St Neot Taverners v Liskeard

Thursday 8th June 2023

Clive Rosevear T20 Cup First Round

Liskeard (Batted First) 226-0 off 20 Overs

St Neot Taverners 159-7 off 20 Overs

6.15pm Start

Script: East Cornwall derby, Division 3 hosts taking on Division 4 Liskeard.

Weather: Evening sunshine significantly tempered by a blustery breeze.

Attendance: Half a dozen early doors, this dropped to me and 1 other for the St Neot reply.

Bring Your Own Chair Necessity? 

A must. There is a lone picnic bench. Pavilion seating is predominantly used by players. 

The Ground: 

A countryside setting behind a farm about a mile from the lovely village of St Neot. Be cautious this is very much narrow lane territory so be prepared to back the car up if necessary. There are distant views of Bodmin Moor and Caradon Hill in the background. Also looks to be a big galvanised Cow Shed at one end. 

The small ranch-style players Pavilion rests the other side of the sight screen. Across the field, the opposite corners feature a digital scoreboard and car parking space. 

The perimeter around three quarters of the pitch are blessed with Cornish hedging adorned with wild flowers and long grass. Nice to look at but we must have lost 6 or 7 match balls in it. I personally liked the setting of the ground, even the Cow Shed End adds some welcoming character.

The Match:

Wow, Liskeard certainly took this game by the scruff of the neck. Some very impressive batting knocked up 226 without St Neot taking a single wicket! 

The perimeter of the pitch should have been designated a hard hat area. The increasing rate of missile strikes from the opening batsmen had me retreating to the car to safeguard the windscreen.

St Neot were set a rate of 11.3 runs an over. A mammoth task. They started steadily enough, a factor complimented by some rather dubious fielding in certain areas of the field, spilled catches very much in evidence. As could be expected, the run rate proved too demanding, wickets fell and the last third of the innings were very much a formality.

Great to see a side rack up such a total with all wickets intact, takes some doing. Keep an eye out for this Liskeard outfit.