Harberton v Slapton 9th May 2010
On yet another bitterly cold day, Harberton bounced back from their savage mauling by Tipton to produce an excellent match winning performance against old enemies Slapton.
However,
they did not have it all their own way. Poor shot selection by the usually
reliable openers Ray and
In came debutant Baxendale who looked a class act as he and Yarnell strove to repair the damage. With Baxendale blocking the good ball and punishing any loose bowling, Yarnell sensibly dropped anchor as the pair put on 50 for the fifth wicket until Yarnell (8) fell at 125 in the 31st over.
This was the signal for the score to accelerate as the big hitters Oakey(15) and Pike (25 not out) entered the fray. Baxendale was eventually caught for an excellent 53 with the score at 160.With another debutant Carter adding a rapid 13, Harberton added 77 runs in the last 9 overs to close at 202 – an excellent score after their poor start. To their credit Slapton bowled and fielded gamely in the freezing conditions which led to tight hamstrings and made catching difficult.
After tea, openers Burton and Mitchelmore
batted with determination against accurate bowling from Goldsmith (1 for 20)
and Harberton’s third new player Glen (2 for 20) who
looked to be a very useful acquisition. The 2 batsmen looked in no trouble
until Burton was trapped lbw by Glen for 10 and Mitchelmore
followed soon after bowled by Goldsmith – both falling with the score at 31.
Wickets then began to tumble with painful regularity as Oakey
(2 for 5)