INDOOR LEAGUE REPORTS 2013-14

INDOOR LEAGUE REPORTS 2013-14

Latest Reports   Beacon win County Division        9 March   

St Austell win a third successive Premier Title      23 March

October 20:  Shocks at start of indoor season

           The new indoor season is now underway, with at least two shock results in the first weekend of matches at the Cornwall Cricket Centre.  Perranporth opened things up with a head-turning thrashing of Falmouth, whose total of 77 (A Noot 29*, J Osborne 27*) was nowhere near enough.  Harry Watkins and Carl Bicknell both made retirement scores as the outdoor Division 4 club cruised to victory inside 7 overs.  Newcomers St Gluvias also caused an upset of sorts, defeating the experienced Beacon outfit in quite a poor game.  Beacon were restricted to just 79 for 4 and the majority of those were made by opener Dan Mellor, with 43.  Both sets of bowlers were somewhat wayward and Jake Preston’s 24, along with plenty of extras accrued, was enough to see St Gluvias home by 2 wickets.  

            The other new team to the league, St Minver, also won, comfortably accounting for Stithians.  Tom Shrewsbury, Ben Hawken and father Rob Hawken all made scores in the twenties out of a very decent total of 128 for 2.  England youth international Shrewsbury also bowled well, taking 2 wickets for 8 runs from his two overs.  Last season’s surprise package, Team 21, will be wary of ‘second season syndrome’ after their hammering at the hands of Truro, who gained full revenge for their defeat last year.  Tim Marrion (32*), Andrew Senior (26*), Simon Grant (27*) and Kyle van Rooyen (24*) were all free-scoring, as the city side amassed nearly 150, with just two run outs impeding their progress.  A much changed Team 21 could muster just 66 in reply. 

            Wadebridge will be pleased with a fairly steady, but close, win over Ladock, for whom Patrick Morgan scored 27*.  In reply, Rob Centini (26*) and Jodie Ross (28*) batted sensibly and, with quite a few gifted extras, saw their team home with eight deliveries remaining.  The other fixture was conceded by Newquay to champions St Austell, as the north coast club were unable to field a full team.

November 3:  Truro & Perranporth continue to impress

           There was less excitement this week in the CCB Indoor Sixes League, with matches either going the way of the favoured side or one team having a pretty bad day.  St Austell comfortably overcame Falmouth in what might have been the biggest clash of the day, Mike Bone making 39 not out and taking 2 wickets in the 42-run win.  Adrian Noott’s 33 was the only highlight for Falmouth.  Perranporth continued their promising start by defeating a lacklustre Wadebridge six, who could muster just 64 all out, with Tyler Murrell taking three wickets.  Newquay, after conceding their first match, fielded a team of very decent strength this time and, in a closely fought encounter, just overcame Ladock (R Bray 28, C Murphy 27*) by two wickets, with three balls to spare. 

           Truro’s team is attacking the competition with rather ominous intent this season and they cruised to a 64-run win over St Minver, who were dismissed for 46, Kyle Van Rooyen taking 3 for 9 and scoring an unbeaten 26 with the bat.  Jordan Thomas also made 26 in Beacon’s second disappointing effort, this time shot out for 58 by Stithians, who were in top form in the field, Kieren Webber taking 2 for 4.  They then slowly compiled the winning runs, largely made up of singles and wides, getting home with an over to spare.

November 17:   Big clubs march on in Sixes

              The big guns, Truro and St Austell, continued to roll on in this week’s Indoor Six-a-Sides, but Perranporth came to earth with a crash, as they were bowled out for 21 by north coast rivals Newquay.  Gavin Oxley-Bryan did the damage, taking three wickets for 8 runs, well supported by Josh Wingfield, who took 2 for 8.  Wingfield also made 27 not out for Newquay in their 103 for 4.  St Austell played one short against Ladock, but the five men were still too strong, Dan Jarman hitting 44 not out and Gary Bone 34 in their 130-4, taking them to a 51-run win.  It was a similar story in the Truro v Stithians fixture, where Rob Harrison (38*) and the impressive Liam Lombard (42) did much of the scoring.  Truro’s total of 123-4 was well beyond their opponents, though Glyn Furnival made 25* in their spirited reply.

            Falmouth returned to form with a comfortable victory over Wadebridge, for whom Will Cook (30) made almost half their total.  Liam Hoban took 2 for 11 to finish off the innings, adding to his 34* with the bat for Falmouth.  Adrian Noott made the same score as Falmouth passed 100 for the first time this season.  The two new teams, St Gluvias and St Minver, who finished in identical positions in the Cornwall Cricket League this year (2^nd in Divisions 2 East and 2 West) played out an entertaining match, with the eastern club prevailing.  Father and son Rob and Ben Hawken again held the innings together and they passed the St Gluvias score of 83 for the loss of 2 wickets in the final over.

December 1:  Beacon back to shock Truro

             Experienced indoor campaigners Beacon had been having the proverbial nightmare with the bat this season, but they turned the tables with a bang on Sunday as previously unbeaten Truro were dismissed for just 31 in the shock of the day.  Jordan Thomas and David Dowling caused problems as the Truro batting fell apart from the start to the swinging ball and Beacon recorded an easy five-wicket win.  They now face St Minver in two weeks’ time in what looks like a straight play-off for a place in the Premier competition. 

In Group B, Perranporth have also slumped from a promising start.  Having won their first two games, they have now been bowled out for 21 and 16, the latest disaster coming in reply to Ladock’s respectable 95 for 3, of which Carl Murphy made 26 not out and Alex Ridd 23.  The same two players then destroyed the seasiders’ innings, taking three wickets apiece (Ridd 3-6, Murphy 3-9), giving Ladock an outside chance of making a late run into the main half of the competition in the spring.  Newquay continued their good recent form in a fairly comfortable victory over a disappointing Falmouth.  Tom Eggins made 27 in Newquay’s 107-3 and their bowlers shared the wickets around as Falmouth fell 23 runs short.

December 15 - Groups completed

The first stage of the CCB Indoor Sixes League has now been completed, with the teams now dividing into two competitions, the Premier and County.  First, though, the Knockout Cup takes centre stage, in which two Preliminary Round matches take place this Sunday, 22^nd December.  Beacon will meet Ladock and Perranporth play Stithians.

            In Sunday’s League fixtures, there was a huge thumping for St Gluvias at the hands of Truro, and wins for Ladock, Newquay, St Minver and St Austell.  Those five winning teams, plus Stithians, now qualify for the Premier League, where they will face a further 3 matches.  Truro racked up 150 for 2, with Andrew Senior and Liam Lombard making retirement scores.  One man short, St Gluvias were dismissed for just 31.  St Minver recorded another win, enough to take them into the main competition in January, making 89 for 3 against Beacon, whose batting again came up short, only Dominic Bachelor (35*) finding any form.  Ladock again beat a disappointing Falmouth side, making 104-4 in their 10 overs, Richard Bray top-scoring on 27 not out.  Falmouth were never in the hunt and went down by 35 runs, though Joe Vanstone made a creditable 26*.

             Newquay kept up their excellent progress, beating Wadebridge by 24 runs.  Tom Eggins made 30 not out with the bat in their 93 for 5.  St Austell once again cruised to victory, Callum Wilson hitting 31* and Gary Bone 27*.  Their 126 target was too much for Perranporth who, however, made a creditable 88 for 4 in reply.

Results: Group A – Truro 150-2, St Gluvias 31 (Truro won by 119 runs); St Minver 89-3, Beacon 78-5 (St Minver won by 11 runs); Group B – Ladock 104-4, Falmouth 69-3 (Ladock won by 35 runs); Newquay 93-5, Wadebridge 69-5 (Newquay won by 24 runs); St Austell 125-4, Perranporth 88-4 (St Austell won by 37 runs)

Final Group Tables

            (P)  Premier League      (C)  County League

January 5th  -  Wins for Falmouth and St Gluvias in Cup

            The first two quarter-finals of the Indoor Sixes Knockout Cup were certainly closely contested affairs and difficult to predict as well!  St Gluvias looked well behind the required scoring rate, in spite of having restricted St Minver to just 92 all out.  The Penryn club had scored just 44 runs from their first eight overs, requiring 49 from the final 4 overs.  However, the next over went for an incredible 29 and St Gluvias cruised home with three balls to spare, Jake Preston and Jack Hesketh each making 26 not out.  Slow bowlers Rob and Ben Hawken were unlucky to finish on the losing side, having bowled their six overs for just 26 runs.

            Newquay held Falmouth to a similar score, 93 for 5, which was again dominated by Adrian Noott, with 34, run out off the final delivery.  The north coast side lost wickets regularly, but Adam Cocking had the chance to win the match and looked comfortable.  However, with just nine runs needed, he was then bowled off his pads by Fern Nicholls with two overs still remaining and Falmouth had scraped into the semi-finals.

            In the league, Beacon returned to winning form with a comfortable victory over Wadebridge, Dan Mellor (29*) and Dom Batchelor (26*) both making retirement scores.  Rob Centini reached 23 for Wadebridge, but they could make little headway against an efficient bowling attack, led by Jordan Thomas, who took 1 for 10 in his three economical overs.

Results: League – Beacon 93-0, Wadebridge 60-5 (Beacon won by 33 runs); Knockout Cup – St Minver 92, St Gluvias 93-3 (St Gluvias won by 3 wickets); Falmouth 93-5, Newquay 85 (Falmouth won by 8 runs).

January 12th  -  Easy Cup wins for the big guns

            The Indoor Sixes Knockout Cup, with a place in the ECB’s national competition at stake, went according to form this weekend, as powerhouses St Austell and Truro romped to big wins over Ladock and Perranporth respectively.  St Austell’s batting line-up again clicked into action, with Mike Bone (41*), Matt Ellison (36), Gary Bone (25) and Scott Barrott (25) all making good runs.  Ladock’s bowling was nothing to be ashamed of, but good deliveries were taken as scoring opportunities and St Austell raced to 154-5 in their 12 overs.  No-one managed to get in for Ladock and they were dismissed for just 68, Mike Bone completing a fine all-round performance by taking 3 wickets for 9 runs.  In the other quarter-final, Truro made a very decent 127 for 3, led by captain Kyle van Rooyen (30*) and Liam Lombard (25*).  Perranporth’s reply was never out of the starting blocks against a lively Truro attack, eventually ending on 65 for 5.

            Sunday’s only League match resulted in a comfortable 50 runs win for Newquay over Stithians.  Joe Crane and Tom Eggins both made retirement scores and an efficient attack kept Stithians at bay with plenty to spare.

Results: League – Newquay 110-3, Stithians 60-4 (Newquay won by 50 runs); Knockout Cup – St Austell 154-5, Ladock 68 (St Austell won by 86 runs); Truro 127-3, Perranporth 65-5 (Truro won by 62 runs).

19th January      -    Truro send St Austell to first defeat in 3 years

            There was great tension and excitement at the Cornwall Cricket Centre late on Sunday evening as, at around 10.15pm, Truro completed a three-wicket win over St Austell.  This was a first defeat in almost three years for St Austell, who had won 35 consecutive matches (including three walkovers) against Cornish opponents in that time.  As consecutive double winners in 2012 and 2013, this result will sting the east Cornwall side, but it would be folly to dismiss their trophy hopes for this season just yet.  Get ready for some more fireworks, as there is every possibility of the two teams in the final stages of both the league and cup competitions over the next few weeks.

            The big match was well contested all the way, as St Austell were well tested early on by Truro’s Kyle van Rooyen and Rob Harrison, but steadily compiled a decent score, reaching 101-5 after their ten overs.  Again, Mike Bone and Matt Ellison showed their experience in this form of cricket, scoring 30 and 31* respectively.  Truro’s skipper van Rooyen also opened the batting and himself made a retirement score of 27.  This, with the unusually high contribution of extras from the St Austell attack, was enough to see the city side home with three balls to spare, a relatively comfortable victory at the end.

            Also in the Premier Division, Ladock’s Alex Ridd, Richard Bray and Carl Murphy all batted well, taking their team past the hundred for a bonus point then, in spite of St Minver stalwart Rob Hawken’s best efforts (34*) and son Ben, with 28*, held off their opponents for a 19-run win.  In the County Division, St Gluvias began the day’s fixtures with a most pleasing victory for themselves, seeing off local rivals Falmouth in a tie lacking quality, but plenty of excitement nonetheless.  Julian Osborne had a good day with bat (26) and ball (1-19) for Falmouth, but new St Gluvias player Billy Burton scored 32 not out for the winning side.  Scott Kellow bowled economically, too, going for just 11 runs in 2.3 overs.  Beacon had a welcome win as well, beating Perranporth by 4 wickets.

Results: Premier League – Ladock 109-2, St Minver 90-3 (Ladock won by 19 runs); St Austell 101-5, Truro 103-3 (Truro won by 3 wickets).  County League – St Gluvias 92-5, Falmouth 83 (St Gluvias won by 9 runs); Perranporth 66-5, Beacon 68-2 (Beacon won by 4 wickets

26th January      -   Truro v St Austell in Sunday’s Final

            There were no shocks in Sunday’s CCB Sixes Knockout Cup semi-finals, as the big guns strolled to their expected appointment in this Sunday’s Final.  Falmouth could only manage 78 all out in the first match, Guernsey international Ed Farley making 23 of them.  Truro skipper Kyle van Rooyen scored 26 not out in the reply, with the match ending in the ninth over of twelve.  St Gluvias, playing a man short, did well to take four of St Austell’s wickets in the first half of their innings, three of these to Jake Preston.  However, Gary Bone (71*) and Steve Raven (63) steadied the ship and scored almost at will in the closing overs as the total passed 150.  This was too much for St Gluvias, who finished over a hundred short, but they at least had the satisfaction of avoiding being bowled out.

            The day’s only League fixture saw a big win for Ladock over Stithians.  Carl Murphy held the Ladock innings together, with 44*, as they made the good total of 117 for 5.  This was too much for the western side, who capitulated to 36 all out, Patrick Morgan returning the excellent figures of 2 for 2 in two overs.

Results: Premier League – Ladock 117-5, Stithians 36 (Ladock won by 81 runs); Knockout Cup -  Falmouth 78, Truro 80-1 (Truro won by 5 wickets); St Austell 157-5, St Gluvias 48-4 (St Austell won by 109 runs).

2 February - Knock Out Cup Final 

Truro home in thrilling climax by Mark Mitchell

“You couldn’t write the script!”, so the expression goes.  Well, the twists in the final few overs of the Cornwall Cricket Board’s Indoor Sixes Knockout Cup Final would have taken a fair amount of imagination to write, it’s true.  Truro CC’s up-and-coming indoor sixes team have beaten the previously ‘unbeatable’ St Austell twice in a fortnight and will now carry the Cornish flag into the national rounds of the ECB competition, where they begin away to the Devon champions on February 16.

The holders got off to the worst possible start, losing the prolific brothers Mike and Gary Bone for 0 and 3 respectively, both to the bowling of former Cornwall player Rob Harrison.  Matt Ellison was also out with the score on just 20, but the inevitable recovery, this time from Scott Barrott (19) and Callum Wilson (24), saw the 4^th wicket out on 58 runs.  St Austell were all out for 88 in just 11 overs, thereby wasting a valuable six balls of their innings, but the hostile attack of Harrison, Kyle van Rooyen and Neil Ivamy must take great credit for this.  They bowled a crucially accurate length, just short of what would be necessary outdoors, and moved the yellow ball about, which contributed to ‘keeper Tim Marrion claiming two victims ‘caught behind’.

St Austell were never going to give up their title without a fight and the Truro innings began steadily, but was set back by the loss of openers van Rooyen and Liam Lombard to run outs, something which was always on the cards.  Marrion and Harrison then scored an unusually high number of ‘ones’, ie. singles into the wall, not run, before the latter was out with the score on 68, bringing in Ivamy.  The fielding of both sides had been razor sharp and the ball was flying around, making ‘backing up’ the most hazardous of occupations!

It all came down to an equation of 25 to win from three overs, a pretty much even situation.  Ten runs then came from the tenth over, six of which were extras.  15 from 2 overs, then, perhaps just in Truro’s favour?  Two wickets still to fall, but next came a brilliant over from St Austell’s ‘man of the match’ Wilson, conceding just two runs and taking the wicket of Ivamy.  Now 13 were need from just six balls, surely St Austell were the favourites?  Dot ball first (13 from 5), SIX from Marrion (7 from 4) – had Truro edged in front?  Dot ball (7 from 3) – back to evens or the holders on top?  What followed, no-one saw coming, I suspect … yes, all SEVEN from the next ball, as Tim Marrion’s drive beat the diving Matt Lloyd to score four, plus two for running and another from the overthrow in a desperate attempt to run him out.  Much the underdogs until two weeks ago, Truro had scraped home to beat St Austell twice and march into the national competition.  The next hot ticket, one suspects, is the League Final on March 23, when the two sides will be overwhelming favourites to meet once again.

Result: St Austell 88 (C Wilson 24*, R Harrison 3-18), Truro 89-4 (T Marrion 31*) – Truro won by 2 wickets.

9 February  Truro lose in Devon while Beacon and St Gluvias make progress

Truro lost their Cornwall v Devon Indoor Sixes play-off at the Devon Cricket Centre, Exeter on Sunday. They were defeated by Cornwood by 34 runs. Cornwood, who included Cornishman Jason Hall and Mark Horwell in their line up, made 94 for five in their twelve overs with Hall undefeated. After Kyle Van Rooyen was dismissed early on Truro were contained to only 34 at the halfway mark of their innings. The pressure told as a run out and four catches, off the ceiling, saw Truro dismissed for 60. Cornwood now go forward to the regional finals at Taunton on 2 March. Cornwood 94-5, Truro 60. Cornwood won by 34 runs.

Truro still fielded a team in the CCB Indoor League on Sunday and comfortably accounted for Newquay, winning by three wickets.  Truro College lecturer Callum Whittaker top scored with 26 not out and Liam Lombard, ineligible for the ECB national competition, took three wickets for six runs, helping to dismiss Newquay for just 67.  In the other Premier Division fixture, St Austell returned to winning ways with a hard earned 21-run victory over plucky St Minver, for whom Ryan Pooley made an excellent 43.  Mike Bone  (27*), Gary Bone (26*) and Matt Lloyd (26*) all made retirement totals for St Austell.

An entertaining match in the County Division saw St Gluvias scrape home by two wickets and with two balls remaining against Wadebridge.  It was a low scoring affair and no batsman reached 20, but Jody Ross took 2 wickets for 10 runs for the losing side.  In a similar encounter, Beacon chased Falmouth’s 85 for 4 and, though not losing a wicket, just managed to reach the required score on the fourth delivery of the final over.  Eight runs were required from the tenth over but, with Dan Mellor, Dom Batchelor and Jordan Thomas having contributed, Beacon made it home in time.  Adrian Noott once again ploughed a lone furrow for Falmouth, finishing their innings on 31 not out.

The top four teams in each division go forward to the semi-finals, so the final league fixtures, in two weeks’ time, are largely a matter of deciding who meets which opponents on finals day.  However, Newquay and St Minver will play each other in the final league game and the winners will claim the last Premier Division semi-final place.  Truro and St Austell will be hot favourites to reach the Premier final, but it is anyone’s guess as to who might contest the County Division title, as four very evenly matched sides will be involved.

Results: Premier League – St Austell 115-2, St Minver 94-5 (St Austell won by 21 runs); Newquay 67, Truro 68-2 (Truro won by 3 wickets);  County League – Wadebridge 69-4, St Gluvias 70-4 (St Gluvias won by 2 wickets); Falmouth 85-4, Beacon 87-0 (Beacon won by 6 wickets).

 23 February       Finals line-ups sorted

            The final weekend of regular fixtures in the Cornwall Cricket Board Indoor Sixes League produced no surprises, just the disappointment of two walkovers, so the two Finals Days will now take shape roughly as expected.  Giants Truro and St Austell are kept apart in the Premier Division semi-finals, as they finished in the top two qualifying positions, and it will be up to either Newquay or Ladock to cause an upset on the day.  These matches, including the final, take place on March 9^th, with the County Division having their finals on March 23^rd.  In this competition, St Gluvias meet local rivals Falmouth and Beacon face Perranporth.

Results: Premier Division – St Austell 135-1, Stithians 61-4 (St Austell won by 74 runs); Ladock 64, Truro 65-0 (Truro won by 6 wickets); Newquay w/o St Minver (conceded).  County Division – St Gluvias w/o Perranporth (conceded).

 Premier Division             Played      Won        Lost          Runs Difference Points

Truro                                  5                 5               0               +198                 28

St Austell                           5                 4               1               +238                 22

Newquay                           5                 3               2               +22                   14

Ladock                               5                 2               3               -5                      11

St Minver                           5                 1               4               -139                  3

Stithians                            5                 0               5               -314                  0

County Division            Played     Won         Lost           Runs Difference         Points

St Gluvias                        4                4                0                +143                20

Beacon                            4                3                1                +30                  12

Perranporth                    4                2                2                -56                   8

Falmouth                         4                1                3                -16                   6

Wadebridge                    4                0                4                -101                 0

 9 March   Beacon win County Division    

With the Premier Finals still to come in two weeks’ time, it was the turn of the second level, the ‘County’ Division, on Sunday, and the day began with two comfortable wins for St Gluvias and Beacon, over Falmouth and Perranporth respectively.  These were low scoring affairs and the only batsman to get a decent score was Mark Bannister, of St Gluvias, who made 28 not out.  Beacon’s James Pook was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 for 12.

 In the final, Beacon made 104 for 4, largely due to the contribution 47* from Dan Mellor, who hit four sixes, well supported by Matt Floyd (28*).  The pair added a daunting 28 runs from the final over, making a reasonable total into a potential match winning one.  St Gluvias couldn’t quite manage the asking rate and fell comfortably short, in spite of a late flurry from Richard Kellow (25).

Results: Semi-Finals – Falmouth 80-4, St Gluvias 82-1 (St Gluvias won by 5 wickets); Perranporth 60-5, Beacon 61-1 (Beacon won by 5 wickets); Final – Beacon 104-4, St Gluvias 80 (Beacon won by 24 runs).

Sunday March 23          Premier Division Finals            

St Austell make it a hat-trick of Premier titles

The CCB Indoor Sixes Premier Division Finals took place on Sunday and, much as in the County Division, the semi-finals were fairly one-side affairs.  Favourites Truro and St Austell saw off the challenge of Ladock and Newquay with ease.  Truro’s 133 for no wicket was compiled by Kyle van Rooyen, Liam Lombard, Scott Harvey and Rob Harrison, who all shared the runs, then Ladock were restricted to just 62 for 5.  St Austell bowled out Newquay for even less, 59, as Gavin Oxley-Bryan made 28 to ensure some respectability to the total.  Callum Wilson (2-6) and Steve Raven (2-9) did the damage with the ball for the Saints.  Wilson and Matt Ellison the eased past the required total to set up the much awaited third clash of the big guns this spring.

In the final, Truro were rocked from the start by the accurate attack of Scott Barrott and Callum Wilson (2-13) and some sharp fielding, which saw three men run out.  Steve Raven and Oli Geeves continued the tight bowling, as Liam Lombard (16) and Rob Harrison (14) made the only reasonable scores and the innings slumped to 42 all out.  Wilson and Matt Ellison, however, were dismissed cheaply in the reply, as Harrison and van Rooyen made things as difficult as they could for St Austell.  Eventually, with the experience of Gary Bone, who made 23 not out and saw the innings through with Barrott, the required total of 43 was nowhere near enough and it was St Austell’s title again.  This completes a hat-trick of League wins for them and provides some revenge for their defeat by Truro in the Knockout Cup Final.

 Results: Semi-Finals – Truro 133-0, Ladock 62-5 (Truro won by 71 runs); Newquay 59, St Austell 61-0 (St Austell won by 6 wickets);

Final – Truro 42, St Austell 43-2 (St Austell won by 4 wickets).