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The Sweep 26 Week 6: Swinging in the Rain with the Threes
- Cornwood Cricket club
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Words: Simon Travers
Match Photos: Ryan Hewitt (3XI Captain 2017 Season)
The weather did its best to make everyone miserable again this weekend. Previous rainy weekends have played the trick of a blanket of steady rain rolling in at Saturday lunchtime. At least the dreich got on this time with it as the skies opened across Devon by breakfast. The Fours were the first to call it a day as deep puddles at the edge of the Delamore Park outfield stood no chance of clearing. The Twos were next to get the call that they would not need to head to Chudleigh. That cost both teams ground in C Division West as Ipplepen waited out the weather and forced a 20 point win against Hatherleigh. The Ones did everything possible to get the game on against Sidmouth. It looked like the weather might turn around 2ish but another shower meant that time ran out to get the pitch dry. Every match in the Premier Division was washed out, so Cornwood remain third.
That left the Threes as the only team left with a game on Saturday. They travelled to Kenn for the first time since 19th June, 2021, when 37 from Harry Fitzpatrick was not enough to avoid a 7 wicket defeat. Therefore, this week’s Sweep is hereby proclaimed a celebration of the Threes as they become the latest Cornwood team to receive a set of DCL records. If you have any memories or photos, particularly of the early days of the Threes, that you would like to share through the club, please get in touch.
The Threes began life in a bustling but wet summer of 1998. It was a momentous year for the club as the Ones made their first appearance in A Division. They have remained an A or Premier side ever since. The Twos also made the step up for the first time to the 2XI A Division, which they won with a decisive 120 run victory against Bideford on the last Saturday of the season. The social scene at the club was also rammed with 57 fixtures booked across the season, even if only 33 were played due to rain and cancellations. Into this crammed schedule, the Threes started life in the Tamar League playing their home games at Lee Moor. Their captain that season was Ian Blackshaw, and regulars included Mike Hawkes, Malcolm Orchard, James Hosking, Richard Friendship, Brian Gould, Matt and Dave Galpin, and a young tearaway named Andy Bees. Andy took 17 wickets for the Threes that year at 16.41, while James Hosking had a haul of 8-6 against Lydford.
With the development of Delamore Park in 2004, the time was right for the Threes to grow into Devon league cricket in the newly expanded E Division West 2XI Division. Andy Rickard made an immediate splash that year with 508 runs, a team record that would stand for 15 seasons. No Threes player has yet beaten the 31 wickets Brian Gould took in the same season, including a Stuart Broad-esque 8-15 against Totnes 2XI. Success followed the team quickly, and by 2013, they were comfortable in B 2XI Division. One Threes statistic that might surprise is that, with the exception of the Covid year of 2020 and 2023 when they were equal, the team has scored more batting bonus points than bowling points every season since 2013.
After some turbulent years following the restructuring of the DCL to a play-through league and the impact of Covid, the Threes find themselves in as settled a pattern as they have ever been, proving they can compete in E Division West against first and second teams. Captain Adam Whiting deserves plenty of credit for that as he leads the team for a third year. Adam has a knack for seeing potential in players that they might not have spotted in themselves yet. His thoughtful but competitive instincts help build a positive culture that allow the team to bring their best, a little like Mike Brearley with hockey shots. Adam fits the captain role well as the Threes are central to the learning culture of the club. Experience wins matches at all levels of the DCL. The Threes is a safe place for young players to learn their trade alongside veterans for whom it is not so much about what you have still got, but more what you have got to pass on.
On Saturday, the Threes headed east to face a Kenn side who have been in D division for 9 of the past 10 seasons. They went on the assurance that despite a pitch that could be described as Lords test match worthy, everyone would do their best to make sure the trip was productive. Adam Whiting won the toss and made the only choice to field in a 34 over reduced match.
It took 4.2 overs for Andy Bees (7-5-6-1) to claim the first wicket of the day. His open spell in tandem with Dan Rohde (7-0-21-3) was dominant. Dan removed two batters in the sixth over to reduce Kenn to 9-3, which became 17-4 two overs later. Their opener Simon Burrell and captain James Mason chose survival mode reaching 50 before Mason and Hugh Stronge were removed in three deliveries by Eoin Hewitt (5-1-11-2). Bruno Warwick-James (7-0-27-2) became the third bowler in the innings to take two wickets in an over, extracting Burrell after a 102 minute vigil. At 69-8, Kenn were deep in trouble, but as ever, experience wins. Peter Chislett, who has been playing for Kenn’s first team for as long as there has been a Cornwood 3XI, was able to get the shoulders moving and the bat swinging for a game-changing 41 from 39 with 6 fours and 2 sixes. He was the last Kenn batter to fall, as Adam Whiting claimed the LBW, but the scoreboard had rolled around to 109.
With the light starting to struggle again because of dark cloud, that total was not the foregone conclusion one might expect at Delamore Park. James Mason (7-1-10-4) has taken at least 20 wickets a season for Kenn for 9 of the last 10 full seasons and he made immediate inroads into the Threes batting order. The middle order looked to imitate Chislett’s approach to attack. Ewan Grewal made a swift 29 from 21, but wickets kept tumbling. Chislett was able to maintain a measure of control with figures of 7-1-23-2. The last roll of the dice for the Threes came at 82-9, still needing 28 for victory. Andy Bees and Raff Gribble worked hard to knock off 17 of those runs before the innings closed on 99. To paraphrase Ryan Gosling, that’s just Kenn. They got the game on and they won by 10.
Despite the disappointment of the result, the Threes had a good day in the field against a strong unknown opposition. They find themselves fourth in the E Division West table, having won two, lost two, and cancelled two.
The weather had turned from stroppy to sulky by Sunday afternoon to allow play at Oak Park. The Fives had their match against Kingsbridge cancelled as fixture congestion meant their opponents had to prioritise the Corinthian Cup, but the Women’s Firsts were in action against North Devon. North Devon are arguably the most consistent batting side in the WDCL Division 1 and arguably would have won the league last season if the weather hadn’t intervened when the Women’s Firsts played them away.
The match went as the form book expected in the sense that North Devon posted a total of 212 batting first. Captain Rose Ball made 79 from 62 and Lauren Bowden was unbeaten on 42* from 47. That performance, backed up by 3-10 for Megan Zieleniewicz and 3-11 for Regina Lilli, was enough for the 72 run win that keeps them close to division leaders Exeter.
What is more important is that the Oak Park Sisterhood can take plenty of encouragement from an afternoon full of the positive performances that suggest their season is going in the right direction. The Women’s Firsts proved they are no pushovers in the field. The North Devon batters could not get Kiera De Villiers (8-2-12-0) away and there were run outs early in the innings for Erica Upton and Imogen Garland. As the bowling was turned over to youth later in the innings, there were breakthroughs. Erica Upton offered a courageous performance to take 2-34, including Rose Ball, while Imogen Garland’s first DWCL wicket was key player Regina Lilli. Lilli has hit 91 and 74* in the past 3 years against Cornwood but Garland bowled her for 4. Charlotte Shutt also did well, hitting the stumps to give the Women’s Firsts their highest total this season of 6 wickets in an inning.
The good news for the team kept coming in a determined and valiant performance with the bat. Captain Helly Simpson leads from the front as an opener and she delivered a career best performance loaded with character. Helly was only three balls short of batting out the entire 40 overs when she was stumped by Ellie Holland off Regina Lilli. Her individual total of 39 from 114 balls showed incredible spirit and concentration. It also gave the team the opportunity to reach 140 which translates into three valuable batting points. The Women’s First are 5 points ahead in a relegation battle with Exmouth and the clubs will not meet until two of their last three matches. The aim remains to get as many points as possible by playing improving cricket against tough opposition and that mission was definitely accomplished on Sunday.
Colts performance of the week came on Sunday as the Tier 1 Under 13s beat Tavistock by 6 wickets. An economical team bowling performance was capped by a brace for Seth and a run a ball 38 from Yasser got the team home. The Girls Under 13s won one and lost one in a Sunday double header with Plymouth and Tavistock. On Tuesday, the Under 15 boys were far too strong for Yelverton Bohemians. Yasser, Noah H and Sam all made retirement 30s before Oscar took 3-4 and Noah K 2-12 in a 151 run win. The Under 11s put in a spirited performance against Ivybridge, taking 10 wickets as a team with two each for Freddie and Florence in a 44 run loss.
The forecast is set fair for next weekend and the Ones are heading to the Ring for their first derby matchup with Tavistock since 2019. The Twos are at home against Brixham. The Threes host Lewdown, while the Fours have even less of a journey than the Ones as they visit Yelverton Bohemians 2XI. On Sunday, the Fives have are home against Holbeton.
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