Mixed weekend for D&T: 2s win but 1s and 3s defeated

The first team disappointingly went down by 1 wicket at Stoke thus losing he chance to consolidate their lead at the top of the table.

The seconds maintained their challenge despite having only 10 men)_ see report below:

Dartington & Totnes  II 217 for 5, Stoke Gabriel II  168 for 8

D&T (19 points) beat Stoke (5 points) by 49 runs.

Dartington & Totnes put in a fine performance with bat and ball to beat a strong Stoke side at Foxhole on Saturday.

Groundsman Harold Stevenson’s hard work is paying off at Foxhole and D&T skipper Gavin Colegate had no hesitation in electing to bat first on a good track.  Tossing the coin was Colegate’s last action in the match as he was called in to work, leaving D&T with only 10 men.

D&T’s openers Jon Perkin and Steve Mackinlay got them off to a marvellous start putting on 94 for the first wicket.  The pair did just what was required, surviving some very tight opening bowling and then playing more expansively once they were set.  Farmer Perkin began harvesting the first change bowlers and Mackinlay batted with his usual alacrity. Mackinlay has been D&T’s mainstay batsman this season and it’s never dull when he is at the crease.  He showed his self-belief with a tremendous straight driven six which went straight over the head of Stoke skipper Sam Hill on the boundary.

Perkin fell lbw to Dwyer for 26 and Mackinlay followed shortly afterwards for 65 with a bizarre dismissal. The ball was thrown in from the deep square boundary and Mackinlay, anticipating the ball would bounce over the stumps, slowed down to avoid being hit.  However, the ball kept low  and hit the stumps directly.  Umpire Darren Colegate ruled it ‘not out’,  but Mackinlay ‘walked’, being certain he had been out of his ground.

Neil Colegate was lbw to Rob Baker for 4 and James Nicholls, taking a day off from playing golf, was bowled by Ed Gillin for 7.  Tom Petherick scored 23 with his usual panache until he cracked Gillin straight to Hill at mid-on.   Meanwhile Nikheel Jina was batting beautifully, with skill and aggression, and after Petherick’s departure he added fifty with Glenn Colegate (10 not out).  Jina hit 8 fours and a six in his 53 not out which secured D&T maximum batting points and put them in a strong, but not unassailable, position.

D&T’s ten men knew they were going to have to bowl and field well against a Stoke side which contained some  in-form batsmen.  Ollie Tregelles and Josh Thomas bowled tremendous opening spells whilst D&T fielded as if their lives depended on it.  Tregelles (1 for 16) was on fire and bowled with pace and hostility.  He was unlucky to take only one wicket, but his 9 over spell set the tone for the innings.   Jina bowled a fine 3 over spell before acting skipper Thomas brought on his slow bowlers, Glenn Colegate and Mick Rusling.   As they have done many times through the season the parsimonious pair turned the screw, cranking up the pressure.  After Rusling bowled opener Higgins for 20, with his second delivery, Stoke had their danger men Baker and Newman at the crease and the game entered a crucial phase.  The match swung towards D&T when Tom Petherick took a good catch at short mid-wicket to dismiss Baker for 14 off Rusling and then Newman hammered a delivery off Colegate (1 for 17) straight to Tregelles at extra cover.  The ball struck Tregelles forcefully on the chest.  His team mates expected him to collapse in a heap but he calmly caught he rebound one-handed, to send Newman back to the pavilion for 12.  Stoke were 57 for 4 with just 18 overs remaining and D&T had their tails up.

Rusling (3 for 18) had Smith (10) caught by Petherick and Jina returned to the attack to have Saunter caught by Glenn Colegate for 10.  Stoke were not going to give in without a fight and scored 76 off the last eight overs, aided by D&T being reduced to 9 men after Nicholls injured his knee.  Dwyer smashed 47 not out with a controlled display of hitting and added 75 with Hill (17) before Jina (3 for 47) regained his control and bowled Hill for 17 and Reeves for a duck in his final over.

 

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