The final first XI of the year was; A. Pitt, H. Choules+, B. Coetzee, G. Daldorph, M. Wilkinson, B. Coe, B. Heard, H. Squire, B. Slaviero, A. Jopling, J. Choules*.
There was little riding on the game with North Devon already crowned as champions and Thors guaranteed A Division cricket next term.
The skipper won the toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat so the majority of the side could enjoy the stunning Instow surroundings while Pitt and H. Choules opened up. The latter’s experiment opening was short lived when Popham got one to swing the other way to remove the left hander.
After a tight start from the hosts, Pitt & Coetzee eventually benefitted from the rapid outfield with anything that beat the infield running away for 4. It was the short ball that did for Pitt in the end when he was caught for 16. Daldorph, also promoted up the order, joined Coetzee as the pair rotated the strike against the change bowling when the hosts turned to some spin. Just after passing the first batting point, Thors lost another when Coetzee was bowled for 25 in his last outing in a Thors shirt before he heads back to South Africa for a short stint before coming back to the UK again to study.
Wilkinson joined Daldorph as the hosts continued to rotate their bowlers regularly with the new man finding the boundary regularly, clearly enjoying the ball coming on. The duo accelerated as we entered the middle of the innings and were aided by a flurry of North Devon extras – one of which had Daldorph stumped off of a wide. Thors 90-4 at halfway.
The momentum continued when Coe entered the fray albeit Wilkinson was clearly the aggressor, bringing up his 50 just after Coe went for 16. By now the total had reached 157-5 with 15 to go and Wilkinson was really beginning to free the arms. Eventually he was caught for a better than a run a ball 69 just before getting his side to 200. Squire came and went and it was down to Heard and the tail to get a competitive total on board.
Slaviero struck a sweet six before being bowled, all the while Heard steadily accumulating with relative ease. However when he holed out for 32, Choules joined Jopling at 217-9. The final pair struggled for boundaries with the field still spread but got the total to 241 with some good running before Jops was caught on the final ball. The skipper reaching a total of 60 not outs for the 1st XI in the process.
After a plentiful tea, North Devon appeared to be in a rush to get their promotion party started – Bowser and Rothery striking at 10 an over for the first 6 and until Slaviero caught and bowled the former. The skipper brought himself on to attempt to tighten up and went close to getting Rothery on a number of occasions, but it was the introduction of Pitt that did for the opener when Heard caught him for 58. NDCC 91-2 from 10.
The following spell was better for the visitors and Choules had his wicket when Windley holed out to Slaviero. The control didn’t last long when overseas player Lakmal accelerated after the 17 over drinks break. Thors rotated bowlers frequently in an attempt for wickets but the champions elect remained in control as they reached 178-3 at halfway.
Pitt gave Thors another bowling bonus point when he removed Valeri via a 3rd Slaviero catch while Jopling deserved more as he toiled at the other end. With less than 40 more required with 18 overs still to bowl, there was chance to have a look at Wilkinson’s leg spin for the first time in a competitive environment.
However, no more wickets could be snaffled and the champions cruised home with 13 overs left to bowl. Lakmal finishing 86 not out.
With most other results going against Thors, we finish a disappointing 8th in the final standings, the lowest placing of the season. Spirits remained high in the camp post match though with an eagerness to climb the table next summer.
Thorverton Cricket Club 