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Sat 08 Jul 2017 · Premier One
1st XIPotterne CC - 1st XI
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223/8
Game 10: 1st XI vs Potterne 1st XI, Home
Michael Cox11 Jul 2017 - 12:08
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Winning Weekend from the club, here's Keith's view of the game.
Keith's view of proceedings!
Bristol v Potterne, WEPL Premier 1, 8 July 2017
Potterne 223-8 (50 overs), T Alsop 46, T Cullen 45, D Jones 2-40, N Pollard 2-42, W Rudge 2-48
Bristol 227-6 (47.4 overs), J Bracey 128*, F Trenouth 38, S Wijerathne 2-54, B Akram 2-66
Bristol’s firsts returned to winning ways thanks to a herculean unbeaten century by James Bracey and some gritty supporting contributions. Potterne won the toss and elected to bat on a sultry day, and openers Alsop and Akram proceeded serenely to 49 in the 12th over. Then Ralph Hardwick, opening the bowling with Will Rudge in place of Dan Jones (whose arrival was delayed until the fifth over) induced Akram to hit a catch to the safe hands of Archie Fellowes at extra cover. The delayed introduction of Jones brought the second wicket as he demolished Alsop’s stumps and this was followed in the next over by the controversial dismissal of Ed Young, given out caught at slip by Rudge off Neil Pollard. The batsman, and onlookers in the pavilion, were convinced he had played the ball into the ground, while Bristol’s fielders, and more importantly umpire Williams, were equally certain the ball had bounced up off the batsman’s foot.
Wijerathne did not last long before skying Pollard to Hardwick at point and a 17-ball cameo of 26 from Potterne captain Neil Clark ended when he was caught by the same fielder at short mid-wicket off Vir Lakhani. Potterne were in trouble at 120 for 5 at just past the mid-way point, but Odedra joined Cullen in a partnership of 80 in 18 overs which averted a potential disaster.
The returning Rudge and Jones, however, aided by secure catching by Jack Ellison, Fellowes again, and Louie Shaw, then took three wickets in successive overs (the 45th, 46th and 47th) to dash Potterne’s hopes of setting a target north of 230. Lakhani was the pick of the Bristol bowlers: 1-23 off his first nine overs before five wides in his final one removed some of the sheen from his figures. And while the team’s fielding display was by no means flawless, they took wickets at key moments.
In the 45th over, ‘keeper Fin Trenouth dislocated a finger in dropping Odedra and Bracey resumed his customary role behind the stumps. The injury did not prevent Trenouth opening the innings with Bracey, though, nor from knocking the ball out of shape with his first boundary, clonked over wide mid-off, requiring a replacement cherry. The pair got off to a flyer, racing to 78 off 14 overs, the last of these - Wijerathne’s first - being particularly profitable for Bristol, to the tune of 14 runs, including a six and a four by Trenouth.
The fun came to an end when Trenouth top-edged a skyer to Akram in the covers, and a crucial moment came in the 23rd over when Cullen dropped Bracey behind the wicket when he had 55 out of a total of 103. At the other end, however, Fellowes, departed in the next over without further addition to the score, and the middle of Bristol’s innings followed a familiar pattern: Bracey standing firm and accumulating at one end while a succession of batsmen came and went at the other. By the time Ralph Hardwick joined Bracey, 103 for 1 had become 172-6 with 52 runs still required off the last 9.2 overs.
Bracey completed his hundred thanks to a shocking piece of fielding that enabled his extra-cover drive to bring him an 11th boundary. The others in the collection included an assortment of glances and clips off the legs, on-drives and forces and cuts square on the off-side. Two more significant fielding errors assisted Bristol as they closed in on their target, and it was arguably the fielding and the running between the wickets that was the difference between the two sides. While the boundary counts were almost identical, Bristol turned nine of their twos into threes, and also ran 16 twos. Potterne scored just five threes and twelve twos.
Bracey brought up the victory with a majestic six over mid-wicket, which also gained Bristol a fifth batting point, bringing his final score to 128, off 149 balls, with 13 fours and that final six. It is hard to praise his innings too highly. Bristol move up to third in the table, though with the top two teams both winning, they are now 45 points behind Clevedon in second, but only 23 behind Bedminster in the relegation zone.
Bristol v Potterne, WEPL Premier 1, 8 July 2017
Potterne 223-8 (50 overs), T Alsop 46, T Cullen 45, D Jones 2-40, N Pollard 2-42, W Rudge 2-48
Bristol 227-6 (47.4 overs), J Bracey 128*, F Trenouth 38, S Wijerathne 2-54, B Akram 2-66
Bristol’s firsts returned to winning ways thanks to a herculean unbeaten century by James Bracey and some gritty supporting contributions. Potterne won the toss and elected to bat on a sultry day, and openers Alsop and Akram proceeded serenely to 49 in the 12th over. Then Ralph Hardwick, opening the bowling with Will Rudge in place of Dan Jones (whose arrival was delayed until the fifth over) induced Akram to hit a catch to the safe hands of Archie Fellowes at extra cover. The delayed introduction of Jones brought the second wicket as he demolished Alsop’s stumps and this was followed in the next over by the controversial dismissal of Ed Young, given out caught at slip by Rudge off Neil Pollard. The batsman, and onlookers in the pavilion, were convinced he had played the ball into the ground, while Bristol’s fielders, and more importantly umpire Williams, were equally certain the ball had bounced up off the batsman’s foot.
Wijerathne did not last long before skying Pollard to Hardwick at point and a 17-ball cameo of 26 from Potterne captain Neil Clark ended when he was caught by the same fielder at short mid-wicket off Vir Lakhani. Potterne were in trouble at 120 for 5 at just past the mid-way point, but Odedra joined Cullen in a partnership of 80 in 18 overs which averted a potential disaster.
The returning Rudge and Jones, however, aided by secure catching by Jack Ellison, Fellowes again, and Louie Shaw, then took three wickets in successive overs (the 45th, 46th and 47th) to dash Potterne’s hopes of setting a target north of 230. Lakhani was the pick of the Bristol bowlers: 1-23 off his first nine overs before five wides in his final one removed some of the sheen from his figures. And while the team’s fielding display was by no means flawless, they took wickets at key moments.
In the 45th over, ‘keeper Fin Trenouth dislocated a finger in dropping Odedra and Bracey resumed his customary role behind the stumps. The injury did not prevent Trenouth opening the innings with Bracey, though, nor from knocking the ball out of shape with his first boundary, clonked over wide mid-off, requiring a replacement cherry. The pair got off to a flyer, racing to 78 off 14 overs, the last of these - Wijerathne’s first - being particularly profitable for Bristol, to the tune of 14 runs, including a six and a four by Trenouth.
The fun came to an end when Trenouth top-edged a skyer to Akram in the covers, and a crucial moment came in the 23rd over when Cullen dropped Bracey behind the wicket when he had 55 out of a total of 103. At the other end, however, Fellowes, departed in the next over without further addition to the score, and the middle of Bristol’s innings followed a familiar pattern: Bracey standing firm and accumulating at one end while a succession of batsmen came and went at the other. By the time Ralph Hardwick joined Bracey, 103 for 1 had become 172-6 with 52 runs still required off the last 9.2 overs.
Bracey completed his hundred thanks to a shocking piece of fielding that enabled his extra-cover drive to bring him an 11th boundary. The others in the collection included an assortment of glances and clips off the legs, on-drives and forces and cuts square on the off-side. Two more significant fielding errors assisted Bristol as they closed in on their target, and it was arguably the fielding and the running between the wickets that was the difference between the two sides. While the boundary counts were almost identical, Bristol turned nine of their twos into threes, and also ran 16 twos. Potterne scored just five threes and twelve twos.
Bracey brought up the victory with a majestic six over mid-wicket, which also gained Bristol a fifth batting point, bringing his final score to 128, off 149 balls, with 13 fours and that final six. It is hard to praise his innings too highly. Bristol move up to third in the table, though with the top two teams both winning, they are now 45 points behind Clevedon in second, but only 23 behind Bedminster in the relegation zone.
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