Gunnislake’s bright start after promotion to Division 5 East continued on Saturday with a nine wicket victory over Roche Old Boys 3rd XI.
After a torrid spring Gunnislake’s Hawkmoor Ground finally hosted its first match of the season, despite thunderstorms earlier in the week. A depleted Roche team included three loan players from Gunnislake and Saltash St Stephen’s, as well as a crop of promising young players. The average age of the Gunnislake team remains stubbornly over 40!
Before the match captain Mark Everett was presented with new shirts for the team, courtesy of Gunnislake’s new main sponsor, Iconic Opticians of Tavistock. Gunnislake won the toss and asked Roche to bat. Ten came from the opening over but then things settled down, with Joe Organ bowling particularly tightly from one end. Indeed Organ made the first breakthrough, bowling Roche captain Fred Kertai for 16. Two more wickets quickly followed leaving Roche in trouble at 21 for 3. At this point it fell to Mark Everett, playing on loan for Roche, to hold the innings together. He was last out, having scored 21, to a harsh LBW decision. Perhaps the umpire needed some help from Iconic Opticians?! However, the score, having scraped to 75, was just shy of a second batting point for Roche. Dinesh Thirupuvanarajah took four wickets, but all four bowlers played their part, with Josh Crow being particularly thrifty, taking 2 for 11 from his nine overs.
The Gunnislake reply was brief and emphatic. Against a young bowling attack Adam Emmerson was soon in his stride. With the ball keeping low he chose to drive, but with discretion and some venom. With six fours to his name Gunnislake charged past their first batting point, but as the end was in sight Emmerson tried to pull a short ball, missed and was out plumb LBW. No optician’s help needed on this occasion. This left Stephen Lees (64 years young) and Brian Martin (63) to shepherd the team home, with no further alarms.
And so on this occasion experience triumphed, but it is good to see clubs like Roche bringing through a steady stream of young talent. Two good wins make a fine start to the season for Gunnislake, but sterner tests lie ahead.
Roche Old Boys III 75 all out (Everett 21; Thirupuvanarajah 4-20); Gunnislake 77 for 1 (Emmerson 30). Gunnislake (20 points) beat Roche III (1 point) by nine wickets.