In a week that sealed the fate of Stoke and Swansea City, Gunnislake’s travails in the lower reaches of Cornwall cricket continued. The grateful recipient of Gunnislake largesse on this occasion was Saltash St Stephens. With summer gradually arriving team selection (aka availability) proved once again a juggling and conjuring trick before at 11.30 am on the morning of the match the final rabbit was produced from the hat! Thus seven Gunnislake players (including two debutants), two loan players from Bude and two from Yelverton Bohemians met and took to the field. And field was almost right, as the rugby club were late in quitting the cricket ground, and a thick layer of recently mown grass lay across the outfield. Perhaps we should have challenged them to a game of rugby…..
But first, before the main report, we must welcome:
- John Gaul, his qualification being a neighbour of Sylvan Pook.
- Dave Warner, who met Iain Barker on a train. Unfortunately not the Dave Warner!
- Jamie Wright, borrowed from Yelverton. Watch out Geoff, a wicket keeper.
- Sam Betts, also from Yelverton. Both are now registered to play with Gunnislake as well.
- And old friends Ian Mill and Saff Wallace from Bude.
Gunnislake won the toss and chose to bat (in part due to late arrivals from the north). Saltash were grateful, as their already decent bowling attack had been strengthened in the close season by the additions of Alex Johnson and Lawrence Marsh. Gunnislake opened with Jamie Wright and Barrie James, but Barrie’s touch has yet to find its form this summer and soon it was the two Yelverton players carrying the standard for Gunnislake. Brief cameos from Jamie Wright, Sam Betts and Stephen Lees followed, but scoring was slow and the Saltash bowlers remained on top. Ian Mill stayed to the end, easily finishing as top scorer with 36 not out. The team total was an improvement from last week, but still only 107 for 7. Pick of the bowling was Andy Dore with three wickets for eighteen runs.
After tea Saltash St Stephens sorted their batting order, with options for change if things were looking bad. Good project management, but an unnecessary precaution as it transpired. Gunnislake opened the bowling with their two main strike bowlers, George Jefferis and Paul Lees. On a green wicket both got lift and life and opener Mike Stokes was out in the first over, caught off a mis-timed pull, by Dave Warner at square leg. Congratulations to the new boy and also the scouting department! Saltash continued to play and miss a few times, and captain Shayn Rencher gave a couple of chances that went begging. One would have been a dolly catch, save for a temporary blinding of the fielder by the sun, and on another occasion Rencher fooled the keeper by playing one off the back of his bat. But Gunnislake’s luck was out. Saff Wallace was thrown the ball to try some spin, but this merely accelerated the run rate. Between hitting boundaries Saltash took advantage of the older Gunnislake fielders, running singles almost at will. The final coup de grace came after twenty seven overs, and Saltash St Stephens had win by nine wickets, with Simon Yeo and Shayn Rencher both unbeaten in the forties.
The positives from the match were that it stayed dry, two new keen players were found and the fact that we managed a full team. On the other hand there is, as my old school reports sometimes said, room for improvement! The side for next week looks stronger, so perhaps we will see a return to winning ways?