Boconnoc v Saltash St Stephens

Saturday 17th June 2023

Cornwall Cricket League Division 3 East

Boconnoc (Batted First) 239-9 off 45 Overs

Saltash St Stephens 124 All Out from 25.2 Overs

1pm Start

Script: Couple of sides in the bottom half of the table eager to avoid defeat.

Weather: Sultry sunshine interspersed with light cloud, faint breeze, warm.

Attendance: A players girlfriend the lone occupant of the Pavilion, plus 4 blokes sat in front of their cars adjacent to the sight screen. Come the tea interval the attendance extended to 12. This place is a hidden gem, worthy of far more.

Bring Your Own Chair Necessity? Yes. There are a few benches to the left of the Pavilion and a bit of seating under the canopy. 

Another small bench rests outside the scorers hut. One gets the impression this is primarily for players and guests. There are no benches or seats provided around the rest of the ground (it's Division 3 & I wouldn't expect it). It appeared that four soft comfy upholstered chairs had been plonked beside the Pavilion for club personnel, these seemed very popular with players padded up waiting to bat. 

Some good views of the action exist for Bring Your Own Chair enthusiasts at both ends of the pitch adjacent to the sight screens.

General Facilities: There is a nice rustic characterful Pavilion here. It has various framed photographs on the walls relating to club history. There are a small number of tables and chairs and I believe you can also get a drink. 

Decent toilet facilities are readily available in a small separate building the other side of the private house which is directly next to the Pavilion. The WC structure is painted white with signs on the green doors. A small but perfectly adequate digital scoreboard operates across the pitch from the Pavilion. 

There is ample car parking as you drive down the slope to the ground, well away from any six hitting sloggers.

Location: The Boconnoc Estate hosts the Cricket Ground. The estate is vast in size, glorious in scenic woodland, stunning rolling countryside and has a majestic famous stately house now ranked as a primary high end hotel, a venue for sumptuous weddings and also catering for various entertainment events. It appears to be off limits generally for the stroll up public but it does offer open days. If you are just there for the cricket you won't have a problem, the ground is free access. 

Just follow the directions off Google Maps, it looks tricky but actually it's pretty straight forward driving in. The location and setting is well worth the effort.

The Match: Lets be honest, this is Division 3 Club Cricket not the County Championship. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality on view. Yes there will be the odd dropped catch and dodgy misfield but (mostly) both sides provided a good standard. 

Boconnoc batted extremely well, despite some spirited fielding from St Stephens 240 was always going to be a stiff target. The initial response from the visitors inspired confidence that the run chase was do-able. 

Boconnoc were having none of it. A solid home victory that will ease a few concerns in the fancy comfy chairs regards league position.