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The Sweep 26 Week 16: Fours obliterate their team run chase record
- Cornwood Cricket club
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Words: Simon Travers
The club is currently going through a patch where wins are as tough to find as a desk fan at B&Q. However, there is still plenty of remarkable cricket happening around Oak Park. This week’s round up starts with the Fours who set a new team record for highest successful chase in a compelling two wicket victory over Yelverton Bohemians 2XI.
Yelverton’s decision to bat was more than justified as their top order cashed in on a dry Delamore pitch. Luke Julyan hit a career best 80 from 83, while Lee Foskett (32), Lee Johns (38), and Martin Goff (41* from 24) made meaningful contributions. Yelverton were 198-2 with 10 overs remaining. It is easy to imagine how that situation could have been a platform for a score above 300, but Captain Marc Whaley went to work to deliver his first Five-fer in Cornwood colours. Mark’s figures of 7-0-46-5 cleaned out the Yelverton middle order and helped restrict the visitors to 80 runs in the final 10 to close on 278-8. Noah Garland did more than his share with the gloves as he took 4 catches and a stumping in under seven overs.
The Fours wouldn’t have known that in their team history, they had only previously chased totals of 200+ twice in seventeen seasons of Devon Cricket League action. Only Charles Knight, Marc Whaley and Simon Garland were there for the previous best chase record as a Luke Temple-Smith driven 229-6 beat Yelverton Bohemians 2XI at Delamore Park on the last day of the 2024 season. However, momentum in cricket is a funny thing and the Fours had a foothold in the match.
That foothold looked tenuous at 35-3 as the top order fell early. Once the team got through the opening bowlers, then batters were able to dominate. Tim Chambers leaned in with an impressive 73 from 52 with 11 fours and 2 sixes. Tim’s innings was followed by a hitting masterclass from Julian Burrows. Jules reached a ton in 41 balls with 10 fours, 6 sixes and a strike rate of 242.86, before getting immediately cleaned up next ball. It was one of the great Fours innings, which left the team with 11 runs needed from 5 overs for a remarkable turnaround win. Marc Whaley (27) pummelled the winning runs to the midwicket boundary, cheered to the rafters by players from every team. The win virtually ensures a top half of the table finish in G Division West.
The Threes entered the weekend with the most to play for, 4 points behind the promotion places in E Division West and vying for silverware at the Tidball Insurance Cup Finals day at Hatherleigh. Sadly, both weekend excursions ended in defeat as the team were on the wrong end of two exceptional bowling performances. On Saturday at Lewdown, the Threes let a commanding position slip after a committed team bowling performance placed Lewdown at 87-8. Sidwell Yarrow (33) had been the only player to offer resistance until Timothy Shaw hit 52 to set a target of 142. Aviral Srivastava led the bowling attack with 3-22, while there was a brace of wickets for Ayaan Chatterjee, Dan Rohde and Andy Bees and three catches for Adam Whiting. Lewdown are fighting for E Division West survival and if there was going to be a miracle for the home team, the father-son combination of Keith and Matthew Maynard was going to produce it. The pair know every blade of the Lewdown square by heart and deployed all their experience to jointly bowl the Threes out for 30. The younger Matthew Maynard found extra bounce to take 7-3-10-6, while the senior Keith Maynard was hooping it to the tune of 7-2-20-4. That loss effectively ends this year’s promotion push as Kenn took 20 points to jump 19 clear with two to play.
Sunday’s trip to Hatherleigh required an early alarm call for a 10am semi-final against North Molton. Adam Whiting elected to field and got the best possible start as Andy Bees took the first of three catches off Charlie Martyn’s bowling in the first over. Bones (4-1-16-2) then took two more in the powerplay. Church bells exploded into life as Dan Rohde removed the dangerous Toby Lochead to put North Molton on 42-4. From there, momentum swung towards the North Devon side as Matthew Boundy hit 50 from 32. Boundy has previous against Cornwood as he made a match-winning 31* when Fileigh beat the Twos in the Corinthian Cup in 2024. He was supported by 35* from Alex Wilson-North as North Molton made 161-8 in their 20. Aviral Srivastava (2-29) claimed two late wickets bowling with a tight hamstring.
In reply, the Threes dropped three wickets in the first three overs to Louis Roberts’ seam bowling. Aviral Srivastava (51 from 39) batted with one good leg and put on 95 for the fourth wicket with Josh Wood (43 from 39). That partnership brought the game back into the balance, but when it was go time with 6 overs left, Louis Roberts returned and removed both set batsmen. He would continue to cut down the Threes order to finish with extraordinary figures of 4-0-12-7. North Molton won by 30 runs and progressed to the final.
The sting of defeat was slightly blunted by watching the first half of the second semi-final. Kenn had no way of stopping Devon Medics & Cranbrook’s Sanjay Panghal who crushed 149 in 53 balls with 16 fours and 12 sixes while wearing a baseball cap backwards. The Threes cheered every bludgeoning swipe and lost ball on the basis that the enemy of my Kenn-emy is my friend. However, North Molton triumphed in a run-fest final as Sanjay Panghal’s 75 from 23 was bested by 110 in 48 from Toby Lochead. That performance, from a player who made 73 first XI appearances for Heathcoat, emphasised how well the Threes did in the field earlier.
There are three things that feel like they need reflecting on from the One’s 8 wicket loss to Tavistock on Saturday. Firstly, the Ones looked like a team that needs to regroup. There were flashes of greatness, like Noah Carlisle’s sharp take standing up to Matt Skeemer and Mohsin Khan demolishing Elliot Hamilton’s stumps. There was the effort and pride in the badge that you’d expect, but something didn’t click as four batters top scored on 26 in a total of 179. If this season has been an Odyssey for the Ones, fighting giant chases, pulling off miracle escapes, sailing into headwinds with depleting resources, then Saturday felt like the bit where they built a raft and hoped for home.
Secondly, Tavistock are the surprise package of the Premier Division. They recruited well, including slow left armer Tom Clarke. Clarke has a pause in his run up that looks like he’s momentarily forgotten where he put his keys, but his 10-4-21-5 was incisive. That is the first Tavistock five-fer at Cornwood since South African seamer Steve Dembitzer’s 6-30 in 2008. Tavistock pressured Cornwood for 39 overs of spin in a 49.1 over innings and that opened the door for seamer James McGahey to take 3-47 in the later overs. Rhys Davies also had a very good game with an economical spell of 1-23 and a supporting 52* from 95 balls.
Thirdly, Tavistock have done well to recruit West Indian Under 19’s captain, Joshua Dorne, midseason when their overseas pro returned home. Dorne looked special in an unbeaten knock of 109* from 118 balls that included 17 beautifully times fours and two sixes. There was an effortless grace to the Bajan’s strokeplay and timing that suggests he is a cut above the average overseas’ pro. The statistical record backs that hunch up, as he already has an Under 19s International ton against England and a half century against Australia. While the players reflected after the game on the moments where they might have got him, from a spectator’s point of view, maybe in 5 to 10 years’ time the memory will grow of the day Joshua Dorne looked unbeatable at Oak Park.
Elsewhere in the Premier Division, the title is all but Paignton’s as they beat Plymouth while Sandford were upset at home by Hatherleigh. Sidmouth also kept their escape plans alive with an away win at Bradninch & Kentisbeare, while Exeter continued Exmouth’s struggles. Currently Plymouth and Sidmouth are in the relegation hot seat. The Ones are in sixth and require 20 points to achieve mathematical safety.
The positive for the Twos in an away defeat to Brixham was four players from the current Under 15s gained experience in the team. Brixham dominated the game, hitting 264-6 in their 45 overs on the back of overseas pro Mohammed Shaikh (67 and 9-1-19-2) and 2026’s Mr. Red Ink Gangul Ravina (54*, his 8th league not out of the year). Brixham’s Timothy won the battle of the Robinsons as his 4-22 trumped our Alex’s 3-18. Jacob Caunter top scored for the Twos with 35 in a total of 164. The Twos are mathematically safe in six, while Ipplepen are still unbeaten and out of sight atop the C Division West.
Friday night saw the start of a new tradition as a strong friendly side turned out for the inaugural Wooden Spoon cricket match against Ivybridge RFC. The foregone conclusion of the result was less important than the beer and banter. A personal battle between Mohsin Khan and Ivybridge captain Wes Vernigle was highly entertaining. Vernigle induced Mohsin to hole out, but Mohsin had his revenge with what looked and sounded like an effort ball bouncer but was actually a floating knuckleball that hit middle stump. Highlight of the night though was the moment Chewy stepped out from umpiring the match to bowl. His first ball was a grenade that Matt Skeemer couldn’t smother as he top edged a catch to gully. That’s the kind of permanent class you need for 500 career Oddballs wickets. Plans are already afoot for a return touch rugby match in the winter.
In the Colts’, the Tier 2 Under 15s played through the eclipse and had enough bowling depth to beat Kingsbridge by 25 runs as Raff led the attack with 3-16, while Noah G hit 36. Lily made 31* and claimed a run out as the Girls Under 15s beat Tavistock by 24 runs. The Under 11s Cornish summer continued with a 9 run loss to Saltash. Lukey made 32* from 13 in a score of 126/6. The Cornwood bowlers restricted Saltash to 11 runs less, but they also took 4 fewer wickets.
Don’t forget to book your tickets for the End of Season Dinner Dance. Also, there is a club social on 29th August with a cowboy theme and music from Phil Han Solo. Next week, the Ones are away at Exeter, the Twos are home to Plymouth 2XI, the Threes travel to Babbacombe and the Fours are home to PCS&R 2XI. On Sunday, the Women’s Firsts head to North Devon while the Fives have their annual match with the Pearse Brothers.
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