Somerset Sport  RSS feed | About

Bridgwater Doctors 61 lost to Taunton School Staff 62-2 by 8 wkts

DOCTORS have become used to slow starts to the season but after having been put in on a soggy Cannington track, their batsmen showed signs of remaining in deep hibernation.

The School teamsheet was packed with young bowlers who had the ability to bowl length and line, while the low bounce and excruciating slowness of the pitch did the rest.

Will Chandler was caught and bowled by T Abell (1-10) and Graham Fergusson was bowled by a shooter from R Debenham (1-14). Luke Waller (4-10) bowled off breaks and although the turn was slow, it was prodigious enough to account for a succession of batsmen whose footwork resembled that of a bear emerging from a long winter sleep.

The only batsman to play well was Andrew Dodden (23), whose clean striking eventually proved his downfall when he picked out the lone fielder at deep midwicket with a shot which would have gone for six.

C Chalcraft (1-8) chipped in and W Abell (2-5) used his low trajectory well to exploit the lack of bounce. Simon Hogg (1-3) took the tenth wicket with the last ball of the final over and seven batsmen were clean-bowled.

As is often the case when sides are chasing a low total, the demons in the pitch seemed to vanish as M Abell stroked the first two balls of the innings to the mid-off boundary.

His partner B House used up a bit of good fortune but with both batsmen hitting boundaries at will, the score raced to 40 off six overs and both batsmen retired, Abell on 25, House 27.

Doctors took two quick wickets, courtesy of a run-out by Keith Powell and an act of charity by batsman Nick Bray, who smashed down his stumps when defending a ball from Phil Barker (1-8). Chalcraft sealed victory with successive fours as Doctors were thrashed by their bogey team for the fifth time in a row.

7:15pm Saturday 10th May 2008

Print   Email this