Devon Cricket Board - Another nail-biter for Cornwood

Another nail-biter for Cornwood

CORNWOOD right are back in the A Division promotion race after another nail-biting win.

The Corns came from behind to beat Bradninch last time out – Elliot Staddon hitting a half-century to clinch a dramatic one-wicket win in.
This time the man of the moment was Craig Harris with an unbeaten 37 in a one-wicket win over previously unbeaten leaders Brixham.
Cornwood still have two points to make up on second placed Budleigh Salterton – and trail Brixham by 26 points.
But there is a healthy 31-point gap between Cornwood in third and Hatherleigh (4th), suggesting a breakaway group is about to be established.
South African Matt McGillivray’s run of for Brixham continued with a top score of 94 in a total of 248 for nine.
Along the way there were stands of 84 with Mark Orchard – he made 42 and 31 with Craig Eaves.
Eaves batted through to the end for an unbeaten 44,
McGillivray was dismissed with a century in sight, caught behind by Mark Horwell trying to cut Staddon down to third-man. He hit nine fours and three sixes in a 100-ball stay.
Matt Skeemer (2-17) bowled tidily, as did Adam Goodliffe (0-42) and Matt Butterworth (1-41).
Brixham were made to pay for dropping Jackson Thompson behind the wicket on three – Eaves the luckless bowler – as he went on to make a top score of 68.
The Corns were 57 for three when Skeemer (32) joined Thompson and their stand of 55 got the board moving.
After Thompson was bowled by Gary Spencer, followed by Skeemer falling lbw, Cornwood kept up with the rate thanks to Ryan Rickard (26) and Jason Hall (27).
Harris came in at six down with the game in the balance and kept a cool head to wipe off 31 with Hall and 24 with Staddon.
Last pair Adam Goodliffe and Harris needed 15 to win in the final two overs and five from the final over from Eaves,
Goodliffe survived a confident shout for a run out, and drilled the winning boundary with two balls to spare.
Skipper Hall said it was a great all-round win for the side, founded on an impressive effort in the field which left a chaseable total.
“We knew at the start on a good deck and quick outfield that anything under 280 would be a great effort,” said Hall.
“All the bowlers stuck to the task and some of the fielding was back to where we wanted it to be, supporting the bowlers and hunting everything down.
“Even when mcGillivray was set and going well, all the lads stuck to it.
“With the bat, it was a case of doing exactly what we set up to do.
“Jackson got us off to a good start, supported with contributions all the way down the order.
“Having Craig Harris back gives us further depth and he carried on where he left off, cool and calm to eventually help see us home with Adam Goodliffe hitting the winning runs at 11.”
Brixham skipper Andy Pugh felt the run-out call by umpire Dennis Smith was wrong, but stressed the game should have been won by the anyway.
“Had we held our catches we should have won,” said Pugh. “It was the first time this season we didn’t.”

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