Indoor League Reports 2012-13

 24 March  St Austell champions again; Redruth also winners

There were no surprises, but some excellent indoor cricket, as St Austell and Redruth claimed the Premier and County League titles.  St Austell retained their crown and completed a ‘double double’, following up their cup win over Ladock and the two triumphs of last season, but Falmouth made them fight hard for this win.  Their score of 82 was not a great one in a 12 overs match, Adrian Noott, Guy Leathley and George Popperwell the only batsmen scoring 15 runs or more, with none achieving twenty, but it did set up a decent contest.  The Saints’ bowlers bowled accurately and economically, though three batsmen were actually run out.  After the break, Falmouth replied in kind and the innings started slowly, but Mike Bone (27*) and Matt Ellison (25*) eventually reached retirement scores as St Austell paced the run chase well, reaching their target with seven deliveries to spare.  Antony Angove was the most impressive Falmouth bowler, conceding a mere ten runs from his three lively overs.  The St Austell club can certainly claim to be the ‘indoor kings’ at the moment as, in addition to the men’s efforts, their Women’s team also holds two indoor titles, making it a maximum four out of four this year.

 Wadebridge were never really in the hunt in the County League game, being restricted to just 57 for 4, of which Jonny Centini made 20 not out.  Some good Redruth bowling, from all of Neil Ivamy, Ben Stevens, Luke Johnson and Mark Jenkin, coupled with a lack of effective running, made this game a little one-sided.  Redruth reached the necessary total in just under 7 overs, largely through Ivamy (23*) and Adam Wallace (20).  This was also a double for them, as they had defeated Chacewater in the 2011-12 Final.

 Results: County League Final – Wadebridge 57-4, Redruth 61-1 (Redruth won by 5 wickets); Premier League Final - Falmouth 82, St Austell 83-1 (St Austell won by 5 wickets).

Over 45s: Perranporth impressive

             Perranporth’s ‘oldies’ were mightily impressive in seeing off Trevor Lee’s ‘Quick Singles’ outfit on Sunday, reaching the 81 runs needed with four balls and two wickets in hand.  Stuart Renshaw finished the job off after retiring earlier, making 35 not out at the end, including two sixes.  Lee made 24 and took two wickets, with Jim McKenna 26* and Nigel Sanders 25* also making runs for the losing side.  St Erme posted the low total of 49 all out against Swan Arrows (Wadebridge/Pencarrow), but kept the match alive until the ninth over, taking three early wickets.  Dave Dunnett and Mark Pluckrose (23*) steadied the ship and saw Swan Arrows home by three wickets.  Paul Bunt claimed two wickets for 11 runs for St Erme and Pluckrose, in a fine all-round effort, took 2-3 for the winning team.

 Over 45s Results: Quick Singles 80-1, Perranporth 84-4 (Perranporth won by 2 wickets); St Erme 49, Swan Arrows 50-3 (Swan Arrows won by 3 wickets).

17 March Redruth & Wadebridge to contest Final

Redruth and Wadebridge will meet in the CCB Indoor Six-a-Sides County (Level 2) League Final next Sunday, having defeated Falmouth 2 and Roche in this week’s semi-finals.  Both matches went down to the last few deliveries and Wadebridge needed a final ball single from Jonny Centini to thwart Roche, who had posted 83 for 3 in their ten overs.  Centini’s 30 not out rescued the side as they lost wickets regularly in the chase and need 15 from the last over.  In the other semi-final, Harry Roberts made 26* for Falmouth 2, but their low score of 59-4 should never have been enough.  However, Redruth also lost regular wickets and were four down before half the target was achieved.  Ben Stevens was left on his own as last ‘live’ batsman and, in spite of a couple of scares, had the time to make the winning runs with an over in hand.

 Results: County League Semi-Finals – Roche 83-3, Wadebridge 84-4 (Wadebridge won by 2 wickets); Falmouth 2 59-4, Redruth 60-5 (Redruth won by 1 wicket).

10 March      Falmouth and St Austell reach Final

           Falmouth 1 and St Austell will meet in the CCB Indoor Six-a-Sides Premier League Final after seeing off the threat of Ladock and Beacon, respectively, in the semi-finals on Sunday afternoon.  St Austell again scored well, making 119-5, with Mike Bone finishing on 45 not out.  Matt Ellison contributed 28, then Beacon were bowled out for a disappointing 50, Scott Barrott claiming another two wickets.  Ladock could only scrape together a total of 70-4 against Falmouth, but the match was tight until the eighth over, when Stefan Churcher (21*) hit two successive sixes to ease the nerves.  The target was reached with nine balls to spare and the two big clubs will meet on Sunday week for the main prize.

             Another issue to be decided was in the County League, where Falmouth’s second team beat Truro 4^th by 4 wickets, Harry Roberts making 31 not out.  This completes the semi-final line-up and sees Falmouth 2 join Wadebridge, Redruth and Roche next Sunday evening.

3 March      Redruth progress

            Redruth progressed to the semi-finals of the County League with a comfortable win over Chacewater.  Neil Ivamy, Aaron Wallace and Luke Johnson achieved retirement scores for the Reds, who will meet the eventual winners of Group 7 in the semi-final.  Earlier, Truro 1 rounded off their campaign with a convincing 53-runs demolition of Camborne, but it was too little, too late, as Ladock had already grabbed the fourth semi-final slot in the Premier League as best runners-up.  Sam Pooley made a valiant 42 not out for the losers, but Rob Harrison (34*), Joe Dale (23) and Adam Pascoe (26*) all contributed good scores for Truro.  In another ‘dead rubber’ game, St Erme defeated School of Mines by 3 wickets in a low-scoring affair, Liam Lombard guiding his team to victory.

24      February      Falmouth reach semis

            There was a fairly quiet week of six-a-sides at the Cricket Centre, but Falmouth 1 (in the Premier League), Newquay and Wadebridge all recorded wins.  Adrian Noott, Guy Leathley and Jake Preston all scored well for Falmouth, who made 97 without loss against Grampound Road.  This was enough to get home by 25 runs and reach the semi-finals, though Chris Hunkin made a creditable 32 for the losing side.  Truro 4^th looked like recording their first win of the season as, chasing 85 to win, they were well placed at 61 for 3 from 7 overs, but the innings fell away to 68 all out.  Mark Atkins made 27 of these, whilst Chris Rippin scored 25* for Newquay.  Group 5 of the County League was won by Wadebridge, who completed a two-leg victory over Perranporth, after the withdrawal of St Stephen.  James Maycock made 36 not out on Sunday, whilst Charlie Ellis completely demolished the opposition, taking 4 wickets for 6 runs.

17 February              Grampound Road & Truro ease into the Premier competition

Grampound Road wrapped up the final Premier League spot from Group B with an exciting win over St Erme by just 5 runs.  The Road posted the good total of 120, with Daniel Barretto making 33.  St Erme kept in the hunt through Liam Lombard (26) and Andy Wilkinson (25), but fell just short and will play in the County competition next month.  Truro 1 scored 110 for 5 against Redruth, but this was very much due to a fine individual performance by Joe Dale, who made 66 not out.  Redruth made a spirited reply, but fell well short in the end, allowing Truro to become the final qualifiers for the Premier competition.  In a disappointing start to Sunday evening, St Stephen again failed to appear for their match, this time with St Blazey who, barring a miracle, have now won Group C.  The final first stage fixtures are on Sunday, when the complete line-ups for the second round groups will become known.

 ECB Indoor National Club Championship 2013

Cornwall v Devon Play-Off

Having won the Cornwall KO Cup Competition in December St Austell beat the Devon Champions, Cornwood, at the Cornwall Cricket Centre on Sunday 17 February.

Cornwood 76 lost to St Austell 77-3 (Mike Bone 25 not out) with three overs to spare.

Regional Finals at Somerset County Cricket Club, Taunton on Sunday 3rd March 2013.

Regional Semi-Finals:

Sarisbury Athletic (nr Fareham) beat  South Wilts (Salisbury)

 Bridgwater 97 beat St Austell 88 (were 57-4 off 9 overs)

 Regional Final

Sarisbury Athletic 75 beat Bridgwater 58 by 17 runs

Other Regional Finals are being held on the same day at Derby, Edgbaston and Canterbury. National Draw

The four winners go forward to the National Finals Day at Lord's on Sunday 17th March.

10 February      Close encounters

          The second stage groups in the CCB Indoor Sixes are certainly producing some close, nail-biting encounters, as teams scrabble for the semi-final places.  Two matches finished with just a single run the difference: Roche accounted for St Erme in the County competition, where Jordan Wilkinson’s 30 not out just wasn’t quite enough, and in the Premier League surprise package Team 21 came ever so close to claiming one of the biggest scalps in Cornish indoor cricket.  Falmouth 1 had compiled a workmanlike 98 for 4 in their ten overs, led by Adrian Noot (31*) and Julian Osborne (28), then had Team 21 in trouble, as they scored just 19 runs from their first 4 overs.  However, the young side were not to give up without a fight, scoring at 13 an over to come tantalisingly close.  Mark Mitchell (27*) and Jack Paull (25*) scored half of the runs but, with 18 to win from the final over and two on the last ball, Joe Skinner was run out and Falmouth had escaped.  The other really close battle was a fairly low-scoring affair between Beacon and Ladock, which the more experienced Beacon won by just seven runs.  They were bowled out for 87 (J Pook 24), but held their nerve to restrict Ladock to 80 all out, with two balls of their ten overs remaining, in spite of Jonny Ridd’s fine 32.

          Also in the Premier, St Austell easily accounted for Truro 1, winning by 69 runs after hitting another big total, 127 for 4.  Gary Bone made 35 not out, Steve Raven 29* and Mike Bone 26 for the clay country town, whilst Scott Barrott and Matt Yates claimed two wickets apiece.  Simon Grant fought a lone battle, but made a creditable 39 not out for Truro, who now face a dogfight with Camborne for a possible, but unlikely, semi-final slot.  Redruth overcame Stithians, Falmouth 2 saw off Newquay by just 12 runs and Wadebridge beat Perranporth in other County League games.  Perran’s Stuart Renshaw again stood out from the rest of his team, making 40* out of 76 for 5, whilst Charlie Ellis and James Maycock made retirement scores in Wadebridge’s win.  Aaron Wallace and Neil Ivamy did the same for Redruth, as did Greg Stephens (29) for Falmouth 2.  Newquay’s Josh Hancock was doubly unlucky, making 49 not out in a losing cause and being stranded on that score at the end of the innings.

          Next week sees Cornish KO Cup champions St Austell take on Devon’s Cornwood CC at 6.15pm in the play-off round for the ECB National Indoor competition.  The group stages of the Premier and County Leagues also reach a climax, with six other semi-final places to be claimed, joining St Austell and Beacon, who have already made it.

3 February      Big clubs get going

            Grampound Road, Beacon and St Austell all recorded victories in the first set of second round matches at the Cornwall Cricket Centre.  David Hoskings, Curtis Dalby, Daniel Barretto and Lewis Sanders all scored well as the previously in-form Team 21 bowlers fell apart.  They recovered somewhat, to restrict the Road to 122 for 1, but this was still a big ask.  Captain Mark Mitchell made 34 not out and Jack Paull 29 in a spirited reply, but Team 21 finished twenty short.  In the second game St Blazey struggled against Beacon and only Justin Wood (26*) gave them anything to bowl at, as they ended on 61 for 5.  Beacon made hard work of the chase, though, losing four wickets, but got there in the seventh over.  Camborne then held St Austell to a reasonable 114-5 (Mike Bone 26, Matt Ellison 23), but were well eventually well beaten, by 55 runs.  Liam Watson took 3 wickets for 18 runs in his three overs.

27 January      Groups wrapped up

         The final six matches in the first round groups produced few surprises and just the odd change in league placings, but St Austell stormed to yet another resounding victory and Falmouth 1 reclaimed top seeding from Group B.  There was also a close mid-table contest in this group, when Newquay went under by just one wicket to Wadebridge.  Jon Hancock made a useful 30 not out in a losing cause and Alec Gill took 2 wickets for 9 runs for Wadebridge.

            Falmouth’s top of the table clash with Camborne was well contested but, in reality, a comfortable run-chase for Falmouth, after they were set just 86 to win.  Top individual contribution, though, was Craig Johnson’s 32* for the group runners-up.  In Group A, what looked like a very decent clash between two in-form sides turned out to be anything but as, in reply to St Austell’s 115 for 3 (Mike Bone 32*), Beacon’s batting was destroyed in just three overs by Scott Barrott.  One of the best Cornish bowlers in this form of cricket, Barrott completed an almost full set of dismissals (bowled, caught, lbw, stumped) in taking four wickets for nine runs in his two overs.  Shot out for 14, Beacon must now pull themselves together for the second group stage, where they will at least have the slightly more comfortable proposition of facing St Blazey and Ladock for a semi-final place.

            In other matches, School of Mines were again routed, this time by Ladock (Alex Ridd 27 not out) and Team 21 recorded an easy win over Falmouth’s second team, for whom Greg Stephens, dropped on 0, went on to make 39* out of their 58 for 4.  Joe Skinner was almost unplayable in his two overs, 2 wickets for 5 runs and Oliver Paull took the other two wickets to fall.  Jack Paull made 27 in Team 21’s stroll to victory, but they now face Falmouth’s first team and Grampound Road in the next two weeks.  Finally, Truro 4ths couldn’t quite grab their first win, going down to Chacewater, for whom Rob Monk (27* and 2-10) and Tom Armstrong (25*) contributed well.

20 January      Grampound Road & Truro ease into the Premier competition

            Grampound Road wrapped up the final Premier League spot from Group B with an exciting win over St Erme by just 5 runs.  The Road posted the good total of 120, with Daniel Barretto making 33.  St Erme kept in the hunt through Liam Lombard (26) and Andy Wilkinson (25), but fell just short and will play in the County competition next month.  Truro 1 scored 110 for 5 against Redruth, but this was very much due to a fine individual performance by Joe Dale, who made 66 not out.  Redruth made a spirited reply, but fell well short in the end, allowing Truro to become the final qualifiers for the Premier competition.  In a disappointing start to Sunday evening, St Stephen again failed to appear for their match, this time with St Blazey who, barring a miracle, have now won Group C.  The final first stage fixtures are on Sunday, when the complete line-ups for the second round groups will become known.

13 January      Beacon and Team 21 in impressive form as teams qualify for Premier competition

            There was a flurry of action in the Indoor Sixes on Sunday, with nine fixtures scheduled.  Eight were completed, but Truro 1 received a walkover as St Stephen were unavailable to play their match. The surprise of the season is Team 21, who only entered the League for fun and now share the lead in Group C after a convincing win over Roche.  They scored 109 for 5, in spite of losing those five wickets in the final seven balls of their innings, with Richard Chynoweth and CSCA Under 14 player Jack Paull contributing retirement scores of 27 not out and 28 respectively.  Callum Hinchley bowled an economical three overs, taking 1 for 8, and Joe Skinner took 1-7 in two, as Roche never looked like challenging.  Group rivals St Blazey were defeated in a close encounter with Redruth, who scored 92-4 in their ten overs.  The match was always an even contest, but St Blazey finished on 89-3 (O Mitchell 26*, P Carne 26*). 

             Group A’s big guns are due for an almighty shootout in two weeks’ time, as Beacon showed impressive form in seeing off the challenge of Grampound Road, who were bowled out for just 49.  Beacon posted a very ‘gettable’ 98 for 3 (Craig Thomas 25), but their sharp bowling and fielding outfit ensured that the Road were never in contention.  There were three run outs as the innings crumbled, with all four bowlers returning economical figures.  St Austell still head the table by two points, though, as they rattled through the St Erme batting for just 44, Steve Raven taking 4 for 14.  The Saints had earlier been restricted to 97 all out, but Raven completed a fine all-round performance, making 22 runs.  Lower in the table, there was a close game between Perranporth and Chacewater, with the latter getting home by 5 wickets, with one over to spare.  Dave Hill made 27* for the winners, a score equalled by Perran’s Stuart Renshaw.

             There was a surprise in Group B, leaders Falmouth 1 succumbing to lowly Wadebridge, who passed the 78 runs set in 9.4 overs (Gill 25).  Guy Leathley had also made 25 for Falmouth and ‘Bridge’ captain Charlie Ellis bowled his three overs for just 12.  Julian Osborne’s 2 for 12 was not enough to save Falmouth, who now trail Camborne by 2 points.  Camborne themselves recorded a straightforward win over Newquay by 42 runs and they now face Falmouth in the final group match!  Finally, Stithians had a field day at the expense of Camborne School of Mines.  The village club’s much improved batting racked up 147 for just one wicket, with Glyn Furnival 29*, Kieren Webber 26*, J Mackfall 26* and A Lean 22 all scoring freely.  The students made 68 for 3 in reply, leaving Stithians with a huge 79-run win and 5 match points.

            There are now just two places up for grabs in the Premier competition, as St Austell, Beacon, Camborne, Falmouth 1, Ladock, Team 21 and St Blazey have all qualified.  Grampound Road are favourites to pip St Erme in Group A and Truro 1 need to see off the challenge of Falmouth 2 in Group C.  All sides which don’t make it will compete in the County competition in February and March.

6 January      Bowlers on top

            There were some unusual, low-scoring matches in the Indoor League this week.  Top of the bill, if you like it that way, was Roche’s dismissal for just 12 runs against Falmouth 2.  The four available batsmen were shot out before two latecomers could assist them and Falmouth recorded an easy 5-wicket win.  Perranporth’s Johnny Smeaden and Stuart Renshaw each scored 27 not out, as did Truro 4ths’ Danny Edwards, in the first game of the day, as both teams looked for their first win in the League.  The seasiders edged a close game by 12 runs, after scoring 89 for 1 in their ten overs.  Ladock were restricted to a total of just 60 for 3 wickets by Stithians, whose bowlers performed very well, conceding just five runs per over for the final 7 overs.  However, their batsmen just couldn’t do the job against a canny Ladock line-up, which again featured a fine bowling spell from Alex Ridd, who took 3-7 from his three overs.

 20 December      Saints are cup winners again

                       St Austell have retained the CCB Indoor Knockout Cup in a one-sided victory over outsiders Ladock in the final.  There was to be no fairytale ending for the village side, who had claimed the scalps of three more senior clubs (Truro, Wadebridge and Falmouth) on the way to the final.  The Saints’ batting line up again scored at will, making 139 runs in their 12 overs.  The usual suspects of Mike and Gary Bone, Matt Ellison and Scott Barrott were again in the runs as they milked the Ladock attack, losing wickets only to run outs.  Their bowlers ensured that this total was never under threat and a disappointing final was won by the margin of 103 runs.  However, this merely reflects the current strength of the Saints and credit is due to Ladock for justifiably reaching the final.  St Austell will be entertaining the Devon champions at the Cornwall Cricket Centre in the first round of the ECB national competition on 17^th February.

             In a rearranged League fixture, Redruth picked up their first Group C points of the season in a 64-run win over St Stephen.  Scott James, after narrowly avoiding being run out at the start of his innings, went on to make 39 not out.  St Stephen’s batsmen never made any headway against any of the Redruth bowlers, of whom Ben Stevens was the most successful, taking 3 wickets for 7 runs in the low total of 34.  Unusually, as distinct from the outdoor game, all six wickets fell to bowlers, with no run outs.

16 December     Thriller in Cup semis

              On Sunday evening, the season’s impressive newcomers, Ladock, won a gripping Knockout Cup semi-final on the last ball of the match.  Though they were now playing twelve overs per side, runs were hard to come by as the bowlers of both teams bowled straight and put in fine performances.  Experienced campaigners Falmouth CC managed just 79 all out, from exactly 12 overs.  Adrian Noott and Stefan Churcher each scored 22 and Patrick Morgan returned the best figures for Ladock, with 3 for 22 from his three overs.  The village side then lost three wickets, all lbw, in the first half of their innings and were marginally behind the scoring rate, but Alex Ridd, having retired on 25, returned to see his team home, finishing on 43 not out.  Seventeen runs were required from the final two overs when the fifth batsman, Morgan, was caught behind off George Popperwell, who bowled his three overs for just 12.  Scott Kellow bowled three ‘dot’ balls at the end but, with two to tie and proceed on wickets lost, the batsmen scrambled through for three leg byes on the final delivery.

             In the second match, St Austell were rocked by a spirited Beacon at the start of their innings, slumping to 29 for 4, but opener Matt Ellison held his nerve and made a hugely significant 67 not out.  Jack Thomas was the pick of the bowlers, with one for 12 in his three overs.  The eventual total of 94-5 was enough to win by 13 runs, though, as opponents Beacon were themselves in huge trouble with the bat.  They were four wickets down for 23 and the remaining batsmen, Jack Thomas and Dominic Batchelor had to play within themselves, which had an effect on the scoring rate.  Thomas was eventually bowled by Scott Barrott (3 for 14) for 35 and thirty runs from just 2 overs was a bit much for Batchelor, who ended on 28 not out.  Therefore, an excellent evening of competitive indoor cricket has resulted in a St Austell v Ladock final, which takes place on Thursday (20^th December), at 8.00pm. A place in the ECB National Indoor Competition is the prize for the winners.

9 December      Beacon in cup semis

              In the remaining quarter-finals of the Knockout cup, St Austell claimed their expected place in the last four with a comfortable win over local rivals St Stephen.  Mike Bone, 49*, did much of the damage with the bat, aided by his brother Gary and Liam Watson.  Mathew Harris scored 26 not out for St Stephen.  The final game also proved to be fairly straightforward, but much more surprisingly, as Beacon defeated one of their arch rivals and, in many ways the ‘bigger club’, Camborne, by three wickets.  They chased down the modest 74 runs required with an over and a half to spare, Jack Thomas making 26 not out.  Sam Pooley’s 31* was rather a lone effort for Camborne in their disappointing 73 for 5.  With a good knowledge of the game and young, but quite experienced, indoor cricketers, Beacon will now approach the semi-finals with some degree of optimism that they can upset hot favourites St Austell.

            In the League, Group C leaders St Blazey picked up another five points in a fairly comfortable win over Truro 1, who were restricted to 84 for 4 in their 10 overs.  Alex Sparrow (31*) and Keith Read (27*) ensured that the game was won with ten balls to spare.  The match between Redruth and St Stephen has been rearranged for December 20.  In Group B, Wadebridge conceded to Camborne and Falmouth 1 demolished Newquay, all five players who batted making good scores in their 131-1.  Beacon, in-form in Group A, ran up the big score of 137 for 4, with Jack Thomas (39*) and Dan Mellor (30) the leading run-makers.  St Erme made a creditable reply, but just failed to make the hundred and a bonus point.  Two big clubs met in the final game of the week, Grampound Road and St Austell, who recovered from the loss of three early wickets to make 101 for 5, Lewis Sanders having taken 3-21.  Apart from wides (thirty!), Scott Barrott (29) and Matthew Yates (20*) were the batsmen who rescued the innings.  Grampound Road couldn’t quite keep up with the required scoring rate and went down by 28 runs.

2 December      Runs aplenty in Cup matches

                       The quarter-finals of the Knockout cup sparked a run spree on Thursday, as Falmouth and St Erme amassed 265 runs between them in their match, without a single wicket going down to a bowler!  Falmouth’s big total of 144 was achieved for the loss of just one wicket, to a run out off the penultimate ball of the innings.  Adrian Noott (30), Ed Farley, Scott Kellow and Stefan Churcher all made retirement scores of 25 runs or more.  St Erme had a real go at chasing their target, but fell twenty short, with Tom Bunt making an impressive 56.  Their innings saw all six batsmen run out, the final one also falling with one ball of the innings remaining.  In the other quarter-final, Ladock accounted for Wadebridge fairly comfortably, Alex Ridd and Dave Legge making scores in the twenties as they reached 85-4 in reply to their opponents’ 84 for 5 wickets in 10 overs.  Ridd’s fine all-round performance also included 3 wickets for just 9 runs in his three overs.  Charlie Ellis, 30*, and James Maycock, 3-11, did their bit for the losing side.

           In the league, Group C is taking shape, with Team 21 and unbeaten St Blazey at the top.  At the bottom, Falmouth 2 received a welcome bonus of 6 points as Redruth conceded, though they would probably prefer to have played a game of cricket.  St Blazey held Roche to a score of 94 for 3, then passed that total without losing a wicket, James Starkie (26*) and Ollie Mitchell (25*) doing most of the work with the bat.  In the other fixture to be played on Sunday, Richard Chynoweth (27*) and Joe Skinner (25*) scored well in Team 21’s 90 for 2 wickets against St Stephen after a slow start.  The team’s young bowlers then took wickets at regular intervals and, despite a valiant one-man fightback from Simon Newland, who made 45 before falling in the final over, Team 21 won by the margin of 13 runs.

25 November     First wins for Chacewater, Wadebridge & Newquay   

             Chacewater sprang a minor surprise in Sunday’s indoor six-a-sides after bowling extremely well to restrict St Erme to 59-3 in their ten overs, then coasting to a four-wicket win.  Dave Hill returned the best bowling figures of 2 for 10 from his three overs, with Tom Bunt’s 25 not out providing the only major resistance.  There were also first wins of the indoor season for north coast clubs Wadebridge and Newquay, over School of Mines and Stithians respectively.  Young Mike Harding’s well-constructed 28 not out was enough to guide Newquay to their target of just 51, captain Nigel Dawes having snapped up another two wickets.  Nick Lawson also made 28 in Wadebridge’s 108-6 and a big win over School of Mines, who crumbled to 27 all out in reply.  Rob Centini was the bowling hero, taking 4 wickets for just 10 runs.

             Camborne strolled to a five-wicket win against a weakened Ladock, for whom debutant Andrew Wakeley made a valiant 26*.  Alex May and Curtis Dalby made good scores for Grampound Road, as they comfortably eclipsed the 78 runs posted by Perranporth, though Tyler Murrell and Stuart Renshaw made decent contributions with the bat for the losers.  Dan Mellor was at it again for Beacon, continuing his fine form with an undefeated 38 against Truro 4^th.  Jack and Craig Thomas, along with James Gool, also made retirement scores in Beacon’s big total of 136-2, which resulted in victory by the large margin of 90 runs.

             In the Knockout Cup, both Camborne and St Austell recorded fairly predictable easy victories and progress to the quarter-finals, where they will meet Beacon and St Stephen respectively.

 18 November    Crazy capers in cricket Sixes

             There were some interesting low-scoring games in this week’s Indoor Sixes Group C fixtures and Truro 1 went down to another defeat, losing out to surprise package Team 21, for whom Richard Chynoweth (25*) and thirteen year-old leg-spinner Jack Paull made significant contributions.  ‘Wides’ also achieved the retirement score of 25!  Simon Burrell and Adam Pascoe made good runs for Truro, but their total of 99 was nowhere near enough.  St Stephen suffered a minor upset, too, as they went down to the other new boys, Roche, who reached the 82 required on the first ball of the final over.  Kieran Broadfield made 32 not out for Roche and Simon Newland continued his good form with 36 for St Stephen, holding the innings together until being last man out on the final ball of the innings.

             The rather unusual ‘match of the day’ came on last and Falmouth’s second side arrived with just five players, but then proceeded to dismiss the promising St Blazey outfit for just 50.  Cue mayhem!  Falmouth themselves were then rocked back to a score of 11 for 4 wickets after four overs.  Last man standing was Ben Lanyon, who started off by simply crashing a few shots into the wall for singles but then, out of the blue, smashed three sixes off an over from Ollie Mitchell and Falmouth were back in the game.  Two whole overs remaining to score seven runs to win!  However, Keith Reid’s first ball put paid to any further excitement, clean bowling Lanyon, and St Blazey had rescued the match for the second time.

 In the Cup, St Stephen’s 73 for 3 was somehow enough to defeat Perranporth, who finished 5 runs short, whilst Beacon beat St Blazey by a massive 75 runs, having set them achievable target of 105 to win.  Dan Mellor made an inventive 40 not out and Darren Proctor, returning to the Beacon side, took an impressive 3 wickets for 5 runs to completely dismantle the opposition’s batting line-up.

 11 November    Ladock shock Truro in Cup

             In the CCB Indoor Knockout Cup, CCL Premier side Truro suffered a big shock in losing to near neighbours Ladock in a very tight affair.  Truro made 108 for 4 (Adam Pascoe 23, Tim Marrion 20) and, though Pascoe bowled a rare ‘maiden in over 5 of the allotted 10, the village lads reached the required target with two deliveries remaining, Dave Legge making 27 not out.  The enigmatic Wadebridge team defeated Grampound Road in another very close game, chasing down the 114 runs required with just one ball to spare.  Daniel Barretto made 29 not out for the Road, but Nick Lawson’s 34* steered the North Cornwall lads to victory. 

 In Sunday afternoon’s matches there was a hard-fought win for Stithians over Wadebridge and comfortable passages for St Austell and St Erme over Chacewater and Perranporth respectively.  Wadebridge made a reasonable score of  99 for 1 (J Maycock 27*, W Cooke 22, Rob Centini 20*) and were going well at the halfway stage of the Stithians innings, but some shoddy work in the final few overs cost them the match, their opponents reaching 101-2 (Jack Mackfall 26*) with three balls to spare.  St Austell’s Gary Bone, Mike Bone and Matt Ellison made their customary retirement scores, with Scott Barrott failing to join them by just one run.  Chacewater bowled tidily and restricted St Austell to a reasonable 125 for 2, but could only make 62-5 in reply.  Perranporth’s 49 all out (Matt Pearson 2-10) was no real threat to the experienced St Erme indoor side and they duly coasted to victory in 6 overs. 

            The evening matches saw Grampound Road and Falmouth both ease to comfortable wins.  Truro 4ths restricted Grampound to 112-2, of which Alex May contributed 39 not out and David Hoskings 29 not out, but some suicidal running cost Truro vital wickets and they never got close.  Falmouth bowled School of Mines out for just 40 (Julian Osborne 2-8) and raced to a six-wicket win.

 NOTE: Cornwall Cricket Board wishes to draw clubs’ and players’ attention to their decision that, following an investigation into the eligibility of players in three matches, no results are to be altered.  In the Spirit of the Game, one or, at most two, ’guest’ players may take part in both the League and Knockout Cup competitions (as they have done already), but they should not be higher level cricketers who radically alter the strength of the regular team.  However, officials wish to stress that it is clearly improper and unfair that a player should play for more than one club in the same competition and this will not be allowed to happen again.  In the case of the Knockout Cup, clubs should be aware that the winners of the CCB competition will have to field only registered members of their own club (and no professional cricketers) in the ECB National rounds. 

 Marrion hits unbeaten 66 / Ridd skittles Newquay

             In the First Round of the Indoor Sixes Knockout Cup, Falmouth and Redruth played out a high level contest.  Ed Farley top-scored with 29* as Falmouth posted 110-4 and restricted their opponents to 85 all out, of which Nigel Hambly made 26.  Redruth fielded a weaker side in their Group C match on Sunday and, though they did not lose a wicket, posted a fairly low total of 93 runs, which Team 21, a cosmopolitan mixture of young and more experienced cricketers, overcame with an over to spare.  Board Development Manager Joe Skinner saw them home, after Richard Chynoweth’s unbeaten 27 set the innings up. 

             It was a good day for Cricket Board officials as, earlier, Director Tim Marrion hit the big score of 66 not out for Truro 1, who easily accounted for an inexperienced Roche.  Falmouth’s second team were also no match for St Stephen, being bowled out for just 32, Simon Newland taking 3 wickets for 10 runs in his three-over spell.  The final game of the day saw a top all-round performance from Alex Ridd, who made 44* and took 4 wickets for only 4 runs in Ladock’s comprehensive dismantling of Newquay.  However, Newquay skipper Nigel Dawes himself took three wickets in an over, as Ladock lost 5 wickets in just 9 deliveries near the end of their innings.

 28 October               Falmouth assert position

            Falmouth’s experienced first team romped to a 104-run victory over an outclassed Stithians side on Sunday, as another packed programme of matches took place.  The new boys could  muster just 41 in reply to Falmouth’s 145 for 4, of which skipper Adrian Noott contributed a second consecutive 37 not out. George Popperwell also made 32 and Julian Osborne 28*.  Also in Group B, Camborne defeated School of Mines by 39 runs in a game where the students showed plenty of cricketing potential, but showed that they had yet to master the ‘tip and run’ style of the indoor game.  Jordan Harvey and Sam Pooley both made retirement scores for Camborne in their comfortable win.  Village club Ladock also had a big win, bowling Wadebridge out for only 44 and passing the score in 5 overs, Alex Ridd making 27 not out. 

             Beacon continued their good form in Group A, as Jack Thomas, James Gool and Dan Mellor all scored 25* in their 110 for 2.  Chacewater made a spirited reply of 83-3, of which Rob Monk contributed an unbeaten 27.  The evening closed with a very entertaining fixture between Truro’s outdoor 4ths and St Erme, the city lads making a respectable 94 for 3 (Jonathan Wyatt 25*), but being overhauled with an over to spare.  St Erme had looked in a spot of trouble at the half-way point, but held their nerve and picked off the required runs in the remaining overs.  Unfortunately, the day’s other game, Perranporth v St Austell, resulted in a walkover for St Austell.

 21 October              Indoor League – Group C

            Group C of the CCB Indoor Sixes saw some action on Sunday, with wins for St Blazey, Truro 1 and Roche.  Paul Carne and Tom Trethewey both attained retirement scores of 27 for St Blazey against ‘Team 21’, for whom Richard Chynoweth made 27 in their reply.  The second match of the day was a curious, low-scoring affair in which Falmouth’s second team managed to get bowled out for just 61 with three overs unused.  Truro 1 eased to victory in the end, but lost four wickets in the process, three of them to Alex Stuthridge (3-11).  Julian Osborne made 28 for the losing team and Adam Pascoe, who had earlier claimed three wickets for 15 runs in his three overs, scored 22* to help Truro home.  Redruth scored a reasonable total of 85 all out against Roche, Harry Bolland making 42, including three sixes, and Nigel Hambly 23.  However, Roche made 86 for 3 (Lawrence Burr 25*) and a relatively comfortable 3-wicket win.

 14 October -Indoor cricket season starts

             The third season of the Cornwall Cricket Board’s Indoor Six-a-Side League has seen another good increase in entries, with 21 teams taking part this time, five more than last season.  Teams have been divided into three roughly equal strength groups, with each playing the others once.  When the group stages have been completed in January, the top two teams in each group will go forward to contest the main ‘Premier’ title and there will be two further competitions for the middle- and lower-ranked teams.  There is also a Knockout Cup event in November and December, with the winners of this entering the ECB’s national competition.

 Fixtures started last Sunday, with champions St Austell cruising to a typically large victory over a team representing Truro’s outdoor 4^th XI.  Mike Bone scored the season’s first half-century, with 52 not out.  Fellow CCL Premier club Grampound Road, making their debut in the competition, also romped to an easy win, passing Chacewater’s 65 in just 5.2 overs of the new 10 overs maximum.  Alex May and Curtis Dalby scored most of the runs in the five-wicket win.  Another Premier League club and veterans of the Indoor League (old and new), comfortably overcame newcomers Ladock, captain Adrian Noott top-scoring with 37* in their 99 for 1.  Ladock began promisingly, but were eventually dismissed for just 56.

             School of Mines, after a trying first season in the League, had a very pleasing first win, defeating Newquay by 5 wickets.  Young Mike Harding scored a well-constructed 29 for Newquay, but fought a lone battle, as they were all out for 63.  The students lost just one wicket, D Grey (30*) and B Lewis (28*) the run-getters.  In the final game of the first day, new boys Stithians were also rolled over for 63 and were well beaten by the promising young Camborne outfit (J Harvey 26*).  Craig Johnson also took 2 wickets for 7 runs in the Stithians innings.