Devon Cricket Board - Bradninch trail home fourth after run of defeats

Bradninch trail home fourth after run of defeats

BRADNINCH finished a long way back among the A Division also-rans after dipping to a two-wicket defeat by Budleigh Salterton in their final game of the season.
All the chat from skipper Tim Piper before the season was of an immediate return to the Premier Division – and with four games to go Bradninch were top of the table.
Bradninch didn’t win another game after losing by 150 runs at Paignton, who went on to win the title with Plympton as runners-up.
Gian Botha top scored for Bradninch with 92 in their tally of 184 all out against Budleigh.
Botha hit 13 fours and two sixes from 110 balls faced. He went in when Bradninch were in trouble at three for eight – ex-Somerset favourite Ben Phillips (2-33) and Matt Murphy (1-20) doing the damage – and was last man out.
Dan Hardy made 22, there were a brace of 16s from Ross Acton and Jack Horton while Will Squire hung around for 10 at the end in a ninth-wicket stand of 59 with Botha.
Luke Peterson (2-33) finally got Botha out. Joel Murphy, the Budleigh captain who used to skipper Bradninch, picked up three for 47 on his return to Kensham Park.
Budleigh seemed to be cruising to victory as Eliot Rice (50) and Peterson (38) got over the early loss of James Burke to reach 73 for two.
There were no real worries when Jack Dart went at 100 for three, but there was a middle order wobble as Rice, Ben Phillips junior and Lloyd Murrin went in a running total of 148 for six.
Phillips senior – no relation to his namesake – was still there though and as long as he batted through Budleigh were always slight favourites.
Budleigh lost James Leat and Joel Murphy wiping out the final 37 runs, but with Phillips unbeaten on 46 made it with 2.4 overs to spare.

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