Friendly
Newton Tracey v Belstone
Last Sunday Belstone travelled north of Torrington to play a friendly against Newton Tracey who batted first on a lightning fast sloping ground.
An enormous total looked on the cards after ten overs with the score on 94 for one but a moment's misjudgement saw Graham Moore miss a full toss from Harry Bushin to be bowled for a ferocious 56. From then on the innings progressed at a more sedate four-an-over with useful contributions from Julian Moore (43), Paul Bitmead (27) and Mark Cowling (21).
For Belstone Andrew Paterson (5-3-10-1), Thomas Boother (5-0-21-1), Henry Holmes (5-0-20-1) and Richard Drake (4-0-18-2) worked their way through the wickets to such effect that Newton Tracey were all out for 210 with four of their 40 overs unused.
In reply Belstone made a steady start of 47 before Dennis Edwards swung across the line of a ball from pick-of-the-bunch Gary Chatham (8-2-23-1) to be bowled for 11 in the 11th over.
The match then began to swing Belstone's way as Drake joined opener Phil Woods. Content at first to leave good length balls outside the off-stump before gradually hitting the accelerator they reached half centuries in 37 and 71 balls respectively.
The stand eventually reached 105 in 17 overs before Woods was caught on the long-off boundary for 69, made off 96 balls with ten boundaries.
This left 58 runs for victory; Drake proceeded to score all but four of these in a whirlwind second 50 off just 24 balls, reaching his fourth century for the Club with a boundary to square leg and finishing the game with a six onto the pavilion roof three balls later.
In all he hit 13 fours and six sixes in