CCA Junior League 1B

Barley 203-9 (40 overs)

Cokenach 183 all-out (38 overs)

Barley won by 20 runs

BARLEY won an exciting match against Cokenach by 20 runs on Saturday.

Barley skipper Brian Symes elected to bat as Cokenach captain Phil Seale once again failed to predict the toss. Symes’ decision to bat looked to have misfired as Barley opener Jamie Walters gloved a catch off Peter Clarke for just three and Pip George was caught by wicketkeeper Sam Curtis off Jerry Lord-Dyson for four.

Richie Wilson came in and steadied the ship with some sensible batting, but when Wakeel Shah was also caught by Curtis for one, Barley had been reduced to 18-3.

Chris Allan promptly joined Wilson at the crease and hooked Clarke for six off his first ball. Lord-Dyson, who had taken two wickets in his four overs for only a few runs, was then inexplicably taken off by Seale and replaced with spin bowler Rob Stone.

Stone was also hit for six first ball by Allan but was kept on by Seale eventually taking 0-43 off six overs.

Allan was eventually bowled by a freak long-hop from Clarke for 26 and Symes also tamely gave a slip catch off Clarke for 12.

As usual Clarke finished with a highly respectable 3-36 off 10 overs. Ali Wallace briefly threatened to repeat his heroics of the week before but was well caught off James keel for 15.

Christopher Markham then produced his best display of batting for quite some time as he walloped John Ford first ball for four. Keel faired no better as Markham, now joined by the equally belligerent Nick Butler, plundered the Cokenach bowling with a flurry of 4s and 6s. Keel eventually came off having taken 1-45 off seven overs.

His replacement, Matthew Stevens, who certainly should have bowled earlier, was immediately effective. Disappointed not to have Butler caught out off a clear bump-ball he nonetheless had his man three balls later as he attempted one more slog.

Leigh Stewart was then unlucky after hitting out he was caught by the only fielder at deep forward square leg for a duck. Michael Ross then joined the party with a quick-fire 7* as Markham once more thundered the last ball of the innings over the boundary.

Ford ended with 1-41 off his 10 as Markham ended on 49*. At one stage Barley looked likely to be all out for no more than 100, but some fine batting saw them reach 203-9 off their 40 overs.

After tea, Cokenach began their reply with openers Clarke and Stevens. They scratched around against the hostile pace of Wakeel Shah and tight bowling of Stewart.

They managed a few fine cover drives but seemed distinctly uncomfortable against Shah.

Two away swingers were followed by an in-swinging yorker that knocked Stevens’ stumps out of the ground for 13.

Clarke attempted to press on but failed to clear the man placed to trap him at wide long-on and was caught for 17 off Stewart.

Seale and Lord-Dyson then steadied the ship following the departure of Keel for 14. Seale used every edge of the bat to fend off Shah before also having his off-stump removed for 40.

Lord-Dyson, who once opened the batting for Felsted School with England’s Nick Knight, played some sublime cuts past point but was also eventually bowled by Shah who finished on 3-56 off his 10 overs.

Al Eve (20) and Alex Thompson (30) then concocted a fine partnership but Ross eventually made the breakthrough finishing on 1-43 leaving Symes and the returning Stewart to try and close the game out for Barley.

Symes had Smith caught by ‘keeper Allan for a duck and Leigh Stewart clean bowled Stone also for a duck.

Even then Ford could still just have won the game but instead was athletically caught by a pouncing Jamie Walters at gully, again for a duck, leaving Cokenach 183 all-out in the 38th over.

Stewart got to take the ball home having produced Man of the Match figures of 5-23.