Bideford 2nd XI
Devon League F Division
2022
Bideford 2nd XI v Axminster 1st XI
18/06/22
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Andy Webbe
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Ian Brown
5. Ollie Keates
6. Jack Ancill
7. Pete Stevens
8. James Greenleaf
9. Ian Hayter
10. Keith Berry
11. Damon Berry
1pm start at the Ho!
2. Andy Webbe
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Ian Brown
5. Ollie Keates
6. Jack Ancill
7. Pete Stevens
8. James Greenleaf
9. Ian Hayter
10. Keith Berry
11. Damon Berry
1pm start at the Ho!
Match Report
Game 7 looked like it might be the first called off game for us. The forecast was terrible. But for all who have played at the Ho! Regularly you’ll know that we can very often be lucky enough to somehow get a game in when all around us suffer. This was to be that game. The covers were removed around 12:30 and amazingly never went back on. I was Hoping to win the toss and bowl. But obviously as usual I didn’t and was asked to bat. Still with a decent batting lineup I still expected us to put up a challenging 200 plus total. I again partnered Webbe opening up. Together we got off to a great start. Several boundaries and the odd 3🥵 kept the scoreboard ticking nicely. The drizzle came and went all innings, but never quite enough to take us off. Both of us were dropped once each. But we ploughed on and Webbe was first to his fifty. Unfortunately straight after with the score on 103 Webbe nicked behind for 53. Still another decent effort. I then watched on as Ian left his 3rd ball which then crashed into his off stump. Out for a 🦆. Sorry couldn’t resist 😂😂 I was joined by James just before drinks. I managed to hit a four which took me to my first fifty this season. I though copied Webbe by getting out two balls later bowled.3 wickets for 6 runs added a bit of pressure. Being ultra critical one of us should have made sure we were still in nearer the end. Both of us were out trying big shots. Still James and now Ian continued to tick the scoreboard along. Ian hit two big sixes. They put on fifty before another mini collapse. Both in batsman getting out in quick succession. James caught behind and Ian bowled. We still had batting to come. Darren and Keith both batted excellently. Keith made 32 not out and Darren made 29. Jack joined Keith for the last few balls. We had passed 200 and made it to a decent total of 238-6. Was good but with several getting starts and also now knowing the result. Having an in batsman sticking in longer and making it to 70/80 plus would have made it easier and the total more like 270. Bit like we did against Upottery. Still was a good effort and I was confident we could defend. We were though Shawn of some regular bowling. Jack opened up in Jim’s absence and Darren opened up the hill. Both did ok but every over we would bowl a four ball. Hardly an over went by without at least one. Jack picked up a great caught and bowled for the first wicket. But unfortunately that’s as good as it got till they were on 169. They hit the bad balls well for boundaries. Ian Brown and Damon who took over from the openers, tried but couldn’t stem the flow of runs. Axminster kept up with the run rate throughout. Struggling for bowling Ian Hayter removed his keeping kit and bowled 8 overs up the the hill. He did a great job finally taking the second wicket and giving us a sniff. All the while the runs kept ticking and the drizzle kept keeping everything damp. Ollie had a go but found it tough with a wet soap like ball. Ian and Jack did pick up a late wicket each but unfortunately not the in batsman who did what we couldn’t making 95 not out. We took it to the last over of the game, bowled by Keith. But alas they won with 5 balls to spare. Was tough in the field on a damp day. I thought we batted well with several decent contributions. But on the day Axminster’s batters contributed slightly better. If Tim and Jim hadn’t been missing I think it would’ve been tougher for Axminster to chase are total. So it’s wasn’t the greatest day to be beside the sea but we did pretty well and at least got a full game in which was great. Man of the Match was tough with several good efforts particularly batting. Me, Webbe, Keith and Darren all did ok. And I thought Jack did a decent job bowling in tough conditions. But this week I’m going for our superman who seems to be able to do everything. Ian Hayter scored 30 with the bat, kept for 20 overs and then showed all the kids how to bowl up the hill. Bowling 8 overs and taking 2 wickets. So great effort from Ian, well played. On the day we came up just short but still played ok. Axminster played just that bit better on the day, so we’ll done to them. Should be a good game away. I hear they provide teas too, so that’s something to look forward to. Let’s keep the effort going and I’m sure we will have a great season. Thanks to all for the effort appreciated as always. Next week is home again, this time to Sampford Peverall.
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Cullompton 2nd XI v Bideford 2nd XI
11/06/22
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Andy Webbe
3. Darren Willcocks
4. James Greenleaf
5. Ian Hayter
6. Keith Berry
7. Damon Berry
8. Jack Ancill
9. Tim Cooke
10. Ollie Keates
11. Jim Keates
1pm start at Cullompton
2. Andy Webbe
3. Darren Willcocks
4. James Greenleaf
5. Ian Hayter
6. Keith Berry
7. Damon Berry
8. Jack Ancill
9. Tim Cooke
10. Ollie Keates
11. Jim Keates
1pm start at Cullompton
Match Report
So to game 6 and the relatively short trip to Cullompton. This weeks team had just the one change. Greenleaf and Stone swapping teams. It’s been great lately to have a reasonably settled side. On arrival the sun was out and it looked like being a decent day. The wicket looked in good shape and the boundary one side was fairly short. Not quite Kentisbeare though 😂 So with that in mind I was hoping to win the toss a land put a decent total on the board. The first bit went well with tails coming up trumps. With Tom Stone missing I decided to open up with Webbe. Some extremely lenient umpiring mixed with some decent deliveries made it extremely tough to get going. Going at 1 an over for the first half dozen over put us under some early pressure. This pressure told when Webbe gloved behind for just 6. I was joined by Keith. Slowly we managed to up the rate a little and found the boundary a few times. All the while the extremely lenient umpiring continued. It made it tough having on occasions to chase balls that should really have been wide, particularly the leg side ones. Still we managed to keep wickets and tick the scoreboard over. We got to drinks with 67 on the board and nine wickets in hand. A couple overs after Keith danced down, missed and was bowled. This brought Ian to the crease. He played an entertaining brief cameo. Hitting a Beamer for the only 6 of the game. We took 27 off the 24th over. Helped by a couple of no balls and two massive wides going for fours. Ian though was unfortunately out chopping one to point shortly after. In the same over my stay came to an end on 43, getting strangled down the leg side. This partnered James Greenleaf and Darren. We were 111-4 at this point with 15 to go. I was still hopeful of adding some more vital runs. For the next five overs James held his end up and Darren hit a hand full of boundaries. Darren then got a decent one and was bowled. That left ten overs. Jim and James both struggled to get the ball away, only able to take the odd single. James was caught first for 7 and then Jim for 11. Jack had come in at 8 and hit several good shots. He hit four boundaries on his way to a vital 21 off 19 balls. There was one over to go and an entertaining one it was. Jack hit a 2 but was out next ball. Damon took a single off a no ball. This put Ollie on strike. I was gutted as I had stopped filming him in the previous over. Ollie’s dismissal was hilarious. Only he knows why he jumped out the way of a ball that half volleyed off stump. Made everyone laugh though so thanks for that Ollie. Think you might get reminded about it fairly regularly. So last man Tim tried to smash the final ball but could only sky it and was caught. A final total of 175 was ok but I was a little disappointed. I was very hopeful that the umpire would be equally as lenient for us. Thankfully he was. I was thinking we were 30-40 short and would have to bowl well to stand a chance. Cullompton provided us with a tea which was great and very much enjoyed by all. Damon particularly enjoyed the chocolate muffins. Not sure anyone else in the team got one. I counted at least 7.😂😂
So now to the second job of the day, fielding and bowling. Jim and Darren opened again and I very much hoped they could repeat last weeks performances. Jim did a good job. But I think Keith forgot his super glue this week putting down a sharp chance at slip. Was the big wicket of their captain. He would make us pay. Particularly Darren who found his bad deliveries racing to the boundary. Jim bowled two opening maidens but unfortunately Darren’s opening three went for 31. A change was made to bring Jack on in place of Darren. The boundaries kept coming though and after 9 overs they had 60 on the board. Well ahead of the rate. Jim had taken a decent caught and bowled but their captain was still in. It took a great catch from Damon in the next over to remove him off Jacks bowling. We now had a sniff. After Jim’s decent opening spell I decided to make the bold decision to bring back Darren back from the opposite end. The decent bat was out and I hoped he would have more luck. When his first over back went for 10 I was regretting my decision. But keeping the faith he rewarded me with two wickets in his next over. Keith must have found his glue as he took one at gully, literally the ball after the captain moved him from slip. Not luck, just perfectly placed fielder’s 😂😂 Two balls later the stumps were disturbed. 87-4 and a real shout now. Thanks to Darren and Tim who had replaced Jack. 87-4 became 94-5 at drinks. Darren bent back the stumps again. All to play for now. The confidence was rising. Darren had now finished so Jack came back in his place. Tim had been going about his business as per usual and finally enticed the batsman out of his crease and Ian duly stumped him. The runs were still coming though. Several boundaries were hit and although wickets were falling, Cullompton were edging towards our total. 113-6 became 138-6. Super Tim then struck again,Ian taking a comfortable catch. In the same over Damon produced a calm bit of fielding to inflict a run out. Ian had the simple task of removing the bails. Things were now getting tense. 36 required with 2 wickets and 10 overs left. Jim finished off his overs well, as did Tim. Both bowled great. Now came crunch time. Damon was thrown the ball. He bowled two good over to start. Then it was the turn of Ollie. They had taken the score onto 150. Keeping Keith at slip payed off when he snapped up their number 10 nicely. 26 required 1 wicket left. A couple overs went by with 12 runs being scored. 5 overs still to go. Just 14 needed. We had been trying to give their in batsman a single and bowl at number 11. But When he made a reasonable attempt at a reverse sweep I worried that maybe he wasn’t a usual number 11. With just 8 needed I decided to bring some fielders in to prevent them just tapping singles. This worked spectacularly. Now they would have to beat the field. In trying this the ball was smash straight at Tim. A foot either side and we were probably defeated. To my delight Tim snaffled it brilliant for a fantastic win. The nerves were shredded but we came out on top in an epic game. Every year we are involve in one or two like this. 19 vital and very well earned points. Cullompton put up a good fight but we held our nerve and triumphed in the end. Today was a great all round effort again. Man of the Match is very, very tough. I batted reasonably for 43 if a little slow. Darren came back in his second spell brilliantly. Jim’s 8 overs were great as were Jacks 7. Jack also hit 21 vital runs at the end. Damon had a great game in the field. A vital catch, a vital run out and the most vital of wickets, the winning one. But today I’m gonna go with Tim. Every week he seems to pick up wickets and rarely gets smashed about. 8 overs for just 23 runs was a brilliant effort. The two wickets and then the match winning catch. Having put down 4 catches early on it was brilliant that Tim held on to the winning. Well done to him, great effort again. So third in the table just 13 off the top. 4 wins out of 6 is a great effort. The fact we were really disappointed in the two loses shows we have had a great chance in every game. A great season is looming, let’s keep up the effort and make it so. Had we held our catches like we did against Whimple things would have been a lot easier. So plenty still to work on. But another brilliantly entertaining and enjoyable game. Thanks to all from me for that. Just hope my nerves can hold out😂 Thanks to Cullompton for an excellent tea and a decent game. Thanks to all who drove. Appreciated as always. Next week is Axminster at home followed by Sampford Peverall at home. Hopefully we can use home advantage and keep our run going. 58 out of 60 points is great. Up the Bideford 2nd XI.💪💪💪💪💪😀😀😀🏏🏏
Cheers
John Weeks
So now to the second job of the day, fielding and bowling. Jim and Darren opened again and I very much hoped they could repeat last weeks performances. Jim did a good job. But I think Keith forgot his super glue this week putting down a sharp chance at slip. Was the big wicket of their captain. He would make us pay. Particularly Darren who found his bad deliveries racing to the boundary. Jim bowled two opening maidens but unfortunately Darren’s opening three went for 31. A change was made to bring Jack on in place of Darren. The boundaries kept coming though and after 9 overs they had 60 on the board. Well ahead of the rate. Jim had taken a decent caught and bowled but their captain was still in. It took a great catch from Damon in the next over to remove him off Jacks bowling. We now had a sniff. After Jim’s decent opening spell I decided to make the bold decision to bring back Darren back from the opposite end. The decent bat was out and I hoped he would have more luck. When his first over back went for 10 I was regretting my decision. But keeping the faith he rewarded me with two wickets in his next over. Keith must have found his glue as he took one at gully, literally the ball after the captain moved him from slip. Not luck, just perfectly placed fielder’s 😂😂 Two balls later the stumps were disturbed. 87-4 and a real shout now. Thanks to Darren and Tim who had replaced Jack. 87-4 became 94-5 at drinks. Darren bent back the stumps again. All to play for now. The confidence was rising. Darren had now finished so Jack came back in his place. Tim had been going about his business as per usual and finally enticed the batsman out of his crease and Ian duly stumped him. The runs were still coming though. Several boundaries were hit and although wickets were falling, Cullompton were edging towards our total. 113-6 became 138-6. Super Tim then struck again,Ian taking a comfortable catch. In the same over Damon produced a calm bit of fielding to inflict a run out. Ian had the simple task of removing the bails. Things were now getting tense. 36 required with 2 wickets and 10 overs left. Jim finished off his overs well, as did Tim. Both bowled great. Now came crunch time. Damon was thrown the ball. He bowled two good over to start. Then it was the turn of Ollie. They had taken the score onto 150. Keeping Keith at slip payed off when he snapped up their number 10 nicely. 26 required 1 wicket left. A couple overs went by with 12 runs being scored. 5 overs still to go. Just 14 needed. We had been trying to give their in batsman a single and bowl at number 11. But When he made a reasonable attempt at a reverse sweep I worried that maybe he wasn’t a usual number 11. With just 8 needed I decided to bring some fielders in to prevent them just tapping singles. This worked spectacularly. Now they would have to beat the field. In trying this the ball was smash straight at Tim. A foot either side and we were probably defeated. To my delight Tim snaffled it brilliant for a fantastic win. The nerves were shredded but we came out on top in an epic game. Every year we are involve in one or two like this. 19 vital and very well earned points. Cullompton put up a good fight but we held our nerve and triumphed in the end. Today was a great all round effort again. Man of the Match is very, very tough. I batted reasonably for 43 if a little slow. Darren came back in his second spell brilliantly. Jim’s 8 overs were great as were Jacks 7. Jack also hit 21 vital runs at the end. Damon had a great game in the field. A vital catch, a vital run out and the most vital of wickets, the winning one. But today I’m gonna go with Tim. Every week he seems to pick up wickets and rarely gets smashed about. 8 overs for just 23 runs was a brilliant effort. The two wickets and then the match winning catch. Having put down 4 catches early on it was brilliant that Tim held on to the winning. Well done to him, great effort again. So third in the table just 13 off the top. 4 wins out of 6 is a great effort. The fact we were really disappointed in the two loses shows we have had a great chance in every game. A great season is looming, let’s keep up the effort and make it so. Had we held our catches like we did against Whimple things would have been a lot easier. So plenty still to work on. But another brilliantly entertaining and enjoyable game. Thanks to all from me for that. Just hope my nerves can hold out😂 Thanks to Cullompton for an excellent tea and a decent game. Thanks to all who drove. Appreciated as always. Next week is Axminster at home followed by Sampford Peverall at home. Hopefully we can use home advantage and keep our run going. 58 out of 60 points is great. Up the Bideford 2nd XI.💪💪💪💪💪😀😀😀🏏🏏
Cheers
John Weeks
Bideford 2nd XI v Whimple 2nd XI
04/06/22
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Ian Hayter
4. Andy Webbe
5. Tom Stone
6. Keith Berry
7. Damon Berry
8. Tim Cooke
9. Ollie Keates
10. Jim Keates
11. Jack Ancill
1pm Start at Westward Ho!
No Teas
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Ian Hayter
4. Andy Webbe
5. Tom Stone
6. Keith Berry
7. Damon Berry
8. Tim Cooke
9. Ollie Keates
10. Jim Keates
11. Jack Ancill
1pm Start at Westward Ho!
No Teas
Match Report
Game 5 was another home game for us, the second of four in five weeks to come. We tend to do well at the Ho so for me this is a big part of the season for us and one that will hopefully set us up for a decent season. So on arrival around 10:30, I was pleasantly surprised to see Jamie tending to our ever impressive square. A little bit of rain overnight meant it was damp but as we all know Westward Ho! Drys up quickly. It was overcast but didn’t actually rain until fives minutes before kickoff. Fortunately it was just a passing shower. Having only lost ten minutes we decided not to lose any overs. I had already lost the toss and was asked to have a bowl. This wasn’t the worst thing, due to a strong wind and overcast conditions. So Darren and Jim opened up again and both were able to bowl decently. Darren picked up the first wicket caught at first slip by Keith, at second or third juggle. This is a sentence I’ll be regularly repeating, just a different bowler. So here I go, this time it was a great catch at first slip off Jim’s bowling. So two early wickets had given us a great start. Darren then snaffled the third wicket caught at slip again by Keith 😀 Jack took over from Jim. His first over probably one to forget going for 16. He did though tighten things up. 40-3 became 47-4 with Ian taking a catch off Jack. Then he sent a stump cartwheeling for his second. 50-5.Next it was the turn of Tim. His first wicket was well taken by our first slip(guess who?)😀 I then interrupted Keith taking a catch at mid off. But only briefly. Wow another one off Tim once again snapped up at first slip. A 5fer, Getting silly now. Tim enticed another batsman to leave his crease and he was stumped well by Ian. Another four wickets for Tim to add to his collection. Tom took over from Jack and did a fantastic job. Their in batsman decided not to take singles and did a reasonable job farming the strike. He got them to 97 before Tom finally finished it, out doing Jack by sending two stumps cartwheeling. His was a spell of 4.1-4-0-1. Beat the bat several times. So 97 all out was a fantastic effort. Only one drop from memory and a few wides but in all very happy at the break.
Webbe and Tom opened up again and started off well. But at 20-0 Webbe missed a straight one and was bowled. 20-1 became 24-2 when Tom was caught at gully. This partnered Ian and Keith together. Keith managed 5 runs before he was also caught. Now it was 33-3. Ian was now joined by Jim. Jim did a good job holding an end up whilst Ian went about his work. Punishing the bad deliveries he was given. 7 fours from him got him to 42 and us to within 10 of winning. I joined Jim and we finished the game off. A nicely struck 6 to win. 102-4. A little nervous at 33-3 but a great innings from Ian saw us win reasonably comfortably in the end. Today was a great all round effort again. Lots of people contributing to a very good win. Different people stepping up each week is great to see. Man of the Match is a first for me. Not for his bowling or his batting. Keith wins for his superb slip catching. A specialist if ever a saw one. One or two slip catches is a rarity, so five is extraordinary. He juggled a couple but still held on. An amazing effort and a vital one. Kept the wickets coming regularly. So brilliantly well done to him. First time I’ve enjoyed a jug for slip catching. Must mention the rest though as it was a great team effort. Jim bowled well and held his end well when batting. Jack, Darren and Tom also all bowled great. Tim was his usual self taking another four wickets. A great asset to have. On any other day Ian would have been man of the match. A catch, a stumping and 42 well made runs. He took us to the edge of victory removing any remaining nerves. So in summary it was another great day and victory for us. Weather wasn’t great but held off for us. Thanks again to Richard for his brilliant effort in the scoreboard, appreciated as always and Jamie for once again providing a decent wicket and ground for us to play on. Next week is Cullompton away. Hopefully we can keep our good form going. Will be tough but I’m sure we are capable of putting in another big effort. So well done all. Finally well done to the first XI on 4 out of 5. It’s shaping up to being an epic season. Let’s keep up the effort.cheers and good night
John Weeks😀😀
Webbe and Tom opened up again and started off well. But at 20-0 Webbe missed a straight one and was bowled. 20-1 became 24-2 when Tom was caught at gully. This partnered Ian and Keith together. Keith managed 5 runs before he was also caught. Now it was 33-3. Ian was now joined by Jim. Jim did a good job holding an end up whilst Ian went about his work. Punishing the bad deliveries he was given. 7 fours from him got him to 42 and us to within 10 of winning. I joined Jim and we finished the game off. A nicely struck 6 to win. 102-4. A little nervous at 33-3 but a great innings from Ian saw us win reasonably comfortably in the end. Today was a great all round effort again. Lots of people contributing to a very good win. Different people stepping up each week is great to see. Man of the Match is a first for me. Not for his bowling or his batting. Keith wins for his superb slip catching. A specialist if ever a saw one. One or two slip catches is a rarity, so five is extraordinary. He juggled a couple but still held on. An amazing effort and a vital one. Kept the wickets coming regularly. So brilliantly well done to him. First time I’ve enjoyed a jug for slip catching. Must mention the rest though as it was a great team effort. Jim bowled well and held his end well when batting. Jack, Darren and Tom also all bowled great. Tim was his usual self taking another four wickets. A great asset to have. On any other day Ian would have been man of the match. A catch, a stumping and 42 well made runs. He took us to the edge of victory removing any remaining nerves. So in summary it was another great day and victory for us. Weather wasn’t great but held off for us. Thanks again to Richard for his brilliant effort in the scoreboard, appreciated as always and Jamie for once again providing a decent wicket and ground for us to play on. Next week is Cullompton away. Hopefully we can keep our good form going. Will be tough but I’m sure we are capable of putting in another big effort. So well done all. Finally well done to the first XI on 4 out of 5. It’s shaping up to being an epic season. Let’s keep up the effort.cheers and good night
John Weeks😀😀
Bideford 2nd XI v Uppottery 2nd XI
28/05/22
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Andy Webbe
3. James Roe
4. Martin Stewart
5. James Greenleaf
6. Keith Berry
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Tom Stone
9. Ian Hayter
10. Pete Stevens
11. Jim Keates
1pm Start at Westward Ho!
No teas as normal
2. Andy Webbe
3. James Roe
4. Martin Stewart
5. James Greenleaf
6. Keith Berry
7. Darren Willcocks
8. Tom Stone
9. Ian Hayter
10. Pete Stevens
11. Jim Keates
1pm Start at Westward Ho!
No teas as normal
Match Report
Game four was a home game against Upottery. It was another glorious day at Westward Ho! The ground was looking great as was the team. The first team had given me three players, so this was one of the rare occasions where a couple of players had to miss out. With the line up I had I was desperate to bat first on a great looking wicket. So my heart sank when their captain called correctly. But to my complete surprise he opted to have a bowl. As a young captain he probably lacked a bit of experience. So I was delighted to inform my players we would be batting. As Webbe was back he partnered Tom opening up. Very early on Webbe spooned a catch to point. My heart sank again, but to my delight he was dropped, on zero as well. This is something Upottery would come to regret. Both played out some good opening bowling. Waiting for the bad balls and punishing them. Webbe finally got going hitting some big sixes. Both were able to keep the scoreboard ticking along nicely. They passed the fifty mark and soon after they made it to the hundred mark. No wickets lost and amazingly not a single extra. Then just two balls before drinks Tom missed a straight one and was lbw for 37. Another great effort from but he must have been gutted to get out just as he was getting going. So with 20 overs to go Keith joined Webbe and the runs kept coming. Webbe had passed fifty and was dropped again in the eighties. He made them pay again by passing 100. Our first of the season and another awesome effort. He was supported by Keith who made 30. Another 100 partnership got us to 220 with about 5 overs left. When both were out in quick succession, Webbe for 149 and then I also come and went, The James’s took over. Roe and Greenleaf. Some lusty blows got us to a cracking total of 278-4. There were a couple pieces of luck along the way but we made the most of it and batted really well. Webbe and Tom got us off to a great start which is always a big boost. After tea Jim and Darren set about opening the bowling. After last week’s poor effort I was hoping we would be significantly better. Both did well and deserved a wicket or two. But some poor effort in the field especially from me meant no wickets. Apologies from me 😂. Martin and James Roe took over and continued the good work. Upottery got to 80-0 but were well behind the rate. Finally James Struck with a lbw. We then were able to create some pressure. Tom took an excellent catch as the wickets came at regular intervals. Martin was wicket less but Bowled well. Jim changed ends and took three wickets, two bowled . Showed he can bowl up the hill😂 Tom bowled well also and picked up a wicket caught behind by Ian. The overs were ticking over though and we were running out of time to bowl them out. So you’ll be totally unsurprised that I threw the ball to Pete😂 He bowled four decent overs picking up a wicket also. Darren also managed to pick up a late wicket. This meant with one over to go they were 9 down. Pete bowled it. Last ball of the game James Roe did all the hard work getting to the ball but couldn’t hold on. 179-9 was a good effort but had we held our catches early on we would probably have restricted them to around 100. Still 19 points is an excellent effort and proof once again of how good we can be. Consistency is the buzz word for us. We have the ability just need to show it more regularly. No team this season has been better. We have just been too inconsistent. Hopefully we put that right next week at home to Whimple. So a great effort from all. Man of the Match is again an easy one. Webbe was back with a bang with a brilliant 149. Without an excellent catch he may have pushed the double century mark. So well done him. Must mention Tom again though. Batted great again. Bowled really well and is our best fielder by some distance. So we’ll played him again. James Rowe showed his quality with 30 quick runs and 3 wickets. Aarrggg just that drop at the end😂😂 Big fine coming this week I hope😂😂 So in summary it was another great day to be beside the seaside. Thanks to Tim for his excellent stint umpiring, was a massive help. Thanks all that came and watched, was quite a crowd. Let’s build on this and put in a similar performance this week. Thanks again to all for the effort. See you next time.
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Exwick 1st XI v Bideford 2nd XI
21/05/22
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Tom Stone
4. Pete Stevens
5. Ollie Keates
6. Jack Ancill
7. Jim Keates
8. Tim Cooke
9. Keith Berry
10. Damon Berry
11. Ian Hayter
1pm Start at Exwick
No teas this week I’m afraid
2. Darren Willcocks
3. Tom Stone
4. Pete Stevens
5. Ollie Keates
6. Jack Ancill
7. Jim Keates
8. Tim Cooke
9. Keith Berry
10. Damon Berry
11. Ian Hayter
1pm Start at Exwick
No teas this week I’m afraid
Match Report
Game three was the away trip to Exwick. We arrived in good time and with a decent side. But we still had three decent players missing from last week. On losing the toss I was asked to have a bat. For me this was the bit we were a little short on. But with Tom partnering Keith we still had a decent line up. Keith though was out fairly early so Ian joined Tom. Tom was getting himself in and looking fairly comfortable. Ian was generally waiting for the bad ball which he was then smashing for fours.They managed to get us to 62 before Ian was out caught in the point region. I then joined Tom just before drinks. Together we managed to keep the scoreboard ticking along. Tom passed his fifty and was looking good. I was riding my luck just a bit but somehow got to 34.With 6 overs to go we had 149. I was then out but Tom was still going. Pete joined him and was struck by a short ball which cut his ear. He obviously came off for some treatment. Darren joined Tom and we consistently kept the board ticking, mainly thanks to Tom who was unfortunately out for 81 with about 7 balls to go. Pete was fortunately fine so he went back out for a couple last balls. A final total of 191-4 was a decent effort I thought. Particularly great from Tom. 200 would have been great but 191 was more than acceptable. So at tea I was quietly confident that if we bowled as we had done the previous week we would be in with a great chance. Unfortunately this wasn’t to be the case. We didn’t bowl well all round. The fielding wasn’t great particularly the catching. Had we held them I think we would have had a great chance. One off their openers batted well though smashing the bad balls we served up to the boundary. Had we took one of the chances he gave we may have stood a chance. But alas we didn’t and he punished us with 92 not out. Several extras and the odd miss field and Exwick got there with 3 or 4 overs to spare. The outfield was definitely a lot quicker second innings but still no excuse. Saying that though Ian and Tom both did ok jobs bowling. Both picking up a wicket and maybe I should have brought Damon on sooner. He bowled two decent overs and picked up his first wicket which he caught himself. Showing the rest how it’s done. So a poor fielding effort after a great batting one. The first game of the season was the opposite. A poor batting effort and a great bowling effort. We showed in game two that combining the two gives a greater chance. We had a couple missing but still there was too much inconsistency. Something we all need to work on. So 5 points isn’t great but let’s learn and move forward to next week at home. If we can get 191 at Exwick we can surely better that at the Ho! On Jamie’s magnificent look motorway 😂😀 Man of the Match this week is another easy one. Tom was magnificent with the bat and at the Ho! Would surely have had a 100 plus score. My aching legs proved how many 2’s we ran. Most would have been fours at the Ho! He bowled decently and was our best fielder by a mile. If only the catches had gone to him. So we’ll done to him. Hopefully more of the same in the coming weeks. As I said next week is Upottery at home so let’s try and bounce back with a decent all round performance. We have quite a lot of availability so selection maybe interesting 🤔 Many thanks to all who drove and Richard for his effort scoring. I know we gave our all and made the effort, but today we just lacked consistency. See you all next time.
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Sidbury 1st XI v Bideford 2XI
14/05/22
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Andy Webbe
3. Keith Berry
4. Tim Cooke
5. Chris Luxton
6. Darren Willcocks
7. Ollie Keates
8. Jim Keates
9. James Greenleaf
10. Jack Ancill
11. Tom Stone
1pm Start at Sidbury
They will be providing teas for us, so a match fee will be required by all😀
Below are some extra directions for Sidbury.
2. Andy Webbe
3. Keith Berry
4. Tim Cooke
5. Chris Luxton
6. Darren Willcocks
7. Ollie Keates
8. Jim Keates
9. James Greenleaf
10. Jack Ancill
11. Tom Stone
1pm Start at Sidbury
They will be providing teas for us, so a match fee will be required by all😀
Below are some extra directions for Sidbury.
Match Report
So to game number 2. This Week was a much easier task getting a side together. Having more than 11 to choose from I was relieved that a couple couldn’t play. Saving me from tough decisions. And nobody pulled out Friday night 💪💪The second longest trip for us was to Sidbury. A ground and place none of us had been to before. We arrived in plenty of time and were pleasantly surprised at what a nice ground it was. The sun was shining and it looked set for a great day. So with a decent side I had a tough call at the toss. I decided in the end to field. The football kick off time had absolutely nothing to do with my decision 😂 Bideford 2nds come first always😂 so out to field we went. Chris and Darren opening up. Darren did ok but bowled the odd bad ball which was punished. Due to the size of the ground particularly one side is was no run or four. So after 3 overs from Darren, Jim took over. At the other end god as he is known in the group chat was going about his business and living up to his name. Wicket one was caught well at cover by James. Two opening maidens had created the pressure. Two LBW’s and a decent catch at gully by Webbe gave Chris 4 Wickets and destroyed their top order. A quite unbelievable spell. 8-6-6-4. Actually I take that back. A run of the mill normal performance from him. Normal on the next level above the rest of us anyway.With Jim disturbing the stumps Sidbury were 5 down for around 40 runs. After Chris had finished Tim took over. He used flight and guile to bamboozle their batsman. Another decent catch at mid wicket from Webbe and Tim ended with 3-15. Another great spell. Jack had taken over from Jim and continued on with the great work. A superb slower delivery out foxing one batsman and another LBW. He finished with 2-15. Quality again. 80 all out. A quite exceptional bowling performance. Only 3 wides was quite remarkable. We gave nothing away and did a very professional job. For the first time in two years we had a tea to enjoy. And that we did. Very nice and thanks to Sidbury for that. Onto the batting we go. Webbe and Keith opened up. I think Keith must of had his wheat a bix as he plundered 10 off the first over. Not to be out done Webbe hit 13 off the second. It seemed as though we would canter to an easy victory. As with us though we always like to test the nerves. Keith was caught behind first. James joined Webbe and Webbe proceeded to smash several fours. I think four in a row at one point. He though was given out LBW with 14 required. Tom unfortunately was bowled next ball, which meant I was the hat trick ball. I survived this and managed to smash 3 fours to see us home. A slight wobble but comfortable in the end. 25 overs not needed. A cracking all round effort and the icing on the cake was a 4pm finish. Plenty of time to watch the football match which hadn’t crossed my mind at all. I knew exactly how the game was going to go and had planned everything accordingly 😂😂 So to sum up. A brilliant all round team effort at a nice ground on a hot sunny summers day. Man of the Match can only go in one direction. Chris was next level today. An amazing match winning spell. Well played. Must mention the young guns Jim and Jack. Two great spells backing up Chris. And the miserly Spell from Tim. Another great effort. And finally Webbe with two excellent catches and several lusty blows. See us home though next time please Andy😂 I wasn’t happy having to put my pads on and risked going out with no thigh pad, fortunately got away with it 😂 Thanks to all who drove and Richard for scoring, appreciated as always. Thanks to all for the effort made and thanks to Sidbury for an excellent tea. Next week is away again at Exwick. Hopefully not on the mat this time. But hopefully another decent effort. Finally can’t end without making mention of a great effort from the first XI. Chasing down 284 is a fair effort well played. And of course the mighty red men who added another trophy to their ever expanding cabinet. In all as days go I’ve had worse. Thanks and good night😀😀
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Bideford 2nd XI v Alphington and Countesswear 2nd XI
07/05/22
Team Sheet
1. John Weeks
2. Andy Webbe
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Keith Berry
5. Damon Berry
6. Jake Cleave
7. Jack Ancill
8. Tim Cooke
9. Ollie Keates
10. Jim Keates
11. Martin Stewart
1pm start at Westward Ho!
2. Andy Webbe
3. Darren Willcocks
4. Keith Berry
5. Damon Berry
6. Jake Cleave
7. Jack Ancill
8. Tim Cooke
9. Ollie Keates
10. Jim Keates
11. Martin Stewart
1pm start at Westward Ho!
Match Report
Here goes then with my first match report back as captain. I was thinking early in the week that I’d probably have too many players and would have some tough decisions to make. How wrong I was😂😂 By Thursday evening I had a decent side and with a couple unavailable I didn’t have the tough decision to make. Happy and contented, I looked forward to our opening game. Everything was going well. But alas as always something comes out to bite you. Not one but two Friday night pull outs. Ones is generally ok but two was a nightmare. I can’t repeat on here my exact words upon hearing the news😂 Especially as the first half dozen I asked couldn’t help out. In the end though Damon Berry and a very hungover Martin Stewart came to our rescue. Big thanks to them for that. So finally onto the game. On arrival at the ground there was a fair bit of mist hovering around. It stayed pretty much all day. Proper umpires would probably have taken us off towards the end. I believe they did over at Instow. Must make an early mention of how good the ground and wicket were looking. Thanks to Andy, Jaime, Martin and anybody else who helped. Excellent as always. On winning the toss I decided to have faith in our batting line up and batted first. Andy Webbe was back, so he partnered Jake opening up. Some tight opening bowling made it tough to score. Jake missed one and was bowled for 1. Webbe hit a four and a six before chopping one to gully. So at 13-2 we were in a little trouble. I joined Keith and between us we moved the score onto 37. I then wafted at one and chopped on. Martin was at 5. He and Keith managed to stop the wickets falling but did struggling to get going. They did though battle on and got the score to 99 before Keith was out lbw. 46 was a great effort and so with 9 overs left I was hopeful of posting 150 plus total. Jim joined Martin and decided to run himself out. Can’t comment because I missed it. Darren then picked out the deep square leg fielder. We were now 105-6. Martin still there though so was hopeful of a few more runs. Unfortunately we struggled to get the ball away. Jack and Ollie came and went quickly. Damon and Tim tried to help Martin but we ended up disappointingly 119-9. Not a great total. Would definitely have liked 40 more. Must mention there opening bowler though who had figures of 8-6-3-2. Well played😀 So with not many runs to play with I decided to open with Martin Stewart. Darren partnered him off his new short run up. Both did excellent jobs keeping it very tight. Their ten overs went for only around 20, but unfortunately no wickets. Jim and Tim took over and kept up the pressure. There 10 overs also went for around 20. With Jim picking up the first wicket of the season lbw. Four good spells meant they were 40-1 at drinks. We had a sniff but would have to keep up the pressure. Jack came on and did just that. Picking up a wicket bowled and if only he hadn’t overstepped. An absolute ripper bending back off stump but alas a no ball. The only one in the hole game😡 With around 15 to go the experience in their batting started to pay off. They had gotten themselves in and now started to hit a few big shots. Tim came off for Ollie and Jim came back on but a couple loose ones and they were edging closer. Martin took a couple wickets near the end so they were 4 down. But with 4 overs left they got over the line. 30/40 more would possibly have been enough and I was a little disappointed with the batting effort. We did bowl well though and were in with a good shout till near the end. Just couldn’t quite keep up the pressure. Was a great effort though. Little bit rusty maybe. Let’s hope that gone by next week. Man of the Match was tough. Keith batted well as always. Jim, Jack and Darren bowled well. But probably just, Martin wins with 33 not out and 2-15. Well done him. Next week is away to Sidbury. A new one on me so will be interesting to visit. They will I believe be providing teas😀Thanks to all who played and the effort made.
Cheers
John Weeks
Cheers
John Weeks
Bideford Devon League 2nd XI 2016
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
