Harberton v Kingskerswell played on 8th
August 2010
A grey dull afternoon at Stonehills was illuminated by a closely contested game played by 2 evenly matched teams. Kingskerswell won the toss and elected to bat and their opening pair Kenyon and Mitchell got off to a flier as they went after the bowling of Goldsmith and Shephard. Reaching 50 after just 9 overs a very big score looked certain.
Mitchell was the dominant partner and it came as a surprise when he lobbed a catch to Culf off the bowling of Bligh just after completing his half century with the score at 81. This changed the momentum of the innings as Culf (2for 18) Wilks and Baxendale bowled accurately to slow the run rate. Wickets began to tumble but Kenyon rode his luck skying several catches just out of the reach of the fielders as he moved on to a valuable 66 before being bowled by Baxendale, playing a tired shot with the score at170.
Coming on late, Baxendale bowled with genuine pace obtaining bounce and swing. He ripped through the Kingskerswell batting to finish with 5 wickets for 24 in his 8 overs. Some lusty blows from Doyle (20) saw up the 200. The champagne moment of the match occurred in the last over. Clack smashed the ball to the boundary. Culf raced across the field like a greyhound and got his fingers to the ball just inside the boundary. Overrunning the ball he turned raced back and hurled the perfect return ball at speed into the keepers gloves over the stumps to run out the stunned batsman – a piece of fielding that would have graced Lords on an Ashes day
After tea Harvey and Shearer came to the wicket determined
to go for the runs.
The innings was now following the path of the Kingskerswell innings as the scoring rate slowed as Doyle and Kenyon bowled well to contain Newson and Culf. The next wicket fell in the 25th over when Kenyon (2 for 28) bowled Newson for an unorthodox 24 . 76 to win in 15 overs, game on! Credit must go to the Kingskerswell bowlers who continued to bowl a very tight line.
The required run rate began to grow and the pressure grew. Wickets began to tumble. Captain Owers (18) came to the wicket and he began to accelerate the scoring until he hit a return catch to Lawton (2 for 43) The run rate was up to 7 an over but the excellent Doyle (4 for 29) kept taking wickets at key times. Through all this the excellent Culf had been holding the innings together. Having just reached his first ever 50, he was finally dismissed by Doyle with the score at 173 with15 balls to go. Harberton were finally dismissed for 184 in the last over. An excellent game played in great spirit finally went to Kingskerswell.