bags to the side of the pitch. The toss went the way it usually does and we were asked to have a bat. I was a little worried about how the artificial would play and about what standard of bowling we would be facing. Webbe and James opened up and did well. I needn't have worried about the standard of bowling. Several no balls and wides kept the score ticking over. Due to the soft outfield and grass cutting everywhere it was almost impossible to hit a four. Fielding was never going to be easy but they weren't the best. Webbe was dropped and several others went down throughout the innings. James was given out LBW which sent Marten out to join Webbe. Both did a good job even though it was difficult to score. Webbe hit a six but was out for 31. I didn't last long but that gave Ian the opportunity to bat. He did a great job. Several shots that would have been four anywhere else stopped just shot of the boundary which meant lots of twos were run. Marten fell just as he was getting going for 21.Ian was joined by Darren who although a little lucky did a great job supporting Ian and carried on when Ian was finally out. Ian scored a magnificent fifty which gave us a great chance of making 200. Pete hit a couple lusty blows as we edged towards 200. Darren fell for a brilliant 37. So with 2 balls to go and the score on 199, only Pete and Steve know how they didn't managed the 1 run we needed. Still it was an excellent effort on a wicket that was quite unpredictable. A few took off as Ian found out when struck on the hand. Knowing that our bowling attack although missing Jack and Chris was much better, I was very confident we could defend our decent total. Tea was decent and then came having to field and bowl in trainers. Something I haven't done in a long time. Gareth and Steve opened the bowling. It was clear early that they weren't going to get near our total. 18 overs without a wide is something i haven't seen ever i think. Gareth struck first knocking over the stumps on springs. I then took a catch off Gareth for the second wicket. Steve knocked over the Stumps again for the third. A good catch from Josh gave Gareth another wicket. Steve bowled the most economical spell i have ever seen 9-7-4-2. Webbe took an excellent slip catch to give Steve his second wicket. A great opening spell from both left Exwick 31-5. The unpredictable bounce was causing Ian a nightmare behind the stumps.Byes top scored and one even hit the helmet for 5 penalty runs. Darren took over from Gareth. Although he bowled the only wides of the inning he did a great job and was finally rewarded with a wicket. Cameron at the other end was excellent and picked up three wickets two caught and one LBW. Marten took just 2 balls to finish things off with Gareth taking the catch. 64 all out and 19 excellent points.In the end a potential slip up was overcome well. It was a great all round team effort. Man of the Match has to be Ian for his great batting effort and he did a great job keeping in tough conditions. So well done to him but everyone was great. We all fielded well in the conditions. Steve bowled excellently as did Gareth, Cameron and Darren. Darren also batted great as did Marten, Webbe and Pete. So again a great effort from all. If we keep it up we will have a great season. I am convinced the standard will get higher so we will have to keep our standard high. Well done to the first team who pulled off a dramatic last ball victory. Thanks to Dave for umpiring and to those who drove. In the end a great day which I hope we can repeat next week.
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Devon League Preview
Finally its here, the 2018 season. The snow has gone and finally the sun is starting to shine. This year as with every year I'm looking forward to it and am very optimistic about our chances. The regulars are here as always and we have a couple of old heads making reappearances. So all is looking well. Or is it? No overseas means no Jack Ford and without Chris Luxton for a few weeks, both are massive blows. Injuries holidays and work commitments are just some of the issues we will face. But we will hopefully be able to make use of our reasonably sized squad and still be a decent side. Hopefully everyone will be keen to play when required.
This season will be an interesting one for the seconds as we will be coming up against plenty of first XIs. Into the unknown we will go. We will find out just how good or not we are. I'm confident that we can have a great season so long as we give our all and enjoy every game. So long as we concentrate hard and do the basic well I'm sure we will be fine. Regular commitment to playing will play a major part in how well we do. Being able to select the same side every week is great for consistency and usually brings positive results.Knowing your role in the team help greatly with individual performances.I have the feeling that every game is going to be tough and that our MANY victories will be hard earn't and very well deserved. One slight blessing due to the restructure is that there will be much less travelling than normal. Most trips are around the hour mark except for the dreaded Axminster. Some new grounds to visit which will be interesting. Its always nice to visit new clubs but your always wary of what you might find. Particularly wondering what the wicket will be like. Sometimes we realize just how lucky we are. So in summary i am very much looking forward to the season and hope everyone else is too. As I said, if we work hard do the basics right and enjoy ourselves we will have a great season however it goes.
Must not finish without thanking Martin Hockin, Andy Davies, Rod Hannam and everyone else who work extremely hard to provide us with wickets and facilities we take for granted weekly.As I said very few places we go match up.
Also must wish the first team well on their resurrection into the A Division. I along with the whole club I'm sure hope they have a great season.
And finally as some will know its my 10th season and coincidentally my 150th game as captain. I have decided to celebrate this fact with a beer/cider or two and a pizza (Domino's) on 26/05/18 after our home game. Although the firsts are away I'm hopefully some will be able to make it back and help me celebrate as most will have played seconds since I've been captain. It's not a party just a celebratory beer or two. As always all and everyone are invited. There is now extra incentive to come and help me celebrate. There is a reason I have left this report till tonight. I can now confirm that the Mighty reds of Anfield will be competing in the Champions league final which just happens to be the same evening. Hope to have the game on at the club and so a double celebration will I'm sure be in order. I'm also sure everyone will want to witness this historic game.
So to finish Liverpool and Bideford 2nds are the greatest teams in the world. Good luck to all and BRING ON THE FIRST XIs
Cheers John Weeks
Sorry for video but couldn't resist haha
This season will be an interesting one for the seconds as we will be coming up against plenty of first XIs. Into the unknown we will go. We will find out just how good or not we are. I'm confident that we can have a great season so long as we give our all and enjoy every game. So long as we concentrate hard and do the basic well I'm sure we will be fine. Regular commitment to playing will play a major part in how well we do. Being able to select the same side every week is great for consistency and usually brings positive results.Knowing your role in the team help greatly with individual performances.I have the feeling that every game is going to be tough and that our MANY victories will be hard earn't and very well deserved. One slight blessing due to the restructure is that there will be much less travelling than normal. Most trips are around the hour mark except for the dreaded Axminster. Some new grounds to visit which will be interesting. Its always nice to visit new clubs but your always wary of what you might find. Particularly wondering what the wicket will be like. Sometimes we realize just how lucky we are. So in summary i am very much looking forward to the season and hope everyone else is too. As I said, if we work hard do the basics right and enjoy ourselves we will have a great season however it goes.
Must not finish without thanking Martin Hockin, Andy Davies, Rod Hannam and everyone else who work extremely hard to provide us with wickets and facilities we take for granted weekly.As I said very few places we go match up.
Also must wish the first team well on their resurrection into the A Division. I along with the whole club I'm sure hope they have a great season.
And finally as some will know its my 10th season and coincidentally my 150th game as captain. I have decided to celebrate this fact with a beer/cider or two and a pizza (Domino's) on 26/05/18 after our home game. Although the firsts are away I'm hopefully some will be able to make it back and help me celebrate as most will have played seconds since I've been captain. It's not a party just a celebratory beer or two. As always all and everyone are invited. There is now extra incentive to come and help me celebrate. There is a reason I have left this report till tonight. I can now confirm that the Mighty reds of Anfield will be competing in the Champions league final which just happens to be the same evening. Hope to have the game on at the club and so a double celebration will I'm sure be in order. I'm also sure everyone will want to witness this historic game.
So to finish Liverpool and Bideford 2nds are the greatest teams in the world. Good luck to all and BRING ON THE FIRST XIs
Cheers John Weeks
Sorry for video but couldn't resist haha
Back row- Andy Webbe, Chris Luxton, Steve Bond, John Weeks, Tom Farnell, Gareth Davies, Ike Aviston
Front row- Matt Parkhouse, Tom Parkhouse, Marten Stanbuy, Ollie Hannam, Rosie Ball
Front row- Matt Parkhouse, Tom Parkhouse, Marten Stanbuy, Ollie Hannam, Rosie Ball
Bideford Devon League 2nd XI 2014
Westward Ho! 2015
