20/07/2026
This season it’s been hard to find a few minutes to squeeze in the infamous match reports, but after Saturday’s win, and with two of the Welch boys back in the fold, it had to be done.
Also, because of a few recent messages in the group chat suggesting AI may have been involved in some of the previous social media posts… this one is straight from the heart.
So, on Saturday, Wivey took to the Rec to face table-topping North Curry. Starting with only 10 men, as I was working until 2, the toss was a crucial one. Skipper Gareth won it and chose to bat first.
I missed the first 15 overs, so it’s hard to comment too much on the opening exchanges. Gareth fell for 18 and Richard gloved one down the leg side for 5, giving North Curry a couple of early scalps. That wasn’t an issue for Tom Welch and Stuart Denyer, though. The pair settled themselves into the game brilliantly.
This is the point where I arrived. Tom and Stuart rotated the strike well and quietly ticked things along at four to six an over. They looked determined not to give their wickets away—to dig in, stay patient and punish anything loose. As they grew in confidence, Stuart started to open up, bludgeoning the ball all around the park and encouraging Tom to do the same. Tom carved the gaps beautifully, while Stuart took a more aerial approach. Their partnership grew into Wivey’s highest of the season, putting on 131 together. A stunning effort from both.
Stuart eventually departed for a superb 70, bringing me to the crease. Tom and I looked to keep things calm, nudging the ball around without panicking. With plenty of overs left and batting still to come, we took our time before cashing in. We punished anything overpitched and added another quick 40 together.
Tom unfortunately holed out in the 90s trying to bring up what would have been a deserved century. Regardless, it was a match-winning knock, a brilliant innings and a classy welcome home.
With the innings drawing to a close, I managed to slap a few over the ropes before chipping one to long-on with three balls remaining, falling for 34. Charlie Thorne pinched a cheeky single from the penultimate ball, and with everyone expecting Wooders to launch the last one into orbit, he was unfortunately dismissed too. We finished on 236-6.
A very good total, but against a strong North Curry side we knew we’d need energy, fight and bodies on the line if we were going to defend it on what was a very good batting wicket.
We opened with Gareth and Lewis. Gareth bowled tight lines from the off, restricting the openers. An early edge flew through the cordon untouched and you started wondering if it was going to be one of those days where the 50/50 moments went against us. Lewis challenged the batters at the other end, and another close call didn’t go our way.
But as a team we kept plugging away. We were louder in the field, more energetic, and everyone threw themselves behind the ball. In the eighth over Gareth finally got the breakthrough with a nick taken in the slips, before striking again just one ball later. Exactly what we needed.
That gave the opening pair a well-earned rest, with James and Richard coming into the attack. After a difficult couple of weeks, James put everything behind him and stepped up brilliantly. Bowling a consistent fourth-stump line with just enough movement through the air and off the seam, he made scoring difficult. Richard, at the other end, bowled his trademark darts onto a postage stamp, drying up the runs before picking up a wicket with a sharp caught and bowled.
James deservedly got his reward with his first ball of the 15th over, another chipped return catch. At that stage the momentum was firmly in Wivey’s favour, and Richard piled on the pressure with a wicket maiden.
Charlie then came into the attack, hoping North Curry would take a few more risks. They did create chances, although a couple went down. Charlie never let it affect him, kept hitting the right areas and finally got his reward in the 23rd over.
What followed was possibly the best catch I’ve ever seen in village cricket. Stuart Denyer somehow plucked a one-handed screamer out of thin air with an unbelievable reaction catch. A truly sublime grab and a massive moment in the game.
Clarkey returned for another spell and picked up another wicket, clipping one through to me behind the stumps as we kept our noses in front. North Curry, though, had brought the required rate back down into the sevens, which was certainly achievable on what had become a newly laid motorway in the heart of the Rec. A few big blows from their dangerous middle-order batter meant the momentum started to swing.
Gareth came back into the attack with his tweakers. In the 32nd over he ripped one past the danger man. As the batter’s foot slid out of the crease, I whipped the bails off while Gareth stood with his hands on his head, convinced he’d missed the stumps by a millimetre. Either way, we got him, and it proved to be another huge momentum shift in our favour.
With only a few overs remaining, Jude Denyer came into the attack and bowled beautifully. Play and miss… play and miss… play and miss… then play and nick… not given! He never let it bother him, kept attacking the same line and length, and aside from a couple of boundaries, the batters could barely lay a bat on him. A really impressive spell, and he deserved more reward than the figures suggested.
With the required rate climbing, James and Richard returned to finish the job. Rich knocked one through the gate, before Lewis held onto a great catch in the deep off James’ bowling to seal a 14-run victory. North Curry were all out for 222 in 39.3 overs.
A brilliant result for Wivey and a proper all-round team performance. In the field we were disciplined, vocal and backed each other all afternoon. We created chances, put the pressure on throughout and, most importantly, took the key ones. Tom and Stuart were outstanding with the bat, while every bowler played their part and executed their plans brilliantly.
A fantastic win, a great day all round, and one to build on.
Well done, lads. 💪❤️💙
Edited by ChatGPT
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