The August holidays hit with a vengeance and for once the Gunnislake loan machine failed to function. On Friday evening it looked as if Ivanhoe Cricket Club, a touring team from Hertfordshire, would save the day, but in the end only one of their squad made the start line: take a bow, Stephen Parnell. And so, after a mad dash to Okehampton Travelodge, nine intrepid players arrived at Tideford. Other players of note included Pater Davis, making his debut thirty years after his last cricket match for the Metropolitan Police, and Ian Mill, still masquerading as Unsure, despite playing his eighth game of the season for Gunnislake.
Gunnislake won the toss and elected to bat, with late arrivals from heavy holiday traffic helping the decision. A slow but steady start was made, with Chris Bennett, another former Callington player, being particularly frugal for Tideford. Barrie James was eventually run out, trying to speed things up, but this brought star batsman Adam Emmerson to the crease. He watchfully saw off Bennett, and at half way Tideford were on top with the score a mere 52 for 1. Emmerson and Mill then briefly tore into the Tideford change bowling, before Mill fell to a father-son combination, caught Chris Bennett, bowled Jake Bennet, after once again passing fifty. Enter Stephen Parnell, who also enjoyed several lusty blows to the boundary. But he missed one and Gunnislake’s fragile middle order was exposed. Tideford packed the boundary and fours became ones. Emmerson perished in the final slog, for another excellent 71, bringing Geoff Husband to the crease. And now for an unfamiliar tale: off the mark first ball, a clip to the mid-wicket boundary second ball and a strike rate briefly at 250! Gunnislake concluded on 178 for 6, a good effort in the circumstances. Steve Ford took three late wickets, but the early pressure came from Chris Bennett’s miserly 0-15 off his ten overs.
Now fielding, Gunnislake’s nine looked a bit sparse, especially with two octogenarians (take a bow Geoff and Barrie and two septuagenarians (Peter and indeed since last month Sylvan). Nevertheless Tideford thought the target a bit steep, so was it game on? Parnell and George Jefferis opened the bowling for Gunnislake, with Dave Holland and Mark Everett commencing the Tideford reply. Everett had last been seen starring as a loan player for Gunnislake at Ladock, but there were no split loyalties in the match today. Holland and Everett set off at pace, and although checked for a while were well ahead of the run rate when Holland slapped a long hop to Emmerson at cover. Justin Kidd kept up the chase, while Everett anchored the other end. But then Ian Mill was thrown the ball, and Kidd immediately presented a catch to Jefferis at mid-off. A mini collapse gave the visitors hope, but enter rising star Jake Bennett (neither 80, nor 70, but a mere 13) to snuff it out. A straight bat and clean hitting showed his elders how to do it. Mill tossed one up, and the response was a beautiful flowing shot over mid-on’s head for a glorious four. Better batsman than his Dad was the muttered compliment!
And so the inevitable came to pass, Tideford overtook the Gunnislake score and ran out winners by five wickets. Everett was top scorer with 55 not out, but Jake Bennett’s 22 will live longer in the memory. When we are stuck in deckchairs nostalgically remembering our playing days, he will no doubt be gracing the game at a rather higher level. Tideford took maximum points, but Gunnislake were not disgraced. One or two more players and the result might have been different…… In theory it is an eleven a side game!
Tideford (20 points) beat Gunnislake (six) by five wickets.