The Energy Systems Player of the Month for June 2025 was awarded to Dan Robbins for his match-winning 121 from 93 balls against Kilmington.
Robbo has struck 249 runs @ 27.67 so far this season, alongside 8 wickets @ 30.5.
Honourable mentions during the discussion for the award were George Daldorph for his century against Sandford in the Mid Devon T20, and league 5fas for David Baldock, 5-12 v Newton Tracey & Craig Risdon’s 5-40 v Stokeinteignhead.
There were 3 changes for the 1st XI who took on second place Hatherleigh in a top of the table clash. Team: L. Vukusic, D. Robbins, A. Kingdon, S. Yelverton, H. Choules+, G. Daldorph, S. Jefferson, B. Heard, B. Slaviero, A. Jopling, J. Choules*.
A minute silence was held pre match in memory of Devon Cricket legend David. Gambie.
After winning the toss, Thorverton would bat first on the hottest Saturday of the year so far. The in-form Vukusic put away three boundaries in the opening over to give his side an instant advantage. He found the boundary again a couple of overs later when Robbins also got in on the act while the opening stand was aided by 5 wides to race to 39-0 from 7 overs before Robbins was caught behind. Kingdon then came and went, falling in the final ball of the opening powerplay as the total reached 44-2.
Vukusic and Yelverton rotated the strike well, pushing for 2s inside the relatively small boundaries as the hosts went defensive with their fields. Just after the 17 over drinks break, Vukusic pulled a ball for 6 past the pavilion and into the car park to move to 48. A spare ball was required and it was the undoing of Vukusic who was caught behind next ball. H. Choules joined Yelverton who had his own maximum when he dispatched Wood square of the wicket. The left hand / right hand pair continued to accumulate and reached a solid 107-3 at the halfway point.
They continued scoring at a comfortable 5 an over without taking many risks before seeking to up the rate as we entered the last 20, Shane bringing up his half century in the process. Choules was eventually caught on the rope for a useful 31 as the total reached 146-4 with 15 to go.
The big wicket of Daldorph came a couple of overs later when Ghosh got one to turn heavily and come back through the gate. Yelverton, however, did well to keep the pressure on the hosts with an array of boundaries around the ground. The saffa took a particular liking to Presswell with one six going out of the ground and over the adjacent A Road. 175-5 became 178-6 when Jefferson was undone by a smart diving catch.
Bobby Heard joined Shane and as he strolled in he revealed that he hadn’t netted for a few weeks but felt confident thanks to plenty of shadow batting. His confidence wasn’t misplaced as he and Shane rotated well with the latter continuing to find the boundary regularly. Heard got involved when he took Ghosh for 9 in an over to bring up the 200 which included a cheeky reverse sweep.
The pair went hard in the final 5, much to the enjoyment of their teammates in the shade. The were able to gave rapturous applause to Shane who raised his bat for his first league century on the first ball of the 49th over – striking 5 4s and 5 6s in the process. He did finally fall in the last over as Slaviero and Heard (23*) gave Thors a score of 244-7.
The hosts had chased some big scores at home this season so would have fancied their chances after the famous Hatherleigh tea. It would be a different prospect starting against Thors’ ever-reliable opening bowlers though and Slaviero almost gave the visitors a dream start when he wrapped Quick on the pad 2nd ball. The umpire was unmoved but Slaviero had his man in his next over when middle stump went flying out of the ground. Never to be outdone, Daldorph found the outside edge of the opposition captain as Shane held on sublimely at second slip. He then had the big wicket of Davies when off stump went flying a few overs later.
Hatherleigh in trouble at 4-3 but Thors knew there was a long way to go, particularly with Ghosh at the crease – the pro striking an unbeaten ton at Station Ground in May. Ghosh and Jasper Presswell negotiated the rest of the powerplay cautiously as the score reached 18-3 from 10. The skipper replaced Slaviero, hoping some off spin would put pressure on left handed Ghosh but he sought to take the attack to Thors, sweeping well and attacking the short straight boundary on occasion. Yelverton kept things tight from the other end until Choules had the prize wicket right on drinks via Vukusic running in and diving forwards at mid off. Hatherleigh 42-4.
Incoming Wood planted the very next ball for a maximum over mid off before Jopling replaced Yelverton at the other end. With mid off back, Thors came within a fingertip to removing Wood who continued to attack the short boundary. Things were less dramatic at Jopling’s end until Wood drilled one to Yelverton to give Thors number 5.
Robbins, replacing Choules, found a way of removing Presswell when Tidball clubbed one back to him and he flicked it onto the stumps with a right boot, running out Presswell at the non strikers. With Hatherleigh 80-6, Jopling and Robbins were able to keep things tight in the middle overs until the score became 110-6 with 20 to go.
Charlie Presswell and Tidball rebuilt well, however, and became difficult to remove with the left hand / hand right partnership giving Thors the run around at points. Slaviero tried a couple before Jopling had a deserved second when a change of field tempted him to sky one to Shane for his 3rd catch of the afternoon.
The incoming but injured Heard was only going to bat one way and got his side back into the game with some clean hitting. He struck a run a ball 22 before George removed him thanks to Robbins’ safe hands. Hatherleigh now had an outside chance though at 170-8 with 10 to go.
The tired and sore Yelverton was required to run in for the closing stages and put his body through some pain for his team. Daldorph and Slaviero rotated at the other end with all three seamers keeping things suitably tight but there was pressure as Hatherleigh ran well and provided some scares via the odd boundary. Shane had a 4th catch and Daldorph had a 4th wicket to give Thors number 9 but the 10th wicket was also hard to come by. It wasn’t until the last over when Slaviero cleaned up Letheren that Hatherleigh were finally beaten. A fitting end as the wicket was Slav’s 200th league wicket for the club.
Thanks go to Bob Rice in the scorebox as well as our hosts and officials for facilitating the game.
Thors leapfrog Hatherleigh into 2nd after the 100 over slog ahead of a home game against Bridestowe next week.
With the Choules brothers away for the weekend there were two changes to the 1st XI led by Ben Slaviero: L. Vukusic+, D. Robbins, A. Kingdon, S. Yelverton, A. Pitt, G. Daldorph, S. Jefferson, H. Squire, B. Slaviero*, A. Jopling, S. Tait.
Andy Kingdon was presented with his 1st XI cap having reached 5 DCL appearances this season.
The early forecasted rain avoided the Station Ground and, having won the toss, the visitors elected to take to the field – all be it with 10 players with one running late.
Openers Vukusic and Robbins started as they had last week, exploiting the powerplay and quick outfield to regularly send the ball to the fence. Harfords early short ball tactics were enjoyed by the pair and forced an early bowling change. Robbins was seeing the ball particularly well and muscled back-to-back boundaries off Last to take Thors to 40-0 from just 6 overs. He was dismissed the next over though, a skier excellently caught by Lipton running at full pace and clinging on over his shoulder.
Kingdon joined Vukusic and continued to put away the odd loose delivery from the Barton seamers. A brief rain break took an over off each innings and allowed the visitors to re-group. The introduction of Kamunhukamwe stemmed the flow of runs as the off-spinner quickly got into a consistent rhythm. He got his reward in the 17th over, bowling Vukusicfor a well made 32. Yelverton was then gone next over, carving one to backward point where it was well caught by Watkin, 72-3. Pitt and Kingdon began the rebuild, spin now in operation at both ends. The latter planted Bowker over top to bring up the 100 but it was Barton celebrating next as, on the stroke of drinks, Pitt skied Kamunhukamwe who safely took the catch off his own bowling. 104-4 at halfway.
Daldorph was next to the crease and he was quickly into his work, sweeping Bowker to the boundary on a couple of occasions as well as striking a sumptuous 6 over extra cover.
It was Kamunhukamwe who continued to keep Barton in the game though, trapping Kingdon LBW shouldering arms, gone for 29. 121-5 with the game in the balance.
Jefferson and Daldorph set about another rebuild for the home side, seeing off the last of Kamunhukamwe and sensibly knocking about the singles. It wasn’t too long before Daldorph began to show his attacking intent again, whipping Watkin over square leg for 6. Having played himself in Jefferson also started to find the boundary and the 200 came up with 6 overs to go. Disaster struck in the 44th though as a miscommunication resulted in Daldorph being run out, and Jefferson followed him 2 balls later pulling one to mid-wicket. Squire was next to go as he was trapped in front by new bowler Lipton and Thors had stumbled from 209-5 to 211-8, the hopes of full batting points all but gone. Slaviero and Jopling briefly steadied the ship, running well before Jopling was sharply caught behind after flashing at a wide one. Last man Tait continued to run well with the skipper who managed to plant a low full toss over the longest boundary to the joy of the home support. He was gone a few balls later going for another big shot but had contributed a useful 15 to leave Thors all out for 235 with 3 balls unused.
After a pleasant Vukusic tea, the home side took to the field as a growing number of supporters arrived, from club legends to the future generations of TCC.
They were treated just two balls in, as Slaviero clean bowled Last with an absolute peach. This brought overseas professional Kamunhukamwe to the crease and he was instantly on the offensive, trying to disrupt the lengths of Daldorph and Slaviero. The pair continued patiently though and Daldorph soon had his reward, 4 dots prompted Kamunhukamwe to try and go over the top, the catch easily taken by Pitt at mid-off. Watkin joined him in the clubhouse a few balls later, a rash swing across the line seeing Slavierouprooting his stumps, Barton reeling at 21-3.
Lipton and Parker were now at the crease and proceeded with more caution whilst also getting some luck with a few edges flying to the boundary. Yelverton replaced the skipper and struck in his first over, Lipton well caught by Jefferson at cover. Jopling also got in on the act in his first, bowling Parker looking for the big shot, 38-5. He had his second shortly after, Harford chipping a return catch, smartly taken diving forward.
Captain Lewis was now at the crease and bought some stability to the innings. It wasn’t long before the returning Slaviero had another though, Lipton hitting one straight to Squire at mid-off, 56-7. Jopling continued to keep it tight from the river end as Porter looked to pad out the spin and swing at the seam. Robbins was introduced after the drinks break and soon had Porter, another catch at mid-off for Squire.
Lewis started to open up a little and punished a couple of balls that were pulled short. New man Bowker didn’t last longthough, Robbins getting one to jag back to have him plumb in front, 98-9. Shelton was the last man in and batted sensibly with his captain as the score ticked over 100. It was the return of Daldorph that eventually wrapped things up, clean bowling Shelton to dismiss Barton for 113.
A comprehensive win for Thors, who picked up 19 points and remain 3rd in the A Division ladder. A big fixture next week with a visit Hatherleigh who currently 5 points ahead in 2nd.
Our Community Cricket Day takes place on Sunday 10th August 2025.
This year we have four teams:- Butterleigh CC, The Thorverton Arms & The Exeter Inn will be joining a TCC side to play four matches and a final.
Games will be 8 x 8 ball overs a side, batters to retire at 25 and a maximum of two overs per bowler.
10am – Thorverton CC v Thorverton Arms
11:30am – Butterleigh CC v Exeter Inn
1pm – Thorverton CC v Butterleigh CC
2:30pm – Thorverton Arms v Exeter Inn
4:30pm – Final
All fixture times are a rough guide
The bar will be open all day with pasties available to buy from the kitchen. Please come down and support if you aren’t playing & enjoy what is always a fun-filled day.
There were 3 changes for 1s who were playing at home for the first time in 5 weeks who lined up with: L. Vukusic, D. Robbins, A. Kingdon, S. Yelverton, H. Choules+, G. Daldorph, A. Pitt, S. Jefferson, B. Slaviero, A. Jopling, J. Choules*.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bat on a hot day at Station Ground. They negotiated the early exchanges calmly with Daldorph and Slaviero beating the outside edge on occasion. Pile in particular scored through third man and George had him put down in the slips early on as Kilmington reached 26-0 after the 10 over powerplay.
Yelverton replaced Slaviero at the Pavilion End, also keeping things tight, but opener Gooding tried to increase the rate when Choules replaced Daldorph. He capitalised with a couple of maximums over deep mid wicket as the total got to 56-0 at the 17 over drinks break.
The skipper turned back to pace via Vukusic after drinks but it was Yelverton who had the crucial Gooding (41) wicket when he dislodged his stumps. Cann subsequently joined Pile and the run rate slowed once again. Thors rotated the bowling in the middle session with bursts from Slaviero, Jopling and Robbins with boundaries few and far between. Jopling came closest when Cann was also put down as the score got into the 120s heading into the final 16 over session.
The reintroduction of Daldorph was the undoing of Cann, LBW, while Robbins removed the stubborn Pile for 45 from 96 balls next over. The experienced Seward and overseas Aussie Cucontis now in with the score 152-3 with 10 to go. The pair ran well to up the rate but boundaries were still a relative rarity with the bowling continuing to rotate and generally keeping things tight. In the last 5, the Aussie had more luck as he squeezed Yelverton for a couple of boundaries and found some joy scooping Daldorph while Slaviero removed Seward to secure a second bowling point in the penultimate over. George did well to keep the last over to 8 runs after a boundary first ball. Kilmington posting 217-4 from their 50 which felt below par on a hot day on a good pitch.
After a plentiful Robbins tea, he got to work on the chase with the also in-form Vukusic. The pair had a look at the opening bowling of Reed and Fuzzard but the first couple of overs were about as good as it got for the visitors before Robbins nonchalantly dismissed Reed’s second for 16. Vukusic was happy to give Robbins the strike early on as the pair ran well and Robbins hit regular boundaries to all parts of the ground in the opening stages. Kilmington turned to Cucontis early but the experiment was short lived when he was hit for 24 including extras. There was then a flurry of 1 over spells that couldn’t stem Robbins as the score raced to 86-0 from 10.
Robbins brought up his 50 shortly after the powerplay then had his first maximum when a Cann full toss was hit over the road. Vukusic started to get in on the act as the opening stand passed three figures when he drove Fuzzard for 4 in just the 13th over – an over that went for 19.
Seward and Crabb finally started to tighten things up for Kilmington but there was still opportunity for Robbins to sweep the former over mid wicket for 6 more before drinks to go into the 80s. Vukusic fell just before drinks for a useful 25 as Kingdon joined Robbins. The tighter bowling had further reward when Kingdon walked off after edging Seward behind until Yelverton got off the mark with a 4 first ball.
Robbins negotiated the 90s cautiously until another comprehensive pull for 4 brought him to 98. A couple of singles in the 25th over brought up the blistering century from just 77 balls – to the delight of teammates and spectators at Station Ground. He somehow found another gear when he crunched the next Seward over for 18 as the score reached 192-2 from 26.
Yelverton also seemed to be in a hurry as he hit 3 boundaries himself a couple of overs later including a dismissive pull to bring Thors within 20. Eventually Robbins holed out to mid off in the 30th over for a memorable 121 from 93 balls in a commanding display.
There were no further scares as H. Choules and Yelverton got Thors over the line, finished off with one final boundary by the latter who ended 37 not out.
Thors pick up 17 points and finish the first half of the season 3rd in the A Division ladder. Next week we host bottom side Barton at Station Ground.
There were 5 changes for the 1s following the abandonment at Tavistock last week. Team: L.Vukusic, D.Robbins, B.Coe, S.Yelverton, H.Choules+, G.Daldorph, D.Baldock, S.Jefferson, B.Slaviero, S.Tait, J.Choules*.
Amongst a heatwave, the rain still managed to find Torquay in the morning as the teams arrived. The weather cleared up by the time of the toss when Choules elected to field. The Torquay openers started aggressively to make the skipper question his decision with Kelmere in particular finding the boundary regularly. Daldorph attempted to put the opener off his stride with a bouncer but that was comprehensively pulled for a maximum over deep square leg. Next ball, however, with a new ball, Kelmere attempted another hook which was cooly claimed behind by Harry Choules.
Never to be outdone, Slaviero got his first a couple of overs later when overseas player Roux looped one to the safe hands of compatriot Stu Tait. Slavs had another inside the powerplay when he swiftly cleaned up Passenger. Torquay 47-3 after 10.
The end of the powerplay brought a flurry of wickets when Daldorph struck 2 in 2 and wasn’t a million miles away with the hat-trick ball. Yelverton, replacing Slaviero, struck first ball to get opener Western via a snick behind as Torquay were suddenly 57-6.
Hunt and Baxendale rebuilt for the hosts until the skipper joined the attack and removed Hunt from his second ball. By halfway the hosts were 97-7 which became 110-8 when Slaverio replaced Robbins. Then when Choules had his second Torquay seemed to be on the brink at 113-9.
The last wicket partnership proved extremely stubborn with Baxendale and number 11 Dabhade showing no signs of rolling over. Thors rotated the bowling but despite some close calls including a dropped chance and a rapid bouncer from Daldorph couldn’t make the breakthrough. Baxendale passed his half century which was followed by the 50 partnership as the total passed 150. Eventually Robbins had Baxendale (55) with a couple of overs to go to leave Thors needing a reasonable 187 to win.
Robbins and Vukusic started the chase solidly, punishing early looseners and
making the most of the early extras. Robbins set the tone with a crunching cover drive and a 6 over the duck pond as the 50 partnership came up within 7 overs and Torquay’s stubborn 10th wicket partnership was almost instantly cancelled out. Robbins (37) had to go next over when he was given LBW but not before another maximum.
Incoming Coe did well to rotate the strike with Vukusic despite carrying an injury as Thors reached 72-1 after 10. Vukusic took a liking to the change bowling, particularly the spin of Passenger, as the pair continued to accumulate. Baxendale and Kelmere tightened things up for their team but Thors showed patience, reaching 93-1 after 20.
Coe got the total over 3 figures before being caught for a patient 8 from 53 balls. At the other end, Vukusic looked more and more comfortable, scoring from most balls and punishing any width with ease as he passed a well deserved half century. It only took Yelverton a couple of overs to get his eye in as he pumped a 4 followed by a maximum in the 26th as the visitors moved within 60 runs.
The pair sensibly moved towards the target with no real chances given. Yelverton would’ve been frustrated to eventually fall for 45 with his team 10 short of the total, but Harry Choules got straight to work with a crunching cover drive. Fittingly, Vukusic (77*) finished it with two boundaries as Thors win by 7 wickets with 9 and a half overs to spare.
Thors move back up to 4th in the table with back to back home games next, starting with Kilmington on Saturday.
The newest format of cricket is taking off at Thorverton after some well attended sessions throughout May and June. Walking Cricket is a low-impact version of traditional cricket designed to accommodate players of all ages and abilities, especially older adults or those with reduced mobility.
True to its name, running is not required; players walk to score runs and move between positions. The game retains the essence of cricket, including batting, bowling, and fielding, but with simplified rules and a slower pace to ensure inclusivity and enjoyment for everyone.
Our sessions on Wednesday afternoons (3pm-4:30pm) have had an eclectic mix of participants, ranging from a club legend with over a thousand wickets to those who have never picked a cricket bat before! Here’s what some of the participants had to say:-
“I came along primarily to meet new people and see what it was like. Having played cricket until I was 30, all be it at a low standard, I was concerned that I would want something more competitive, but with a wildly eclectic mix of people, ranging from a club legend, to several people who have never played, we make it work. Watching someone who doesn’t know what a six is, hit one back over my head is surprisingly good fun. We all creek a bit but everyone encourages everyone else and the end result is a very enjoyable way to spend Wednesday afternoons. A special word for Keith, without whom it would never happen.”
“Thorverton Cricket Club, a huge thank you for introducing walking cricket for the summer months! I’ve never played cricket before, but this has been a fantastic experience. It’s great fun, and I was surprised by how much of a workout it is – it’s a fantastic all-round fitness activity. Plus, meeting new people and enjoying tea, coffee, and delicious cakes made by Penny and Sally is the icing on the cake. What more could you ask for?”
“I’m really enjoying the walking cricket and to meet new people and have fun at the same time.”
“Another super afternoon of sport and camaraderie.”
Our thanks go to Keith Cudby for running the Walking Cricket sessions & to the Devon Cricket League for their funding support via the discretionary grant scheme which allowed us to purchase specific kit for the Walking Cricket group.
We really hope that Walking Cricket at Thorverton continues to grow & newcomers are encouraged to come and join us on Wednesday afternoons between 3pm & 4:30pm. No equipment is required and to help the club grow Walking Cricket a free membership will be provided to participants for 2025. Sign up on our membermojo website HERE.
The 1st XI leaving sunny Thorverton for a grey looking Dartmoor to take on Tavistock were: A.Pitt, D.Robbins, B.Coe, S.Yelverton, H.Choules+, G.Daldorph, B.Heard, F.Fenner, B.Slaviero, A.Jopling, J.Choules*.
There was a heavy downpour on arrival resulting in a delayed start. Eventually a 32 over game was agreed which would kick off at 2.30. Robbins and Pitt started positively for Thors but at 11-0 from 2, the rain came back. We lost a further 2 overs per side now making the game 30 overs per innings.
The openers picked up where they left off, capitalising on any bad balls before Pitt played on for 10 as the score reached 25-1 in the 4th. Coe supported Robbins as the pair turned the strike over and ran well to keep the pressure on the hosts. Robbins was patient in putting away the bad balls until one flicked his pad, went down the leg side and veteran wicket keeper Dave Manning took a sublime stumping to remove Robbins for 28.
Yelverton joined Coe to negotiate the opening 10 overs as the total reached a solid 51-2. However, it was Shane’s turn to play on a couple of overs later. After 2 more relatively high scoring overs as Choules joined Coe, the latter was given LBW for 16. Wickets stemming the flow of runs somewhat as we reached 75-4 around halfway.
The windy conditions caused a few running mix ups between Choules and Daldorph before Harry was eventually run out for 15. Heard and Daldorph had more success rotating the strike with George also finding the boundary on occasion to up the rate again. Three figures and the second batting bonus point were passed with 7 overs to bowl.
An attempted flick gone wrong was the end of Daldorph for 21 which brought a steady stream of wickets in the closing stages as Thors limped to 125-9.
There was a quick turnaround at halfway with no teas as Slaviero and Daldorph set about keeping the league leaders under the required 4 an over. They did just that, wrapping the pads and beating the bat regularly with no reward. There was the occasional big drive attempted by the home openers but Thors felt comfortable at 17-0 from the 6 over powerplay.
The skipper replaced Slaviero and was nearly rewarded instantly but palmed a caught and bowled chance. Then halfway through Yelverton’s first over, the rain came back with the total 26-0 from 9.2 overs.
The rain didn’t clear and both sides had to settle for an abandonment, Thors picking up a useful 10 points at the league leader’s.
We slip to a still-respectable 5th in the tight league table with a tough trip to English Riviera on the horizon next week.
The Energy Systems Player of the Month for May has been awarded to Awrangzeb Khogiani.
Awrang has been a great addition on and off the field at Thorverton since moving from Exwick in the winter, scoring 157 runs in May, including 54 (43) against Honiton and 66 (45) against Heathcoat. He celebrated with 37 (14) against Newton Tracey today.
He also took 9 wickets in June, including a best of 4-65 at Heathcoat. He was rewarded for his good form with a 1st XI debut away at Plympton.
Well done Awrang!
There were 2 changes to the 1st XI who were trying to make it 3 wins from 3 at Plympton. Team: D. Robbins, N.Chaplin, A.Kingdon, S.Yelverton, H.Choules+, G.Daldorph, B.Heard, A.Khogiani, B.Slaviero, A.Jopling, J.Choules*.
With some rain in the air, the hosts elected to bowl after winning the toss. Looking to repeat his first ball last week, Robbins attempted to pull a short ball but was caught at square leg. Kingdon joined Chaplin who was off the mark with a boundary through third man and the pair did well to negotiate the early exchanges until the rain got heavier after 7 overs with the score 25-1. The umpires took the teams off briefly until a break in the rain; only 2 overs aside were lost making it a 48 over affair.
Kingdon and Chaplin continued where they left off, sensibly playing the opening bowlers and running well. Nick found the boundary 3 times in the 10th over to bring the total to 39-1 from the powerplay. Kingdon got in on the act after the powerplay picking up 3 boundaries himself. Another shorter ball was the undoing of Chaplin as he played on for a well made 33. Yelverton came and went shortly after when he also picked out a fielder from a short ball. Thros 76-3 at the 17 over drinks break.
Choules joined Kingdon for another rebuild and the left handers calmed things down again until the latter fell for 27. 111-4 after 25.
When Choules was given LBW for 20 with 20 overs to go and Daldorph chipped one to mid off a couple of balls later, Thors were in trouble at 120-6. Things went from bad to worse as Khogiani couldn’t trouble the scorers on debut but Heard and Slaviero were studious in their response. The pair rotated the strike well but took few risks as they kept things ticking along. Slavs struck boundaries when the field came up as the pair added 50 in 10 overs to put Thors back on track towards a respectable total.
After Slaviero went for a helpful 22, Jopling couldn’t add any more before being bowled, so the skipper joined Heard for the final wicket. They rotated without risk until 3 overs to go when the umpires got together to confirm Plympton were behind the over rate. In years gone by this would have meant 18 penalty runs but a new ruling for 2025 meant that Plympton could have 1 fewer fielder outside the 30 yard circle instead – this doing little to alter Thor’s approach, particularly that of the skipper. However, he and Heard did take the score into the 180s before Bobby was caught for 19 with 1 over left.
After tea, Slaviero bowled into the wind for a change as Daldorph had the breeze and wedding bells from the neighbouring church behind him. This did nothing to put Slaviero off his usual relentless areas and despite Torley squeezing a few boundaries off of Daldorph, George had his man LBW in the 6th. Plympton skipper Kandampully joined county regular Hamilton and started aggressively. However, he was undone when Slaviero got one to move off the seam for a deserved wicket. Plympton 33-2 from 10.
Hamilton took 6 off Robbins’ first ball as he replaced Slaviero but Robbins had the key wicket in his second over when Hamilton fell LBW. It was 2 from 2 when he bowled Ford first ball to give the visitors a sniff at 54-4.
Amongst the drama, Yelverton was toiling at the wedding-bell-end and, despite a few early looseners, kept things tight. Overseas star Motswiri looked confident from the outset for the hosts and his counter attacking put the pressure back on Thors. He and Barker gave no real chances as Thors turned to spin for a breakthrough to no avail. When Plympton required less than 3 figures, Motswiri went up another gear and passed his half century. By the time Robbins removed him via a well judged catch from Jopling for a run a ball 76, Plympton only required 16 more.
Yelverton came agonisingly close to giving Thors another bowling bonus point when he repeatedly beat the outside edge but Plympton got over the line with no further damage and 10 overs left. Thors had to settle for 5 points.
We only slip down one place in the table to 4th but the ladder remains exceptionally tight throughout with a tough run of fixtures to come – starting with a derby-date with Cullompton at Station Ground next week.
Thorverton Cricket Club