CCA Junior League 1B Cokenach CC 165-6 Whittlesford CC 168-2 Whittlesford won by eight wickets

COKENACH suffered an eight-wicket defeat away at Whittlesford on Saturday.

Skipper Phil Seale was in two minds at the toss as the pitch looked very good but overhead conditions were quite cloudy, but decided upon winning the toss to bat and Cokenach’s opening pair of Peter Clarke and Matthew Stevens set off at a good pace putting on 30 in just five overs.

But Whittlesford’s opening bowlers found their line and length and great movement on a wicket of variable bounce to drag back the score and when losing Clarke (28), bowled to a great yorker from G Newnham, Cokenach were pegged back to 61-1 off 20 overs.

Stevens and Seale then took on the challenge of pushing the score along but with good straight bowling from Whittlesford this became difficult. Stevens (71) decided to try and cut loose and did hit some good boundaries and with great support from Seale (44) they put on a 93 partnership. Stevens holed out to long on with a great catch from A Newbury.

With Seale falling shortly afterwards scoring an excellent 44 there was five overs left to try and post a decent total, but with more good, straight bowling from Whittlesford, Cokenach lost three more wickets for only 25 runs and ended up on a par score of 165-6.

Whittlesford’s openers started well in reply and David Baker, in particular, put away any ball with any width on it. There was a glimmer of hope when James Keel took the other opener’s wicket with a fine catch behind from Sam Curtis, but this just brought in Martin Towers to the crease and he set about Cokenach’s bowling from the off.

Cokenach weren’t helped by the loss of Clarke and John Ford and the change bowlers struggled to make inroads thereafter.

Whittlesford continued to punish the loose ball and the pair almost saw their side home with a 122-run partnership, but Bowler Shar Stone managed to produce a top edge to dismiss Towers for a fluent 65 just before the end.

David Baker, however, batted to the end and scored a match-winning 80*.