Gunnislake came up against an improving Pencarrow on Saturday and paid the price for another error prone batting display as Pencarrow ran out winners by 54 runs. Gunnislake had six changes from the previous week, while Pencarrow had the luxury of seventeen players to choose from, after nearly folding at the start of the season. How fortunes can quickly change.
Gunnislake won the toss and invited Pencarrow to bat. The visitors got off to a lively start, with a fast dry outfield helping their cause. Lee Roberts got the early wicket of Mark Pennington, bowled for 9, but the score had moved to 64 in only 13 overs before Gunnislake claimed a second, Isaac Jago, also bowled by the wily seam of Roberts. But from here Pencarrow took charge, with Jack Carter (second match of the season) severe with anything wide on the offside and Simon Clay (first match of the season) offering able support. They had just taken the score past one hundred, and indeed Jago’s half century, when Jago was needlessly run out, trying to take on the arm of Paul Hollow in the covers. Wrong man Jack!
From that point the pressure swung and wickets began to fall regularly. Paul Hollow was a welcome return to the bowling attack, while Dan Pethick turned his arm over in more than twenty years. Hollow kept things tight and was also among the wickets. A score below 150 looked possible, but some late lusty hitting by Daniel Cock was to prove decisive, as a quick fire 29 took Pencarrow up to 168 all out. Hollow was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 4 for 18, while Jamie Watts also claimed two late wickets.
The Gunnislake reply started well with runs piling up at a rate of nearly seven an over. Rain was forecast, but both sides were in with a good chance of victory. Ross Potter was looking in fine touch with the bat, but missed a straight one from Loic Pennington, to depart bowled for a quick fire 14. Paul Hollow and Dan Pethick continued the assault and Pencarrow were forced to change to the experienced off-spin of Simon Clay. A shrewd move as Hollow skied one to backward square leg, where a simple catch was taken by none other than that man Pennington, to leave the score at 57 for 2. Gunnislake began to have the jitters, and Pencarrow’s tails were up. Pennington was on fire: he bowled Gunnislake captain Dinesh Thirupuvanarajah and then took a catch on the square leg boundary, to give Clay the vital wicket of Dan Pethick.
At 90 for 4 the match ought to have been evenly balanced, but Gunnislake’s middle order collapsed once again as Clay and Jack Carter, bowling off-spin in tandem, set to work. Only Jamie Watts reached double figures as Gunnislake succumbed to 114 all out, six runs short of a third batting point. Pencarrow had done the business in a mere 22 overs, the incoming rain had been thwarted and Pencarrow claimed 19 points for a well-deserved win.
Pencarrow remain bottom of the League, courtesy of a 20 points penalty for conceding the first fixture of the season. However, they now have the two teams just above them firmly in their sights and now look to have every chance of avoiding relegation. For Gunnislake a tough series of fixtures lies ahead, and it is back to the nets for more betting practice!
Pencarrow 168 (J Carter 50, D Cock 29; P Hollow 4-11, J Watts 2-23, L Roberts 2-52), Gunnislake 114 (D Pethick 38, P Hollow 22; S Clay 4-40, J Carter 3-24, L Pennington 2-30). Pencarrow (20 points) beat Gunnislake (7 points) by 54 runs.