An unusual selection dilemma this week led to too many players, with two lent to Saltash St Stephens and even having to decline the offer of a game from James Boundy, inexplicably left out of the Callington line-ups. Nevertheless a strong team was fielded, with Joe Organ, Ian Mill and Brian Martin all returning to the team.
After a fine week weather wise a cloudy morning came with the threat of rain in the afternoon, and thus it proved, with only half a match possible, and most of that a valiant effort through varying levels of drizzle and fine rain. New skipper Kevin Beare won the toss and chose to bowl, thinking the best chance of victory was to quickly bowl the opposition out. Little did he know Laurence Marsh had dropped to the St Stephen’s second team, not on merit, but on account of work commitments confining him to home matches. St Stephens were to be indebted to Waitrose……..
St Stephens opened with Ian Stevenson and Chris Bridgen, who looked solid until Bridgen did a Kane Williamson (Test average 54.3), allowing a late forward defensive to trickle back onto his stumps. First blood to Thirupuvanarajah. Enter Laurence Marsh and an upping of the tempo; indeed the wet outfield and some classical play along the ground was the thing most keeping St Stephens and Marsh in check, as the ball trailed a Catherine wheel of spray and frequently stopped inside the boundary.
Stevenson fell bowled to Sylvan Pook with the score around 40 (Sorry dear reader, our scorebook is a bit of a mess). At that point it was left to Marsh to take control. Eight fours and one six combined with singles off the last ball of the over kept Gunnislake under pressure. St Stephens’ captain, Andrew Rennie, and Dave Warner, playing on loan to St Stephen’s from Gunnislake, departed without troubling the scorers, but then Marsh found an able partner in Tim Phillips, who nudged the ball and teased the fielders with singles. At one stage he threatened tip and run, but eventually he both lived and died by the sword, run out for 15, as the batsmen did a passable image of the hokey-kokey towards the centre of the pitch.
The drizzle had by now become harder and the last few overs were played in steady rain. However, St Stephens opted to bat on, in search of a third batting point, which duly arrived. The keeper had to take his glasses off to see anything at all, and the wicket began to cut up. As the innings headed to a close Joe Organ returned into the bowling attack for a second spell. Showing remarkable control with a wet ball he pitched it well up and straight, and three wickets fell in the last over. A further run-out, and two clean bowled, gave Gunnislake not only a third bowling point, but also a fourth, as the St Stephens innings closed on around 130 for 8. (I am hoping they kept their score book more accurately! 
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By now visibility was poor and there was no let up in sight for the rain. The captains decided to call it a day, and make a bee-line for the St Stephens pub, The Ploughboy Inn. And so a traditional eccentric British “summer” afternoon drew to a close. Saltash accumulated three bonus points and Gunnislake four. Spencer Whatley’s second appearance for Gunnislake ended the same as his first: match abandoned. Owen Patton once again failed to get a bat, and the new skipper Kevin Beare maintained his unbeaten run at the helm. The quirks of this year’s fixture list see a return fixture at Gunnislake next weekend. Do come down to watch the fun!
Saltash St Stephens II 130 or 8 (L Marsh 78 no; S Pook 3-32, J Organ 2-30). Match abandoned. Saltash St Stephens II 9 points, Gunnislake 10.
