After heavy overnight rain Tipton St John players arrived at Salston Field, Ottery St Mary for a Sunday meeting to see that covers had been placed over the pitch ensuring the match could go ahead, writes Phil Wright.
The Tipton early arrivals were congregating outside the pavilion when the young Ottery players were called for duty to remove the three covers. They seemed to be exiting the pavilion in height order which brought to mind the members of the von Trapp family from the Sound of Music!
Youngsters Billy Rudolf and Frank Hartley opened the Ottery batting and were facing the season’s two most economic Tipton bowlers, Steve Shaw and David Birch.
Rudolf made a bright start, but he was bowled by Shaw for 17 in the fifth over. In the next over Birch sent back Hartley for five. Albert Southall-Brown joined Alex Thurgate in the middle, but the former was bowled by Shaw for nine with the score on 44.
At this stage Tipton felt they may have a chance of picking off the home middle order. However the Otters had other ideas and Alex Clements joined Thurgate and the pair added 109 runs for the fourth wicket.
Shaw bowled through his eight overs for a credible return of 2-30 whilst Birch sent down six at a cost of just 22 runs.
David O’Higgins was the unfortunate bowler who replaced Shaw just as the young home batsmen were looking to up the rate and sniffed ‘Higgy’ was fair game. Sixteen runs, including two sixes, came off his first over all scored by Thurgate, the second six taking him to 50 off just 39 balls.
Thurgate’s entertaining knock ended when he was stumped by Dave Dawson off O’Higgins for 80.
Any thoughts Tipton had of slowing the scoring rate were soon dispelled as Henry Mutter kept Clements in good company picking off many two’s as the fielders wilted. Clements retired with a 54-ball knock of 63 to his name and this brought Will Harrison and he rifled 16 from 11 deliveries before becoming a second stumping for Dawson, with Adam Gibbins the bowler.
Both Gibbins and Dave Alford were subjected to harsh treatment, both conceding 55 runs off their eight overs.
Alford did take a catch to help remove Mutter in the final over off Birch’s bowling as Ottery closed on 243-6 with Birch ending his eight over spell with figures of 2-30.
The Tipton reply was hit early on wit the loss of Dave Jessop for a single, comprehensively bowled leg stump by Harry Peters and he was quickly followed three balls later by Adam Gibbins for a duck. Keith Collins was joined by Phil Tolley and the pair set about repairing the damage. Collins was the more aggressive of the two helping himself to half a dozen boundaries before he was adjudged leg before to Zac Johns for 31. Steve Shaw suffered the same fate and he went for one.
Dave Alford became Johns’ third victim when bowled for six and the umpire’s finger was raised once more as Jem Gillham was returned to the pavilion for one.
Chris Mason was next to go, run out for 12. At the other end was Phil Tolley and he was, as he has all season, calmly been accruing runs after a slow start that had seen him score nine off the first 27 balls he faced.
Tolley reached his 50 off 65 balls and, unusually for him, was out bowled with Luke Tierney the successful bowler after Tolley had reached 61 with the score on 136.
No further runs were added as Dicky Dawson was bowled by Rudolf for one and, with David O’Higgins absent injured, after taking a ball on the shin whilst fielding, Tipton were all out.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here