Tipton hosted games last weekend against Sunset CC from Exeter and Lustleigh, writes Phil Wright.

Strangely, both matches went the same way with good Tipton batting displays, Phil Tolley half centuries, rain, and spirited replies by the opposition which came up just short.

On Saturday, Tipton batted first against Sunset.

Openers Davids Dawson and Jessop took the score to 32 when Jessop was leg before to Bridge.

Dawson departed for 25, taking him to 4000 runs for Tipton. When Matthews was trapped leg before shortly after, early tea was taken in view of persistent rain.

Emma Bishop’s cakes had a positive effect on the batsmen as Phil Tolley and Steve Shaw scored more freely. They took the score to 128 when Shaw was out for 13, Tolley following shortly after for 73.

However, captain Jim Bugler put the innings back on track with a quick 26 to enable Tipton to finish with a challenging 185-8.

Tipton bowlers Paul Williamson and David O’Higgins were confronted with wet ball and slippery conditions, but contained the batsmen. Phil Wright introduced in the 13th over trapped Caunter leg before.

O’Higgins then had Howe stumped by Dawson who repeated the feat off Wright’s next over. Two wickets for Bugler had Lustleigh at 72-5, but Jeacock and Johns put on 65 before both were dismissed by Shaw. Some lusty blows by White took the Sunset score to 172-7, leaving Tipton winners by 13 runs. Sunday brought Lustleigh and breezy showery weather to Tipton. Tipton batted first, but made a disastrous start losing Dave Alford and Adam Gibbins, both bowled first ball by M Sessions. When Justin Quick was caught for one, Tipton were three wickets down for just two runs and only seven balls into the contest!

Phil Tolley and Dave Dawson dug deep to effect a recovery before Dawson was out for 30. When Tolley was caught for 60, Tipton were only 106-5, but a lusty innings from Alex Tubbs (44) helped take their total to 186.

Mark Channon and Alex Tubbs contained the Lustleigh openers, but again it was Phil Wright who made the breakthrough. Fulner was caught by Alford, and, two balls later Matthews was caught behind by Quick. Lustleigh were 43-3 in Wright’s next over when he bowled Harvey. Another good catch in the deep, this time Gibbins off Kevin McMeeking accounted for the opener Foot, but this brought in Sessions to join Steve Wright and the pair gradually took control scoring freely. With 10 overs to go Lustleigh needed just 50 runs with five wickets in hand. Robin Pickering had S Wright caught by McMeeking for 25 and when Gibbins bowled Cheer without scoring, Tipton regained the initiative.

With Steve Wright, Lustleigh were still in the game, so, when he was smartly stumped by Quick for 71 off Pickering, Tipton were able to breath again, winning by a margin of just seven runs.