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Doctors drew with Quantock Stags


 

Doctors           226 for 7

 

Stags                145 for 8

 

  Doctors were asked to bat first and set off briskly as Andrew Dodden and David Williamson defended well against testing bowling from Rob Hake and Geoff Shaw and put away anything loose.  Shaw (2-47) made the breakthrough when Dodden (19) was bowled by a slower ball and Williamson (14) soon followed, dismissed in identical fashion.  When John Ogle was good enough to get a nick on a fine ball from Hake (1-20) Doctors were reeling at 41 for 3 and the new batsmen Harry Lee and Rob Adcock were forced into a period of retrenchment.  Batting became easier against the change bowlers and the boundaries began to come as both batsmen unleashed handsome drives and Lee played the lefthander’s trademark pull shots.  Their stand lasted 24 overs and their 135 runs provided the main substance of Doctors’ innings.  It was ended shortly after Adcock (54) reached his maiden fifty as he drove the ball straight back to bowler James Coates.  Phil Barker played attractively but James Dickens (1-49) gained reward for a good spell of swing bowling when Barker (10) perished in the quest for quick runs.  Lee was now in full cry and his richly-deserved century soon followed.  With the score on 218 Lee (107) gave his wicket away to the impressive Coates (2-21) and when Richard Budd was caught at slip by Pete Dickens off the bowling of his father Steve Dickens (1-5) the innings closed on 226.

 

  The start of Stags’ innings was notable for a mixture of exotic shots and tumbling wickets as Peter Reed (3-23) was aided by top-class diving catches from Joe Lee, Adcock and Richard Budd.  Geoff Shaw and Rob Hake revived the innings with a volley of well struck boundaries until Shaw (35) top edged Phil Barker (1-57) to keeper Jeremy Budd and Hake (10) sent a spiralling top edge from Harry Lee over gully’s head.  Joe Lee had injured his shoulder taking the catch off Reed but he ran back from gully to take a well judged catch.  Steve Dickens and Coates kept the fours and sixes flowing but Harry Lee (2-21) struck again as cover drive from Dickens (11) was plucked out of the air by Dodden.  Coates (39) then fell to Dodden (1-8) as Joe Lee completed a hat trick of good catches and an excellent spell of wrist spin from Oliver Budd (1-21) was duly rewarded by a good running catch by Adcock.  By now it was getting very dark and Roger Hake and Pete Dickens’ only option was dogged defiance.  Hake survived a confident stumping appeal by Jeremy Budd off his son Oliver and despite Doctors’ efforts to get the overs bowled, and with spinners Dodden and Budd in tandem, the match ended in complete farce as night fell with 8 overs left.  With batsmen, umpires and fielders unable to see the ball the umpires called time and the frustrated teams left the field.