Skipper Jarvis leads from the front with magnificent 130 not out in winning draw with Lewdown

Dartington & Totnes II 201 for 5, Lewdown II 180 for 4.      (Dartington & Totnes 13 points, Lewdown 8 points)

For some players the burden of captaincy results in a slump in form.  D&T second team captain, Mike Jarvis, is thriving and his personal form is going from strength to strength.  Jarvis hit a pulsating 130 not out to put his side in a strong position.  Lewdown fought back well and, riding their luck, made a brave attempt to overhaul D&T who had to work extremely hard in the field to keep them 21 runs short of their target, in an exciting finish.

Jarvis again won the toss and spotting a good batting track at Foxhole elected to bat. He may have had a premonition he would be batting for a long time, since he gave instructions for warming up the food for tea just before walking to the crease.  With Paul Taylor in good form the pair put on 92 for the first wicket.  Taylor played some fine shots before being trapped lbw by Dan Butler for 30.  Nikheel Jina followed shortly afterwards, bowled by leg spinner Clements.  Zac Shepherd looked assured and batted with a maturity that belied his years, before being bowled by the wily Steve Butler for 7.  However, the function of the batsman was largely to support Jarvis who was on fire. Jarvis’s 6 straight driven sixes over the bowlers’ heads resulted in some lengthy searches for the ball in nearby fields. He also hit 10 fours.  Jarvis paced his innings beautifully batting with restraint early on and then accelerating.  It was the third century of Jarvis’ long and illustrious career.

Pete Glen soon had Lewdown rocking on 20 for 2.  He bowled Clements for 2 in his second over and in his next over bowled Lewdown’s top batsman, skipper Olly Brown for 14.  Brown had started like he meant business striking 3 fours and D&T felt he was the key wicket.  Mick Rusling remained wicketless, but restricted the batsmen to 18 runs in a miserly 13 over spell.  Glen (2 for 49) beat the bat consistently but the experienced third wicket pair of Martyn and Summersby dug in and consolidated.  Halfway through the innings (23 overs) Lewdown were on 68, one run ahead of where D&T had been at the same stage.

Gareth Havard and Paul Raven came into the attack and Havard immediately began to make things happen.  The batsmen led a charmed life as a succession of edges and lofted drives just evaded the field.   When some very sharp chances did go to hand they weren’t held. It seemed only a matter of time before both would succumb, however, the pair put on 107 for the third wicket as D&T’s fieldsmen anxiously watched the scoreboard. Havard bowled his heart out without success. The batsmen ran extremely well between the wickets but were forced to take chances and there were several close calls before a throw by Perkins ran out Summersby for 45- to the huge relief of the home side. Lewdown needed 71 from the final 10 overs. Martyn had eased past 50 and seemed out on his feet through running quick singles, but somehow he managed to keep his wicket intact and the scoreboard ticking over. Ollie Perkins joined Havard in the attack and also bowled very well.  D&T’s fielders were desperate to restrict the batsmen with Bligh, Jerome, Shepherd, Perkins and Havard outstanding.  Shepherd’s lob ran out Pengelly for 9 but new man,  Marais, 17 not out, was soon scoring freely and put 38 on with Martyn,  83 not out, as the task just proved to be too much for Lewdown.

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