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Doctors beat Spaxton by 33 runs Doctors 102 for 9
Spaxton 69 all out
Doctors’ openers found the going very heavy on a waterlogged Cannington strip and both lost their wickets trying to force the pace, Keith Powell bowled by Scott Bellinger (1-26) and John Ogle (13) bowled by a deceptive change of pace from the evergreen Gary Meadows. Will Chandler made light of a back injury and, as usual, adapted well to the difficult conditions but blotted his copybook by running out his son Tom. The only batsman in the match to be untroubled by the pitch was Tom Eve to whom the Spaxton bowlers inexplicably bowled short of a length. The ball sat up obligingly and Eve belted it high and far. His innings of 34 (retired) contained 3 sixes and 3 fours and occupied just 3 overs. Chandler (17) was caught off Matt McKenzie and, from a position of dominance, Doctors subsided to a mixture of mistimed shots and balls which kept low. Meadows (2-13) was Spaxton’s best bowler and McKenzie (3-22) and D.Gilbert (1-11) were also beneficiaries of the batsmen’s largesse. Spaxton were indebted to James Venton and Adrian Fisher for a positive start but the slow pace of Peter Reed (1-17) and Robert Seymour was hard to score off and Seymour’s masterclass of mystery and deception gained the breakthrough when Ogle took a leaping catch at mid on to dismiss Fisher. Two more quick wickets had the visitors reeling at 26 for 3 and Seymour’s bowling figures of 2 for 13 were only slightly spoiled by a six off his final ball by Tom Woodhouse. There was something of a recovery until Venton, who had stroked his way to 22, was bowled by a fast off break from Sam Powell. Woodhouse (12) soon followed when he was caught off Powell’s bowling by Reed at cover, and a clatter of wickets followed as Powell (4-7) and Phil Barker (2-12) scythed through the Spaxton line-up with sharp turn and variable bounce. A strong return to the wicket from Barker in the deep was brilliantly gathered by Tom Chandler to run out T.Lloyd and the lone defiance of Gilbert (13) ended when he was last man out. |
