GUNNISLAKE'S bright start after promotion to Division Five East of the Bond Timber Cornwall Cricket League continued last Saturday with a nine-wicket victory over Roche Old Boys 3rd XI, writes Stephen Lees.

After a torrid wet spring, Gunnislake’s Hawkmoor Ground finally hosted its first match of the season, despite thunderstorms earlier in the week.

A depleted Roche team included three loan players from Gunnislake and Saltash St Stephens, as well as a crop of promising young players. The average age of the Gunnislake team remains stubbornly over 40!

Before the match, Gunnislake captain Mark Everett was presented with new shirts for the team, courtesy of Gunnislake’s new main sponsor, Iconic Opticians of Tavistock.

Roche won the toss and chose to bat. Ten came from the opening over but then things settled down, with Joe Organ bowling particularly tightly from one end.

Indeed, Organ made the first breakthrough, bowling Roche captain Fred Kertai for 16. Two more wickets quickly followed leaving Roche in trouble at 21-3.

At this point it fell to Everett, playing on loan for Roche, to hold the innings together. He was last out, having scored 21, to a harsh LBW decision. Perhaps the umpire needed some help from Iconic Opticians?!

The Roche score, having scraped to 75, was just shy of a second batting point. Dinesh Thirupuvanarajah took four wickets, but all four bowlers played their part, with Josh Crow taking 2-11 from his nine overs.

The Gunnislake reply was brief and emphatic. Against a young bowling attack Adam Emmerson was soon in his stride. With the ball keeping low he chose to drive, but with discretion and some venom.

With six fours to his name, Gunnislake charged past their first batting point, but as the end was in sight, Emmerson tried to pull a short ball, missed and was out plumb LBW. No optician’s help needed on this occasion.

This left Stephen Lees (64 years young) and Brian Martin (63) to shepherd the team home, with no further alarms.

And so on this occasion experience triumphed over youth, but it is good to see clubs like Roche bringing through a steady stream of young talent. Two good wins make a fine start to the season for Gunnislake, but sterner tests lie ahead.

Roche III 75 all out (M Everett 21, F Kertai 16; D Thirupuvanarajah 4-20, J Organ 2-10, J Crow 2-11); Gunnislake 77-1 (A Emmerson 30, S Lees 19no, B martin 18no). Gunnislake (20 points) beat Roche III (1 point) by nine wickets.