ONLY one of the three games planned for Belstone?s tour to the Portsmouth area survived the weather and that finished in a draw as home team Old Eldonians declined to chase Belstone?s hefty total. The tourists recovered from 13 for two with a partnership of 84 between Dennis Edwards (30) and Richard Drake, who took his season?s aggregate to 361 with a typically cavalier knock of 63. Another good partnership of 75 followed for the fifth wicket between Phil Woods (47) and Matt Dennis (25) before three wickets fell with the score on 193. Phil Dennis rounded off the innings with two sixes in his 29 not out as the visitors reached 231 for nine in 37 overs. All ten Belstone fielders had a bowl with seven of them sharing the wickets as Old Eldonians dawdled their way to the draw on 130 for eight off 41 overs, with Pollard (20), Radford (29) and McFarland (29 not out) making the runs and extras (31) top-scoring. Belstone?s latest Buckley Cup game away against Hatherleigh Colts produced the best match of the season so far with a feast of stroke-play and athletic fielding with the result in doubt until the penultimate ball. After a quiet three overs with only seven on the board for the loss of Wayne Pearce, Belstone?s batting came to life as Pete Gross, Phil Woods, Richard Drake (all 25 retired) and Andrew Paterson (24) hit seven 4?s and six towering 6?s between them to add 123 in the next 15 overs. Towards the end of this run-feast Robert Fishleigh came on to bowl three very tidy overs, conceding just four runs and picking up three wickets. Crucially in fact, Belstone could only add four runs in the final two overs to give a nevertheless imposing 20-over total of 133 for five. Hatherleigh Colts were ahead of the run rate from the start with Robert Cockwill (20), Daryl Barnes (25 retired) and Christian McLaren (26 retired) hitting the ball powerfully all round the park, Cockwill only being dismissed at long-on thanks to quick reactions from skipper Paterson who flicked the catch on to Drake as he was about to hit the boundary wall. With the Colts only needing 27 from the last seven overs Belstone managed to regain control as Drake?s slow bowling (3-0-8-1) proved hard to get away and Buster Francis effected a run out with a sharp return from point. With four still required when Gross began the final over the calm heads of Robert Fishleigh (18 not out) and Peter Cooper (7 not out) prevailed as they stroked the four singles required to give the home team a thrilling victory with one ball to spare.
