Sandford v Belstone

BELSTONE went into their final league match of the season, away at Sandford, knowing that they were safe from relegation whatever the result.

The three points they took from the seven wicket defeat seemed a meagre return after one of their better batting displays of the summer and a typically committed effort in the field, all of which ensured that for a long period of the Sandford reply the result was in the balance.

After Belstone skipper Matt Dennis won the toss and elected to bat, openers Phil Woods and Tom Fogerty made a confident start, putting on 58 before Fogerty miscued to Matthew Theedom off Kieran Vinnecomb for 26 in the eleventh over.

Number three Tom Pearce continued in similar vein, adding another 61 with Woods before he was also out for 26, just after Woods had reached his first half-century of the season in 76 minutes.

At this stage, with eight wickets in hand, a fast outfield and 16 overs to go, a score of 250 plus seemed possible, but wickets began to fall steadily and no-one was able to accelerate in the face of steady bowling from Theedom (7-0-28-2) and Ryan Glass (8-0-36-2).

Eddy Jones, in his first game of the season for Belstone, played well for 21 but it was the 34 wides and byes conceded by Sandford that pushed the final 40-over score up to 217-8.

For most of their reply Sandford were behind the asking rate but they always had wickets in hand.

Steve Morrish and Tom Gidney began with a partnership of 45 in ten overs before Morrish was caught by Pearce in the deep off Ryan Dennis, having hit five boundaries in 24.

Alex Jopling found the edge of Gidney’s bat to give Callum Mallett a catch at point, Gidney departing for a solid 44, including six fours and a six. At half way the score of 85 for two compared with Belstone’s 110 for one and at 30 overs it was 136-2 against 159-4.

Shaun Hawkins and Joshua Cann added 81 for the third wicket in 14 overs before Hawkins was caught on the boundary by Pearce for a cultured 60 which included nine fours and a six.

With the overs ticking away and the rain arriving, Cann suddenly found another gear with a flurry of boundaries as 31 came from overs 35 and 36 – all of a sudden Sandford had reached their target with 13 balls to spare, Cann finishing on 75 not out.