Bridgwater Doctors 222 for 5

N.Devon Doctors 60 all out

Due to traffic delays the visitors arrived late and the match had to be shortened to 32 overs. Bridgwater Doctors were put in to bat and their regular openers Keith Powell and Alan Dunkley made a pleasant start featuring some excellent running between the wickets until Dunkley (18) unluckily played on to J.Cummins (1-18). John Ogle joined Powell, and Doctors two most successful batsmen of this season continued their good form to the end with an accomplished partnership of 76. The highlights were a handful of classical cover drives with each player matching his partner shot for shot. It took a drinks break to break the batsman’s concentration and a stunning pick up and direct hit by Amjad Parvaiz at cover to run out Powell (63). New batsman David Gwynne Jones was quickly into his stride and the North Devon bowlers began to wilt as he and Ogle compiled a rapid stand of 77. A.Ghouri (1-28) came back to bowl with pace and bounce and Gwynne Jones (30) fell to a top edged pull off him, caught after an interminable wait by a relieved Roger Tithecott at midwicket. Ben Tithecott (2-24) was entrusted with the difficult spell at the death of the innings and responded well, having Ogle (65) well held by Parvaiz just inside the midwicket boundary. Sam Powell did his "finisher" job perfectly with a very rapid 20, including the shot of the day, a soaring six over the distant extra cover boundary, and Doctors imposing total was achieved with star batsman Graham Fergusson still sitting in the pavilion.

The contest was ruined by a devastating spell of swing bowling by Phil Barker (3-16) who plucked out North Devon’s main batsmen in the first five overs. His first two wickets fell to successive balls in his second over but Seamus Eckford caused considerable hilarity on the field by belting the hat-trick ball, the first ball he faced, for an enormous straight six. Alas for North Devon, Barker had his revenge in his next over when Eckford tried a repeat and Dunkley, who the ball has been following around all year, showed why he is Doctors’ premier catcher at mid off. When Peter Reed (2-3) had Ghouri caught at midwicket by Andrew Paisley at midwicket and Mike Sullivan (2-2) bowled a double wicket maiden next over all four wheels had fallen off the visitors’ wagon. North Devon had one of those days when their shots kept going straight into Doctors’ hands with only J.Cummins (19 n.o.) reaching double figures. Ian Stansfield (2-8) gave them no respite thanks to a fine catch by keeper Fergusson, standing up, and a breathtaking, diving catch by Stansfield himself off his own bowling. Last man A.Tithecott pulled a handsome four but skipper Keith Powell (1-5) fittingly finished off the innings in the nineteenth over.