MATCH REPORT CORNWALL 60+ v WILTSHIRE 60+    18th JUNE 2024

If Aggers, or whoever is running the show now, and the rest of the TMS team get bored of the one-sided thrashings and washed-out non-events at the World Cup, they should try a small Cornish hamlet on a sunny June afternoon, for really gripping entertainment. Mark Banham would have provided them with an easy winner for the Champagne Moment award, and they would have witnessed the moment our over-60s 1 st XI’s season reached an important milestone.

June finally woke up to the fact that we are days away from the summer solstice, and provided both sunshine and warmth. Veryan is not a place one would find by mistake, but it is a delightful ground and the Cornish hospitality was equally warm. Simon Wells won the toss and elected to bat. It quickly became clear that the boundary markers had been set generously, if you view life through a bowler’s eyes. There cannot have been many matches in recent times with so many threes, and an all-run four. Clive Warren and Chris Lailey suffered few scares, but clearly the cut strip was not helping them time the ball. When Chris (he of the all-run 4) was bowled in the 29 th over, the total was 89, of which the openers had had to run 69. Dave Allen stuck around for another 10 overs, by when another 40 had been added, and he perished in the deep, seeking a rare visit to the boundary rope.

Cameos from Banham and Kevin Evans helped to move the score on to 168, two balls from the end of Wiltshire’s innings. It seemed certain that Warren would carry his bat, but it wasn’t to be, and he was welcomed back to the pavilion by Wiltshire’s own Barmy Army with 78 runs to his name at a more than respectable strike rate of 60.9, having laid the foundations for what looked, in the circumstances, to be a decent enough target of 171 for Cornwall to achieve. Andy Footner dealt effectively with the last two balls of the innings, and Wiltshire reached the interval having only lost 4 wickets, but with fingers crossed that the total was enough for our bowlers to defend. Cornwall’s cunning plan was then to weigh us down with a generous tea before taking the field. Their batsmen clearly decided that they wanted to get to the bar early, and they launched a fierce assault on our openers, Banham and Footner. It could, perhaps should, have worked, if they had been slightly less injudicious. By the first drinks interval (15 overs) they had reached 80/2, almost half way to their total. Banham had dispatched the opener for single figures, Chris Lailey comfortably taking the catch, and Gordon Heywood, coming on as first change, opened his account with a wicket maiden, persuading the replacement batsman to demolish his own stumps. The remaining Cornwall opener was proving both obstinate and capable of moving the score along rapidly, and it turned out that Cornwall’s innings was primarily built on his efforts. Two more for Heywood, one clean bowled and the other neatly stumped by Nigel Mullarkey, took the score to 127/4, with Cornwall needing only 44 more and a shade over half of their available overs remaining.

Heywood finally removed the opener just over 3 overs later, squeezing the ball through the gate. Those had been three economical overs by Heywood and Lailey. With the danger man gone, another 27 needed, and Cornwall thought to have a longish tail, Wiltshire started to believe that this could be done. Kevin Evans messed up the next batter’s stumps with only 5 more on the board, but an obstinate 7th wicket partnership, ended by Banham in similar style, took Cornwall to within 7 of their target, 3 wickets remaining and as much time available as they wanted.

It was then that Banham stepped up to earn his champagne. With no addition to the score, Evans sent down another delivery, the batsman opened his shoulders and fired the ball, with every ounce of strength he had, towards the extra cover boundary. Banham, stood at short, possibly rather silly Extra Cover, was having none of it, launched himself into the air at a zany angle and cleanly took the ball two-handed. That was the moment that Cornish shoulders drooped. The ninth wicket fell to a Lailey catch off Banham’s bowling three runs later and we all edged forwards for a nail-biter of a finish. Cornwall needed 4 to win, 11 overs left, one wicket standing. Another tight over from Evans to an impressively double-barrelled Cornishman produced just two runs, but no sign of the wicket. Banham stepped up for the final over of his allocation. Dot, dot, dot, dot. Sometimes umpires must feel that life is unfair. Barry Stygal was now asked to make his first decision of the day. Of all the moments… The ball thumped into number 11’s pad and there was a confident appeal from bowler, keeper and possibly square leg. There was little hesitation before the finger was raised and Wiltshire’s grit and determination had won the day by a single run.

Congratulations to Simon Wells and his team, including Ian Doyle, fielding despite nursing a foot injury and Phil Heads who also contributed to a compelling day’s cricket, and our crucial first win. Nigel Hill was scorer. Notable performances were from Clive Warren, 78 and so nearly carrying his bat, Chris Lailey 43 and 2 catches, Mark Banham 4 for 48 and “that” catch, Gordon Heywood 4 for 25 at 2.8 and Kevin Evans an even more miserly economy rate of 2.6 off his 5 overs.

Cornwall may now have wished they hadn’t got to the bar quite so soon, but the atmosphere continued warm and welcoming. Thank you to our excellent hosts.