1st XI
Matches
Sat 21 Jul 2018  ·  Premier One
Downend CC - 1st XI
242/6
239
Bristol Cricket Club
1st XI
1st XI - Game 12 - Bristol 239, Downend 242-6 (42.4 overs)

1st XI - Game 12 - Bristol 239, Downend 242-6 (42.4 overs)

Will Rudge22 Jul 2018 - 20:41
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Six LBWs, six wickets for Gilmour, lots of sixes for the batsmen, but no sixth consecutive win for Bristol

Bristol’s five game winning streak came to an end thanks to a fine century from Downend’s Australian wicket-keeper/batsman Sam Harper, and an unlikely six wicket haul from their fourth-change bowler Brandon Gilmour. On a relatively small ground, with a parched outfield across which the ball either sped to the boundary, or occasionally deceived fielders due to the ground’s unevenness, Bristol’s total of 239 was always going to be challenging to defend. Had their catching been less fallible, however, it might have been a different story.
Harper should have been caught just after he completed his half century, with the total at 110 for 1 in the 20th over, but two fielders went for the catch, neither completed it, a painful collision was narrowly avoided and, to add insult to injury, the ball went for four. By then Harper had already struck 5 fours and 5 sixes, one of which nearly took out an innocent passer-by. Another of his sixes was comprised of a two plus four overthrows: Tommy Probert’s throw from the third man boundary, where he had pulled off a good save, narrowly missed the stumps as the batsmen attempted a cheeky second run, and the fielder backing up deflected the ball over the boundary. Harper hit another 8 fours and 2 sixes before finally skying one to point having scored 106 off 90 balls. That left Downend four down and still 48 short of their target, and although this gave Bristol a chink of light, there were 18 overs remaining, so Downend did not have to take any risks. Nonetheless, they did take a few and lost two further wickets as a result, gifting Bristol a third batting point that they might be grateful for later in the season.
Early in his innings, Harper was well supported by Nathan Roberts, who came through a testing start, playing and missing repeatedly at Will Rudge and once being struck on the body by the ball. He was dropped at mid-off when on 39 – again the ball went over the boundary - but he only added another five runs after this, falling two short of his half-century.
Rudge was the pick of the Bristol attack. Six other bowlers were used, three of them having two-over spells as the captain searched for someone to stem the flow of runs or make a breakthrough. Rishi Panchal, in his first bowl of the season for the first team, finished with two wickets.
Bristol’s total was significantly less than they would have hoped for from 100 for 1 at the halfway mark. Will Tavare and Lisle Durrans opened up and both scored early boundaries, Tavare timing the ball well off his legs, and Durrans profiting from deft deflections through third man and fine-leg as well as an impressive cover-drive. After Tavare’s departure – the first of six LBW victims in the first seven wickets – Durrans put on 74 with Will Young before becoming the second to see the umpire’s finger raised, just after completing a 90-ball half-century. Fin Trenouth followed the same way without scoring.
Young completed his own fifty, including a six over long-on and looked in little trouble. But he too fell LBW, for 60, and by this time he had already seen Jack Ellison, after a sprightly 17 with three fours, hole out at long on. Panchal followed shortly afterwards, although he did first pick a ball up off his legs with astonishing timing for a six into the churchyard. When Tommy Probert completed the sextet of leg-befores Bristol had subsided to 172 for 7.
This prompted Rudge to adopt a similar approach to the previous week’s innings at Goatacre, with nearly the same degree of success. He took 22 off an over from Bobby Naeem, that proved to be his last, including a square cut six into the churchyard and two more sixes on the leg-side. Four overs later he was similarly ruthless against Gregory. He sent the first ball over the houses beyond the mid-wicket boundary, and he turned down an easy single to third man off the second. This allowed him to retain the strike and hit the third ball for a straight six. Gregory had the last laugh, however, taking a catch at deep mid-wicket in the next over, to end Rudge’s 34-ball innings of 49.
Ashleigh Joyner contributed a few lusty blows towards the end but Bristol were all out when Neil Pollard hit a return catch off the second ball of the final over to give Gilmour his sixth wicket, and although 239 was more than might have been anticipated from 172 for 7, it was not enough. Downend reached the target with more than seven overs to spare.

Match details

Match date

Sat 21 Jul 2018

Kickoff

12:30

Competition

Premier One

League position

3
Downend CC - 1st XI
4
Bristol CC - 1st XI
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