Dartington & Totnes II 137 for 9, Torquay II 93 all out
D&T won by 44 runs
In a remarkable game, Dartington & Totnes performed heroically to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Reduced to 29 for 5 it seemed the game was up us. Even after rallying to reach 95 for 9 the match seemed out of reach until Chris Worth and Mick Rusling added an undefeated 42 for the ninth wicket, to give D&T what appeared to be only a slim chance of success.
After suffering two successive League defeats we needed a good performance to boost morale but were up against a high flying Torquay side bidding for promotion. The batting has been a problem for us and this continued. Put in to bat, we lost Cliff Lowe to the second ball of the innings. Nadar bowled David Carter and then had Liam Bligh caught behind and after four overs we were 3 for 3. The experienced pair of Mike Jarvis and Tom Petherick steadied things but just as we were beginning to find some hope Tom was lbw to Hunt for 11. Nadar (3 for 27) bowled Paul Taylor for 1 and things looked bleak at 29 for 5. The only positive at this stage was opener Jarvis who was playing a disciplined role, reining in his cavalier instincts. Jarvs was beginning to think he’d carry his bat.
Jono Colegate joined Jarvis and batted with a maturity beyond his years as the pair put on 28 before Jarvis became an lbw victim of the wily old campaigner, Terry King, after scoring 15. King (4 for 32) then began to run through the late order, having Darren Colegate stumped for 3, bowling Liam Cotton for a duck and then nabbing Jono Coolegate for 33, caught and bowled. Colegate’s valuable knock contained 6 fours.
Torquay were cock-a-hoop at this point and expected little resistance from our last pair with12 overs remaining to bowl us out. They were to be sadly disillusioned. Chris Worth, a former Totnes stalwart, was playing his first match for several years and showed his worth with a sound defensive technique and solid attacking strokes. The fielders were clustered round the bat like vultures but as the pair steadily accumulated runs they gradually dispersed. King was seen off and the return of the troublesome Nadar was greeted by a pull for 4 by the Chairman. A second batting point was acquired with the batsmen untroubled. The only scares came from occasional hesitant running between the wickets. Worth finished on 27 not out and Rusling 17 not out in the biggest stand of the innings.
In contrast to D&T, Torquay got off to an explosive start with Jimmy Fulner taking a liking to Jono Colegate’s bowling with two fours and a six. Torquay were on 24 after only 3 overs and seemed likely to run away with it. Fulner (16) tried another big hit off Colegate and the ball seemed destined to clear the boundary until Jarvis swooped to take a wonderful catch. After Fulner’s departure the run rate slowed significantly. Colegate (2 for 34) soon struck again bowling Hunt for 5. Rusling, bowling at the other end and still pumped up after his innings, soon joined in the fun having opener Jack caught by Tom at mid off for 13.
Rusling (3 for 20 in 11 overs) caught and bowled Crooks for 22 and had Craig caught at gully by Lowe, reducing Torquay to 66 for 5. Remarkably he appealed before the ball hit the bat which he ascribed to a demonstration of psychic powers. The game had swung in our favour and it was our turn to surround the batsmen with fielders Cotton had relieved Colegate and as he gradually found his rhythm, the Torquay batsmen struggled to play him. Cotton took a well-deserved wicket when Jarvis, at silly mid off, leapt like a salmon to catch Stevenson, one –handed. Skipper David Carter had held himself back and came on to have a crack at the tail. It was like David and Goliath only David was playing Goliath and soon bowled Mason. Nadar (9) had hung around but chasing deliveries outside the off stump proved to be his undoing. He fell to Cotton (2 for 24 in ten overs) when keeper Taylor took a good catch. Carter had a brief war of attrition with King before nailing him lbw and Petherick picked off Penrice to seal a terrific win.