Gerries versus Marldon at Marldon
Gerries 147 AO Marldon 149-8 LOST by 2wkts (35/35)
The Marldon ground is small, the pitch is unreliable, the outfield slopes steeply to one side and there are some interesting local rules for example a cross batted slog for 6 over the mid-wicket boundary is a dot ball! However, the setting is lovely with the village church and pub on one side and rolling Devon countryside on the other. The sun always seems to shine when we play Marldon and generally the games have been close. It was no exception this year.
Smudge won the toss and elected to bat. He opened with Kiwi and Kyson and together they put on 26 before Kiwi was clean bowled. Krish made a quick 12 before he went and was replaced by our new recruit, Daniel Lobb, who was playing his first game for the Gerries.
Together Daniel and Kyson put together a stand of 49, the best of the innings before Daniel was out for 13. Kyson made an excellent 41 before he was bowled while there was a solid innings of 26 from Jonah and a brief belligerent knock of 14 from JP. When JP was dismissed we had reached 128-5 but that was as good as it got and numbers 7 to 11 contributed virtually nothing to the scoreboard. We finally capitulated in the 34th over, all out for 147.
Nonetheless this looked like a defendable score with a good many youngsters in the Marldon ranks albeit most seemed to be wearing Paignton CC tops. (Not as smart as our new tops though Jonah!). Smudge put JP on to bowl to terrify the Marldon batsmen and he bowled a beautiful opening spell moving the ball and taking 5 for 23 in 5 overs 4 clean bowled and the other wicket courtesy of a smart catch by Mike Seal. In one of the wickets which involved rearranging the stumps, one bail was sent about 15 metres beyond the stumps….is this record for a Gerries bowler?
However, after JP took a well-earned rest, our other bowlers could not quite maintain the pressure on the Marldon batters and despite Captain Smudge taking two wickets in two balls, one completed by a stumping from Seal, Marldon inched towards a winning total with the Marldon captain, Thompson compiling an excellent 50. Thompson was given out lbw to Gilo shortly before the end but Marldon won in the 27th over with two wickets to spare and two youngsters at the crease.
Another close game and probably one we should have won! We retired to the Church House Inn to lick our wounds, drink some beer, engage in some team bonding and eat the roast potatoes provided by the pub, which as usual were excellent.
Bowling figures :
JP 5 1 23 5
Smudge 7 0 29 2
Gilo 6.3 0 37 1
Krish 3 0 22 0
Lobb 1 0 6 0
Musannif 4 0 26 0
PM 12/5/24
PS The match might have been even closer had one of the younger Marldon members walked when we all thought he had clearly edged a delivery from Smudge but he was given not out by the umpire. The moment was captured on camera by Jo but sadly, we did not have the benefit of a snickometer appeal. ’He would have walked in my day’ was the cry from the more senior Gerries players but apparently youngsters are told not to walk these days. Shame really at our level of cricket!!
Coaver Gerries Cricket Club 
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