The second half of the season got underway with an early start due to England’s EURO 2024 Quarter Final as the 1s hosted Plymouth.

There were 4 changes to the XI which was: A.Pitt, D.Robbins, L.Vukusic, B.Coetzee, H.Choules+, M.Wilkinson, G.Greed, G.Daldorph, B.Heard, B.Slaviero, J.Choules*.

With some rain around in the morning the early start was delayed slightly and the game reduced to 45 overs per side. The Thors skipper won the toss and elected to bowl. With Daldorph still carrying an injury, Pitt was tasked with opening up with Slaviero. Plymouth’s overseas professional Siddiqui took an instant liking to Pitt, striking 10 from his first over.

Thors continued to leak runs in the early stages as Siddiqui aggressively found the boundary with increasing ease and other than an early appeal for caught behind, Thors were under real pressure. Robbins replaced Pitt and struck when he removed opposition skipper Stein in the 10th over. 49-1.

However, things got worse before they got better when Siddiqui continued his onslaught as Thors rotated their bowlers looking for answers. A change of ends for Robbins and the introduction of Vukusic got Thors back into it when Robbins picked up his second and Vukusic snicked off danger-man Siddiqui 2nd ball for 89 from 60 balls.

The bowling pair continued to pull things back for the hosts as the total reached 129-3 with 20 overs to go. With Robbins bowled out, the skipper brought himself back on which resulted in a run out following a powerful throw from Daldorph and smart work behind by Harry Choules. Heard struck next from the other end as the score reached 151-5.

Varcore and Haffenden rotated the strike well for the city side and punished any straight balls with sweeps and scoops. Going into the last 10, Heard had the latter bowled for 34 though.188-6. Vukusic and Slaviero were tasked with bowling the death overs and Luke struck again when he removed Varcoe. The runs continued to flow at a steady rate for Plymouth though, thanks largely to some very fine edges off of West’s bat.

With 4 overs still to go, Plymouth were into the 230s and would have been eyeing maximum batting points but Slaviero had other ideas thanks to 2 from 2 before Vukusic dealt with the number 11. Plymouth 237 all out.

After a hearty tea from the Vukusic family, Pitt and Robbins, who spent the break driving to Shobrooke and back, got on with what felt like a getable chase. It was a nightmare start though as Pitt was cleaned up 2nd ball.

Vukusic and Robbins looked solid in response though, Luke timing the ball along the carpet and Robbins punishing a drag down into the wheat field. However 34-1 became 34-2 when Siddiqui bowled Vukusic on what felt like the pro’s day. The real damage came 2 overs later when Coetzee and Robbins went in the same Siddiqui over and Thors were left reeling at 36-4.

Wilkinson and H. Choules, who was kindly walked to the crease by a Plymouth fielder, negotiated the rest of the powerplay and approached the first batting point before Wilkinson found short mid wicket in the 14th. Despite 2 weeks off, Greed looked in great touch as he swept Ali for back to back boundaries but was soon undone by a rare turning ball. When Choules was next to go a few overs later, things looked like they could get embarrassing at 64-7.

The youthful 8th wicket pairing of Daldorph and Heard had other ideas though and rotated the strike well in the middle overs, Daldorph striking a few boundaries in his nonchalant fashion to get going. Heard got in on the act when he hit a no ball for 4 and struck the free hit for 6 as the total reached 90-7. The good running continued as three figures were reached with 20 overs to go.

A couple of big overs against the spin kept the pressure on Plymouth as the duo looked more and more comfortable. The required runs crept under 100 then Daldorph brought up his well deserved half century when hope of an unlikely win started to creep in.

At 151-7 with 10 left, the pair continued to accumulate well but knew a couple of big overs would be needed to give Thors a real chance. The visitors were forced to reintroduce Siddiqui who would always be difficult to get after. Daldorph was cleaned up trying to do just that for a valiant 70 from 81 balls. He and Heard had set a new 8th wicket partnership for the club, surpassing the previous record set by Jake Crouch and Nick Taverner.

Slaviero could only add 1 more before falling LBW and with the skipper joining Heard at the crease at 190-9, attention turned to the 4th batting point rather than the win. Heard reached his half century with a single before Choules flicked Siddiqui for 4 to bring the score to 197-9 going into the last. Heard was given LBW as he tried a sweep in the last over and Thors had lost by 40 runs. A game of 2 good Thors recoveries but ultimately not enough.

Scorecard

League Table

Thanks to Bob Rice in the scorebox and those that helped facilitate the early start which allowed the teams to watch the football in the pavilion together post match.

Thors stay 5th in the table but the teams above have created more of a gap and the teams behind edge closer. It’s back to back away games next at Plymstock and Tavistock.

The headline game in the A Division was at Station Ground as the 3rd placed 1s faced top of the tree North Devon. Thors were unbeaten at home whist North Devon hadn’t lost at all since round 1.

There were 3 changes from the side that beat Bridestowe including a debut for 16 year old Jack Baker. The line up: A.Pitt, B.Coe, B.Coetzee, J.Baker, H.Choules+, G.Daldorph, B.Heard, H.Squire, B.Slaviero, A.Jopling, J.Choules.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bowl, no doubt backing themselves to chase any total following a mammoth chase of over 350 at Kilmington a few weeks ago. North opened up with the medium pace of Popham and spin of Tyson with the pair both instantly looking hard to get away. Coe attempted to drive a rare loose ball but found himself caught at point on the first ball of the 3rd over. The rest of the over was more fruitful for Thors thanks to a couple of extras and Coetzee getting off the mark with a well timed straight drive for 4.

The South African and Pitt looked comfortable rotating the strike for a few overs before a couple of maidens put the pressure back on the hosts. When Coetzee was bowled in the 8th the total was 15-2. Baker looked comfortable on debut until a mix up meant he was run out without scoring and North Devon had won the opening powerplay with the score 16-3.

Harry Choules also got off the mark with a boundary which was followed by 2 4s in an over from Pitt to bring the total into the 30s. But Thors couldn’t relax for long as Choules picked out the boundary rider after a rare loose ball from Tyson. Things looked like they could get embarrassing for the hosts from here when Pitt (16) was done by the swing of Atkinson who then cleaned up Heard with the ball of the day. Thors 36-6 with new bats Daldorph and Squire at the crease.

A boundary from George that rattled into a stone wall seemed to reduce the amount the ball was swinging and the pair were able to rotate the strike with relative ease. They passed the first batting point with a well run 2 and enforced some bowling changes for the hosts. Daldorph began to find the boundary more regularly with some well timed drives as the score reached 78-6 with 20 overs still to bowl.

Squire was eventually caught for a patient 16 from 53 balls when he also picked out the boundary rider from a loose ball. With 17 overs still to bowl, the skipper moved himself up the order but he and Daldorph could only add 4 more before Choules was out LBW. Thors 87-8.

Slaviero batted with patience while Daldorph increased the rate as the total reached 3 figures, George passing a well deserved half century in the process. With 10 overs to go, Slaviero was undone trying to increase the rate. Jopling managed a boundary before being caught by a sharp grab at slip as Thors found themselves 120 all out with over 6 overs unbowled.

The teams shared a fantastic Pitt tea with the 2s fixture at Instow streamed onto the screen in the clubhouse. With Daldorph still struggling with a side strain, Pitt was chosen to open up with Slaviero and Thors were rewarded when King picked out the skipper at short mid wicket in the 4th.

The early wicket only brought the league’s leading run scorer, Jack Moore, to the crease though who looked instantly comfortable. He and Bowser put the pressure back on the bowlers which resulted in a double bowling change with the score 52-1 from just 7 overs.

Choules and Squire kept things tight which was rewarded when Bowser (20) picked out Slaviero, again at short mid wicket, off of the skipper. Moore and incoming Whittaker rotated the strike well from the off with the left hand / right hand partnership making things hard work for the hosts.

With the score 93-2 at the first drinks break, the writing appeared to be on the wall although there was time for one more scalp when Slaviero bowled Whittaker right after drinks. Moore then took it upon himself to finish things off, striking a couple of maximums into the road on his way to 61 not out from 47 balls as North Devon got over the line by 7 wickets.

Scorecard

League Table

With only 3 bonus points awarded, Thors slipped down to 5th in the table at the halfway stage. The heavy defeats at Torquay and home to North Devon significantly impacting the bonus points columns. Next week the 1s are home again as city side Plymouth (4th) come to Station Ground.

The Covid Cup reached the half-way stage last night at Thors travelled to the County Ground to take on Exeter. In the absence of Ben Slaviero, Andy Pitt led the team; A.Pitt*, G.Daldorph, B.Coetzee, H.Choules+, D.Baldock, L.Vukusic, A.Davies, S.Tait, J.Stirling, F.Davidson, A.Davidson. Pitt lost the toss and the visitors were asked to field in the hot evening sunshine.

Tait & Vukusic took the new pink ball against Charles Clist and Australian import Eddie Steele, who got off to a flier. 5 Clist boundaries in the first two powerplay overs helped the hosts to 28-0 after the first two overs. Steele managed to find the fence once before pulling Tait to debutant teenager Freddie Davidson who confidently took the catch at backward square leg.

Clist followed with the first ball of Vukusic’s second over – third man brought into the ring left a gap Clist wanted to exploit with a reverse scoop, only to be yorked for an effective 24 from just ten balls. Jeremy Tojy managed a couple of fours off Tait before a change of pace. Coetzee planted over the ropes first ball by Payne, only to cut him straight to Tait who took a good catch above his head at point three balls later. Exeter 67-3 at the end of the powerplay.

Stirling was introduced from the Pavilion End and paid dividends immediately, Nott skying his second ball to Daldorph at long on. Paget managed to clear the ropes off a Coetzee no ball in the 8th over, but Tojy was then bowled by Coetzee for 18 and Exeter were five down after just 7.5.

Coetzee (3-31) had a third with Ryan Paget well stumped by Choules. 94-6 at the halfway mark. Josh Paget continued to score well before being trapped LBW by Freddie Davidson for 35 from 21. Stirling bowled out for 1-24, replaced by debutant Archie Davidson. Brother Freddie (2-20) had another, Rochester patting back a simple caught & bowled; 116-8.

Archie Davidson (2-8) then picked up a deserved couple to finish things off, Emdad stumped by Choules for 4 & Gribble bowled for 8. Exeter 136ao with 19 balls of their allocated overs left.

Pitt & an excited Daldorph opened the chase for Thors, Josh Nott starting things off for the hosts with a bit of a short ball barrage, two of which went to the boundary off Pitt’s bat, one over fine leg for 6. Daldorph struck a couple of boundaries off Emdad, one which very narrowly missed a spectating & blissfully nonchalant sausage dog on the midwicket boundary to take the visitors to 23-0 after two.

The fourth over was highly eventful, Thors losing their first, Daldorph (13 from 10) failing to clear Josh Paget at mid off who confused everyone, including himself by taking the catch one handed above his head, however 26 runs were scored from the set, including a Pitt 6. 55-1 off just four.

The spin of Josh Paget did for Coetzee (4 from 4) which brought Harry Choules to the crease. He patiently left his two balls before getting off the mark by sweeping Paget over the midwicket boundary. 76-2 at the end of the powerplay.

Pitt and Choules confidently rotated the strike and regularly found the boundary, reaching 99-2 at the halfway mark. Captain Pitt passed 50 with a swept 6 off Gribble, before Thors wrapped things up at 8:20pm with seven overs remaining, Pitt (61* off 36) & Choules’ (38* from 29) partnership of 81 coming from just 52 balls.

Scorecard

Next up in the cup is a trip Bradninch & Kentisbeare on Tuesday 2nd July.

Following a winless run of fixtures so far in June leaving them in the relegation places, 2nd XI took on 7th placed Ottery St Mary 2nd XI at Station Ground in the penultimate game of the first half of the season.

Ben Coe continued his lengthy inclusion in the travelling 1st XI contingent, so Dave Baldock again took the reins. The side:- A.Daldorph, J.Meredith, P.Thomas, D.Baldock*, P.Stirling, P.Taverner+, S.Fice, C.Winzer, A.Davies, I.Daldorph, J.Stirling. In front of a sizeable crowd at Station Ground, mainly thanks to Sam Fice’s first appearance since 1998, Baldock won the toss and elected to bat.

Daldorph & 3rd XI captain Meredith opened the innings for the hosts with a solid start; three trademark Daldorph boundaries helping with the score being pushed to 18-0 after the first four overs. The openers pushed the score to 60 before Meredith was castled for 13 by Mitchell.

Paul Thomas, back from injury and various international escapades with work joined Daldorph and immediately found a liking for the boundary which helped Thors to 87-1 at the 15 over drinks break.

Thors then pushed past three figures & Andy Daldorph brought up his first half century of the season before he was caught by Foster off Prismall for 50 from 51. Thomas quickly followed him despite his exciting cameo of 34 from 29 of which all but four came in boundaries.

Paul Stirling & skipper Baldock put a quick end to the risk of a collapse, quickly adding 19 from a Prismall over, including a no ball which went some distance into the wheat field. The runs continued to flow until Stirling was bowled by a Zac Johns delivery that kept low. Baldock followed in the next over, wafting at a wide one from Harrison which Rob Johns gladly took behind the stumps. 176-5 from 28 overs.

The sizeable support for Sam Fice was rewarded as he creamed his second ball through the covers for four. He and Phil Taverner patiently kept things ticking over until the 37th over when Fice was bowled by Zac Johns for 15. Taverner went in the same over for 2 from 33. Davies was also adjudged LBW for 1. 203-8.

Winzer’s 5 runs were loudly celebrating by the growing crowd including a sizeable contingent of his in-laws before he was bowled for 5. The final pairing of I.Daldorph and J.Stirling put on 11 before Stirling was trapped in front for 4, leaving Thors 220 all out.

Tea was enjoyed with the growing crowd who now included to be a who’s who of Thorverton years gone by. With the 3rd XI returning during the team break and 1st XI back from their warp-speed win at Bridestowe, the 2s took to the field in front of their largest crowd of the season.

Imogen Daldorph & James Meredith’s off spin took the new ball, but the visitor’s openers threw caution to the wind, taking 23 from the first two overs. Captain Brewster was the first to go for 10 from a seven ball stay, smartly stumped by P.Stirling off Meredith. He struck again in the eighth over, the long arms of Rob Johns caught behind on the cut. 43-2 and the game was moving at breakneck speed.

Opener Steve Forbes and the incoming Dave Weeks patiently went about the rebuild to see off the remainder of Meredith’s spell (2-51 from 9), but punished first change bowler Chris Winzer with a few boundaries. Davies was introduced but punished by Weeks taking 14 from his first over.

Jack Stirling was introduced and started loosely but managed to regain some control from one end, whilst Davies finally broke the partnership in the 26 over, Forbes adjudged LBW for 54 and Otters 154-3.

Fice was introduced for a trundle from the other end and a change of ends for Stirling paid dividends immediately, removing Southall-Brown LBW for 2. Otters 181-4 at the second drinks break.

Imogen Daldorph was reintroduced for a second spell from the pavilion end whilst Stirling struck again, Harrison chipping it around the corner to Taverner at square leg. In his next over, Stirling had a third with Weeks finally departing for a match changing 82 from 75, caught by a diving skipper at mid-wicket. 199-6 and a glimmer of hope for Thors.

A wild thirty-fifth over really got the still large crowd excited, Mitchell chipping the ball into the mid-wicket region, only to drop safe to the annoyance of a frustrated Baldock, who picked up the ball on the turn and threw down middle stump at the keepers end to run out Zac Johns for 3. Daldorph (1-40) then bowled Primsall first ball and suddenly 190-4 had become 203-8 with 17 still required.

Stirling (3-29) run out of overs and Thomas was introduced from the pavilion end, beating the bat a couple of times in his first over. Skipper Baldock had a trundle to no avail. Some good running from Foster and Mitchell brought the visitors within touching distances before two Mitchell fours finished the job for the Otters.

Scorecard

League Table

9 points taken but the 2s remain in the relegation zone, 14 points behind Clyst Hydon 1st XI in eighth. Thanks to Alan Birmingham for umpiring and Bob Rice for scoring. Next up is a length trip to picturesque Instow to take on sixth placed North Devon 2nd XI.

We are delighted to report we have a new outfield mower and shipping container thanks to kind grants from both the Exeter Chiefs Foundation and The Norman Family Charitable Trust.

The mower replaces the dated gang mowers previously used and the shipping container offers a much needed storage space for the club.

The Exeter Chiefs Foundation was formed in 2011 and since it’s inception has raised more than £3 million & helped more than 150 local causes. We have hosted a three way cricket festival in the last two years, featuring a Jack Yeandle XI, a Thorverton Village team and a Thorverton CC team. This has been well supported by the local community and in both years we have made a donation from the monies raised to the Exeter Chiefs Foundation. We are extremely thankful to have received a grant of £3,500 from the foundation towards the purchase of the new mower and the container.

The Norman Family Charitable Trust was set up in 1979 to help worthy causes in the South West and has distributed over £11 million to over 11,000 local causes in Devon. We are extremely grateful to have received £1,500 in funding towards the purchase of the mower & container.

We have also been kindly provided with CCTV cameras to add additional security to the club, courtesy of SJ & DM Diggle Electrical Ltd. Many thanks to them for their kind support.

Thank you to Alex Jopling for securing the grant from the Norman Family Trust, Keith Cudby for securing the grant from the Exeter Chiefs Foundation and sourcing the mower and container & for Ben Slaviero for liaising with SJ & DM Diggle Electrical Ltd.

The 1st XI visiting 2nd place Bridestowe was: A.Pitt, D.Robbins, B.Coetzee, M.Wilkinson, H.Choules+, B.Coe, G.Daldorph, B.Slaviero, A.Jopling, J.Choules*, J.Broom.

With a bit of rain overnight and aware the ground was known for low scores, the skipper elected to bowl when he won the toss. The hosts got off to a perfect start when left hander Woods pushed Slaviero down to fine leg for 4 but it didn’t take long for the Aussie-Italian to have his revenge when he dislodged Woods’ bails a few balls later.

With Daldorph carrying a side injury, Broom was tasked with bowling up the hill with a couple of looseners punished by Kian Burns. Next over Burns took the brave step of coming down the track against Slaviero but without adding to the total. He was warned by the umpire for stepping into the danger area but when Slaviero got one to nip back, it was immaterial.

14-2 became 14-3 when Broom got in on the act as opener Ewen picked out Daldorph at square leg. Things went from bad to worse for the hosts when Slaviero snicked off Penberthy first ball, safely pouched by Harry Choules.

Shaquan Glasgow and Devon Lions newbie Ethan Guest set about a rebuild for the visitors as the total reached 32-4 at the end of the 10 over powerplay.

Pitt and Robbins were introduced as things ticked along to the 17 over drinks break but after 33 balls of patience, Glasgow skied one to Slaviero off of Pitt to make it 45-5. Robbins struck immediately before and after drinks when Guest picked out Coe at short mid wicket before eventually walking off for 28. Then Fogerty snicked behind – Harry Choules really showing his quality behind the stumps by now on a difficult surface. 55-7.

It was pretty much 6 and out for the home skipper when he found a maximum against Pitt but picked out Wilkinson at backward point to give Robbins his 3rd. B Division run getter Brandon Horn came in with a clear licence but struggled to get much away despite swinging hard, particularly with the reintroduction of Slaviero up the slope. Slavs eventually had his man thanks to a blinding catch by Robbins at first slip – the pair clearly reluctant to give anybody else a game.

There was one more boundary for the hosts before Slaviero cleaned up the number 11 for his 5fa as Thors had bowled 2nd place Bridestowe out for 76.

The visitors were well aware that it wouldn’t be an easy chase against a strong seam attack on a challenging wicket – not aided by increasingly full football dug outs where you would normally expect to see sight screens.

Challenging it proved to be when Guest picked up both openers in the first over as Thors faltered at 1-2. Coetzee and Wilkinson both got off the mark with boundaries to ease the initial pressure somewhat but with the Stags throwing everything at the pair, nerves were aplenty on the sidelines.

By the time Wilkinson was caught for 11 to give Guest his 3rd, the score was 27-3. Harry Choules joined Coetzee to finish the job of seeing off the openers, he got off the mark with a well timed cover drive for 4. Thors 32-3 from 10.

Penberthy was introduced down the hill with little joy as Coetzee and Choules remained solid. With the required runs slowly ticking down, there was time for Choules to find the boundary twice more before being caught at slip off the spin of Glasgow for 16.

Coetzee continued in mature fashion, however, keeping much of the strike and punishing any rare loose deliveries. He would have been frustrated not to finish the job when he was also caught in the slips but his well made 29 from 74 balls would provide to be crucial.

With 16 more needed, Coe remained solid and Daldorph looked to be positive to edge towards the finish line. A boundary over mid off from George in particular gave Thors a rare opportunity to breathe easily. Eventually a well run 2 would mark the winning runs as Thors won by 5 wickets and pick up 18 points.

With no teas or bar at the ground and the local pub closed, Thors were able to get back to support the 2s in extra quick time.

Scorecard

League Table

Thank you to Jess Morrish for making the trip to score. It’s back to back home games next for the 1s – starting with top of the table North Devon in the stand out A Division game as 3rd host 1st.

After last week’s win over Bradninch & Kentisbeare, it was a visit to Cullompton for the t20 XI who lined up with: A.Pitt, L.Vukusic, B.Coetzee, H.Choules+, M.Wilkinson, G.Daldorph, S.Jefferson, H.Squire, B.Slaviero*, J.Broom, J.Choules.

Slaviero won the toss and elected to bat on what looked like a decent deck in the Cullompton sun. McKee gifted Thors 5 wides a few balls in while Pitt and Vukusic hit a boundary apiece in the 2nd over to get off to a good start. The first maximum came in the 4th over when Pitt hit Vincent over the rope at a ground known for its short boundaries. Vukusic followed suit next over but was caught for 14 trying to go again as Thors reached 40-1 from the opening 5.

The rate didn’t decrease when Coetzee came in with 10 also coming from the 6th over. However, when Pitt (26) and H. Choules went in quick succession, Cully tightened things up. 68-3 at halfway.

Cully continued to keep things tight in the 2nd half with Coetzee being the main aggressor for Thors. Wilkinson got in on the act in the 14th though when Rendell was pummelled for successive boundaries. However, he was to fall for 18 in the next over as the total reached 99-4 with 5 left.

Daldorph was promoted up the order to move things along and did just that as he and Coetzee found the boundary more regularly for the visitors, making use of the short straight boundaries in particular.

The pair went at a consistent and impressive 10 an over in the final 5 with Coetzee passing his half century in the process. He released the shackles even more in the final over hitting 4 6 4 6 from the last 4 balls as Thors ended on 163-4.

Slaviero and Broom set about the defence with a fine edge off of the former finding the boundary first over. Broom struck early when Tinley was dismissed but that only brought left handed Granfield to the crease who showed his intent by getting off the mark with a boundary. He took a liking to Broom and after 4 overs it was time for a double bowling change with the hosts 35-1.

Squire started well with no reward as it felt like every edge and miss hit was reaching the boundary for the youngster. Meanwhile, Granfield looked more and more comfortable as time went on and found the boundary at regular intervals.

When pantomime villain for the night Choules came into the attack, he struck almost instantly, removing Granfield for a well made 50 as he and Pitt kept things tight for a couple of overs. Cully 90-2 with 8 to go.

The host’s star man, Brendan Parr, had got himself in now though and clearly didn’t want to take it deep. He found the boundary with relative ease and had things boxed off with 4 overs still to go. Things may have been different for Thors on another night with a couple of chances going down and some maximums only just clearing the fielders but ultimately the visitors were well beaten by 8 wickets.

Scorecard

Thank you to Rich Lloyd for umpiring and Jess Morish for scoring as well as our hosts for the game. Next week the T20 XI play Exeter at the County Ground.

The fifth edition of the Covid Cup got underway at home to Bradninch & Kentisbeare last night. After winning the competition for a third time in 2023, Thors were eager to build a solid start.

Ben Slaviero won the toss and elected to bat. Thors line-up:- B.Coe, B.Coetzee, H.Choules+, T.Byrne, A.Daldorph, G.Daldorph, A.Davies, B.Slaviero*, A.Jopling, J.Stirling, O.Coe.

Thors got off to a wobbly start with Yuvraj Singh bowling Coetzee in the first over & Craig Penberthy knocking over Ben Coe to leave the hosts 12-2 after two overs. Byrne soon followed with a looping catch to Tallan Burns who somehow caught the ball jumping behind his head at extra cover. 22-3 at the end of the powerplay.

Harry Choules and Andy Daldorph started the rebuild against the slower bowlers as Tallan Burns and Holding came into the attack & the runs started to flow much more easily. The pair managed to take Thors past three figures before Daldorph was bowled by Kian Burns for 41 from 40. In the midst of all this, visiting keeper Darren Paul managed to break a thumb which allowed time for Harry Choules to relieve himself behind the river end sightscreen.

Harry had managed 43 from 36 including a couple of maximums before he was smartly stumped by replacement keeper Marsh. George Daldorph departed for a duck.

Skipper Slaviero and Davies managed to find the boundary regularly in the final three overs, the latter mainly thanks to sweep shots off McQueenie & Holding to take Thors to a respectable 160-6, which had looked well out of the host’s reach at 20-3. Davies 22* from just ten balls.

Slaviero started the visitor’s chase with a maiden before Olly Coe removed Ross Acton for 6 in the second over, caught by Brendan Coetzee.

Slaviero then chucked down another maiden with two victims, both Kian Burns and Findlay bowled for ducks. 9-3 after three.

Tallan Burns then managed to sky one off Coe to George Daldorph at mid off. Craig Penberthy came and went, caught behind by Choules for 4 to give Coe a third wicket. Bradninch were 29-5 after the powerplay.

Stirling and Jopling came into the attack, the latter removing Marsh for 2. Stirling then bowled Bradninch’s scorer for 0 to leave the visitors on the brink at 43-7.

Yuvraj Singh farmer the strike and did hit the occasional boundary, but runs continued to be hard to come by. He was finally removed by Jopling, stumped Choules for 35 from 32. Jopling picked up a third, bowling Maddick. Despite hurting a finger and batting one handed, Holding was bowled for 9 by Ben Coe to wrap up proceedings. Bradninch & Kentisbeare all out for 72 & Singh being the only batter to make double figures.

Scorecard

Next up for Thors in the Covid Cup is a trip to Cullompton on Tuesday.

Saturday saw the Energy Systems Player of the Month for May awarded jointly to Dan Robbins & Andy Pitt. This is the first time the award has been shared, but the cricket committee couldn’t separate the two for their centuries against Plymstock.

It was fitting the award was shared between the two as they broke the 1st XI club record opening stand by posting 208. Robbins went to his maiden Thorverton century first, scoring 107 from 101 balls, including seven 4s and seven 6s. Pitt following with his first 1st XI ton, scoring 122 from 156 balls, including fourteen 4s and 2 sixes.

Fittingly, the pair also took 6 wickets between them in Saturday’s 48 run victory over Abbotskerswell.

Match report

The 1s were back at Station Ground and looking to get back to winning ways against bogey side Abbotskerswell.

There were 2 changes to the team: A.Pitt, D.Robbins, B.Coe, B.Coetzee, H.Choules+, M.Wilkinson, G.Greed, G.Daldorph, B.Slaviero, A.Jopling, J.Choules*.

Station Ground was looking like a postcard all week in the June sunshine but with grey clouds on the morning of the game, George Greed and young assistant Martha brought the covers on.

By the toss the sun was back out and Abbots somewhat surprisingly elected to bowl. They may have been regretful initially when Thors were 17-0 from the first 2 overs which included a 6 into the barley field from Robbins which meant a second new ball had to be used as a spare. He found the boundary again next over but came unstuck when he was given LBW in the 6th for 13. Pitt didn’t last much longer when he also fell LBW as Abbots began to rein Thors in at 27-2.

Brendan Coetzee timed his first ball to perfection with an on-drive for 4 to get off the mark. Following another boundary, he was also wrapped on the pad to give Abbots their 3rd of what would be 4 LBWs in the first innings as the total reached 44-3. Harry Choules joined veteran Ben Coe to set about the rebuild as the pair kept things calm until the first drinks break. They added 20 more before a mix up meant Coe was run out and it was looking like another one of those days against Abbotskerswell.

Things went from bad to worse when Mickey Wilkinson came and went and Choules snicked off for 10 as Thors found themselves 70-6. It was now time for Daldorph and Greed to start a rebuild which was looking promising as Abbots rotated their bowlers searching for wickets. The duo rotated the strike well and Daldorph found the boundary on a couple of occasions before being bowled for 13. The theme of quick wickets continued when Slaviero was eventually given LBW as the total reached a lowly 95-8.

Jopling and Greed made sure Thorverton passed the 100 mark before Jops was bowled for Nick Watkin’s 3rd wicket of the afternoon. When the skipper strolled in to meet Greed, the score was 106-9 with 20 overs remaining.

Greed began the partnership with a boundary as Choules set his stall out with plenty of defensive blocks at the other end. 5 overs later, the total had trickled along to 120-9. Choules had his first boundary in the 37th over when he squeezed one through point with the total looking more respectable over by over. At 141-9 with 10 to go, the 3rd batting point was now in site.

Abbots introduced teenage leg spinner Harrison who Greed took a liking to, despatching 13 from the over and moving into the 40s. Australian Hurse was then introduced which stemmed the flow again. There was time for the pair to hit another boundary each before Hurse bowled Greed for 48 in the 47th over. Greed and Choules (17*) had beaten the previous 1st XI tenth wicket stand record by 5 runs and given the hosts a sniff.

After a generous Robbins tea, Thors set about defending 163. Slaviero and Daldorph began from their usual ends and it only took Slavs 2 balls to make a mess of Hill’s stumps. Hard and McCarthy showed grit to rebuild for the visitors during a good battle between bat and ball where the outside edge was missed and the rare bad ball punished. 20-1 from 10.

The change bowling partnership of Robbins and Pitt got the game moving along again as Pitt struck twice in 2 balls in the 16th over much to the delight of his entourage supporting from the corner of the ground. There was time for Robbins to get in on the act before drinks when he cleaned up Hard for a resistant 20. Abbots 39-4 at drinks with Thors smelling blood.

They were made to work hard for the next wicket though as Tyler and Watkin rebuilt for the visitors. By now Jopling had replaced Pitt while Robbins kept things tight from the Pavilion End. He had his reward right on halfway when Tyler fell LBW. Quick wickets ensued again when Jopling bowled Charlie Smout-Cooper and Robbo removed Hurse. Abbots now in trouble at 76-7.

The determined Watkin was still there though and refused to make things easy for the hosts. In Robbins’ 10th and final over he had a deserved 4th when he bowled Inder Singh – 90-8.

Watkin, who had resigned as captain that week, continued to farm much of the strike and continued to slowly tick things along for his side. Jopling, Daldorph and the skipper all had a go at breaking the 9th wicket partnership but it took Slaviero’s reintroduction to get Thorverton over the line. Once he got Watkin for 35, it was a only matter of time before he got the final wicket – 4 balls to be precise. Abbots all out for 115 and Thors take 18 points.

Scorecard

League Table

Thanks to Jimmy May in the score box who then hot footed it to the bar, then BBQ to facilitate iPod Shuffle Night. Thanks also to the numerous spectators throughout the day who made every wicket a buzz for the team.

Thors move back up to joint 2nd in the very congested A Division table after a 1 week hiatus in 4th. It’s back to back away games again next as we visit Hatherleigh followed by Bridestowe who currently have the same amount of points as Thors.