Devon Dumplings v The Lost Boys

The Dumplings returned to the glorious surrounds of Shobrooke Park for their annual

fixture against The Lost Boys under fine summer skies. With a well-balanced side Graham White won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first.

Jeremy Tojy and Jack Perry opened but were both dismissed early, leaving the Dumplings 40 for 2. There then followed a superbly-paced third-wicket partnership between Kai Croft and Harry Kandampully. The pair added 101 in just 83 balls, rotating well and punishing anything loose. Kandampully played with fluency and intent for a brisk 45 off 36 balls, while Croft anchored the innings.

Croft then stitched together another valuable stand with Aditya More (31 off 36), who played positively before falling at 220-5. Croft brought up a majestic century-102 off 99 balls with 13 fours and 3 sixes-before eventually falling to a sharp caught and bowled. Late-order cameos from Daniel Stark (24) and Archie Trott (19*) allowed the Dumplings to declare at 272 for 8 off 47.5 overs.

The Lost Boys began their reply in sprightly fashion, with opener Michael White (42 off 51) finding early boundaries. However Stark and More removed both openers to leave the innings wobbling.  More continued to bowl with control and variation, (3 for 41 from 12 overs) including the key wicket of Arran Abbott.

Middle-order resistance came via Tim Cresswell (42) and Michael Barnard (28), who kept the visitors in with a shout, but tight bowling prevented any real acceleration. Sangeeth Sohan was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 for 36 including both top and lower-order wickets, while Aashay Dube bowled spin tidily- 2 for 20 .

Despite nine wickets falling, the final pair of Jim Brown and Tom Clarkson saw out the last few overs, and the match concluded as a draw—an outcome befitting a hard-fought and evenly- matched game.

A terrific day’s cricket played in fine spirit. Thanks to The Lost Boys for making the trip and contributing a delicious lunch in a competitive and enjoyable match. As ever, a big thank you to Lynne for scoring and to Wendy for her tireless support behind the scenes.

 DD 272-8 dec: K.Croft – 102 ; H Kandampully – 45   A More – 31  
 Lost Boys: 221-9: M White42; T Cresswell 42 ; A More 3-41' S Sohan 3-36
HK