Gunnislake hosted table topping Wadebridge III on Saturday, and despite some periods of good play were in the end well beaten by six wickets.
Wadebridge won the toss and invited Gunnislake to bat on a hard dry pitch, possibly thinking of Gunnislake’s lowly 131 in the reciprocal fixture. Nevertheless, Paul Hollow and Dan Pethick made a steady start for Gunnislake, wary of Wadebridge’s young bowling attack and indeed Gunnislake’s frail tail. Having got their eyes in the pair began to force the pace, with boundaries interleaved with watchful defence. The score had reached 49 when Hollow was surprised by a ball that climbed, caught in the covers for 29 off the bowling of Finn Wilkinson. James Boundy joined the fray and the run rate continued to climb. He opened his account with five fours and a six, scored at well over a run a ball. When Pethick fell LBW to give Wilkinson a second wicket, Russ Holloway took up the unaccustomed role of support act. The runs came steadily, but Wadebridge managed to keep the rate in check with a widespread and well-placed field. A young team chased everything, saving several almost certain boundaries. By halfway Gunnislake were well placed at 114 for 2, and Wadebridge were slightly on the back foot.
But the tide soon turned with Boundy bowled by Arthur Skinner for 37. Dinesh Thirupuvanarajah hit a breezy 14, before missing a straight one, and suddenly Holloway was the only remaining senior batsman. He held firm at one end, but wickets started to tumble. Four fell for less than ten runs as a familiar tale unfolded. Credit must be given to Wadebridge for bowling a consistent line and length, with Lucas Stewart reaping the rewards with 4 wickets in his second spell. Faced with carnage around him, Holloway began to hit out, but stepping back to make room for himself, he too missed a straight ball, bowled for 37. By 34 overs the damage was complete, and Gunnislake were all out for 181, with anther promising start coming to a disappointing end. The top four batsmen all looked good, and made reasonable scores, but none kicked on. Eight of Gunnislake’s batsmen were bowled, a testament to the value of accurate and straight bowling. All bar four of Wadebridge’s overs came from teenagers, so the coaches must be doing a good job! On a fast outfield 181 was going to be a tough ask to defend.
The Wadebridge reply was even more circumspect than Gunnislake’s opening. Dinesh bowled Wilkinson in the fifth over and after ten overs Wadebridge had only reached 20 for the loss of that one wicket. But the Wadebridge team always seem to have a second gear. Robert Centini frustrated Gunnislake, frequently stepping across his stumps, but always clipping it square for runs. James Boundy removed the second opener, Lucas Stewart with a beautiful off-break, but Jack Gill kept the pressure up for Wadebridge. By the time Gill fell in the twenty-fourth over, with the score on 124, the win predictor was heavily in favour of Wadebridge. Leigh Charles then entered the fray; batting with a suspect knee he stood firm and drove to great effect. Four straight sixes left Gunnislake reeling. Paul Hollow cleverly bowled a shorter straight ball, to remove Charles for a rapid 35, but by then it was too late. The target had dropped to a paltry 17, with 6.4 overs to come. The inevitable end soon followed, as Wadebridge ran out comfortable winners by six wickets with four overs to spare. Centini finished unbeaten on 54, while Dinesh, Boundy, Hollow and Holloway shared the bowling spoils with one wicket each.
A maximum twenty points for Wadebridge keeps them a single point clear of Gorran at the top of the table. Next week Gorran play third placed Buckland Monachorum it what could be a pivotal match in deciding both the League champions and the two promotion places. In the mid-table crush, Gunnislake just cling on to fourth place.
Gunnislake 181 (J Boundy 37, R Holloway 37, P Hollow 29, D Pethick 23; L Stewart 4-43, F Wilkinson 3-30). Wadebridge III 183-4 (R Centini 54no, L Charles 35, J Gill 30, L Stewart 28). Wadebridge III (20 points) beat Gunnislake (6 points) by 6 wickets.
Back row: Jamie Watts, Russ Holloway, Graham Murray, Dan Pethick, Paul Hollow, Kevin Beare, Ross Potter, Mike Punchard, Stephen Lees. Front row: Dinesh Thirupuvanarajah, James Boundy, Lee Roberts, Brian Martin