Scorecard

Broadclyst Pins v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Wed 19 Aug 2026 at 6.00pm
Erratics Cricket Club Won by 4 wickets

Match report Will Luscombe Reports:

Cricket, as I am sure has been said many times, is much like the prequel trilogy of the Star Wars saga. When discussing these oft-maligned films, creator George Lucas once said “It’s like poetry, they rhyme” in defence of the similarity in theme and plot to the original entries of the series. I have found in my burgeoning Erratics career that cricket too, rhymes. This was certainly the case in the grounds of Killerton House on Thursday night, as I strode out to the middle in the dimming twilight, to bat late in the order under what many would call “scoreboard pressure”, to face an Exwick player moonlighting for a different team, who would in short order dismiss me for very few runs. In this, my last T20 of the season echoed clearly my very first innings back in May against Tipton St John where my evening followed a very similar pattern, though admittedly with 2 more runs back in May.

Our evening at Killerton had started under the threat of the impending sunset, and as such an 18 over game was agreed upon, to give the second innings the greatest chance of being at least somewhat visible. At the toss, skipper Mark “Man Bun” Hailwood won, and elected to have a bowl. In his own words a “typically un-strategic” decision mostly predicated upon Broadclyst only boasting 5 players at the time of the toss, which was seen by some to be potentially disadvantageous to a fielding side.

It was a restrained start by both sides, with the Erratics unable to claim either wicket of the Father-Daughter opening batting pair until the 6th over, where Paul Carr made the breakthrough by inviting a low-speed knock directly towards your humble match reporter, who took the catch gracefully and stylishly. It transpired to be a two-for-the-price-of-one, with the other opener electing to retire simultaneous to the wicket, rather than carry on alone.

More wickets soon followed for our brave leader Mark (caught behind by JK), recent returnee to the side Simon Willmot (Bowled), and Myself (caught by Fraser to bring up his 200th catch for the Erratics!) to keep us ticking along nicely.
Later in the innings, the Erratics faced the moral quandary common to our great game in the form of a 10(?) year old batter appearing at the crease. As it was put it to me whilst I prepared to bowl to the child, “It’s lose-lose, if he whacks you for loads of boundaries you’ve been beaten by a child, but if you try too hard to dismiss him you seem cruel”. However, it was clear that Matthew McDonald felt no such dilemma, as he promptly drew the young batter from his crease with a tasteful shorter ball, allowing JK to employ an effective stumping!

The final wicket to fall in our 18 overs of bowling also rhymed…with itself. Kyle Wedgwood, back into the attack late on, bowled a lovely ball to draw the batter from the crease and cause a stumping, only for the umpire to not be convinced and for the batter to survive to play another ball. It just so happened that the very next ball resulted in entirely the same sequence of events, but this time with the batter clearly out of his crease and thus dismissed. A few wicketless overs then took us to the agreed upon eighteenth, where Broadclyst finished with a respectable, but chaseable, 118.

Soon enough, and in the darkening evening, JK and Chris Cook were in to open. Things got off to an unfortunate start, with JK unluckily finding the fielder and being caught on 1 after facing only 5 deliveries. Never fear though, as Fraser was next in. Clad in black trainers, borrowed team kit, and using the well-worn team bat, he cut a somewhat unrecognisable figure at the crease. That is, until he started playing with his characteristic style, soon reaching 25* to retire in the 7th over. Chris soon followed suit, reaching 28* in the 8th over to retire not out, having set us up nicely for the game ahead.

George Mather, in to replace the retired Fraser, was unfortunately struck down on only his third ball, being bowled clean on a total of 2 runs (which he recounted with great cheer afterwards was a promising trend after his previous two innings at Killerton of 0 and then 1!). Next in, Lee Grant followed in Fraser and Chris’ footsteps, retiring not out on 25* in just 6 overs.

Kyle continued his recent fine form with the bat, only failing to reach the boundary on several shots due to us once again falling victim to a nefarious between-innings outfield swap. He deserved more runs for his fine performance, but the 14 he did net served us well in our hunt for the victory.

In an unfortunate series of events, which we need not dwell on here, Simon (4), Myself (1), and Matthew (1) joined the prestigious out-for-less-than-five club, leaving our noble skipper Mark, and keen-to-not-have-to-bat Paul to salvage the win by acquiring 10 runs off the eighteenth and final over.

It was edge of seat stuff, as our batting tail faced the first spell of bowling from our friend the 10(?) year old who was put in to bowl the final over (no pressure!). A few of balls, and a smattering of runs later left us needing 6 from the last ball. Paul was at the crease, he was poised and ready, the final ball fired his way, he deftly put it away……for 4. Heartbreak. Tragedy. So close yet so far.

But wait! It was a no ball! With a second final ball to face, we now needed but a single run to take the win. Having withstood the pressure of this final over excellently, Paul cemented his place as the hero of the day by getting us over the line for the victory with a quick dash to secure the winning run!

And so it was that a very enjoyable and close game came to an end. And with it, my final T20 of the season had finished in victory. On my drive home I was left to reflect fondly on the similarities and differences between my first game and all the games that followed up to this most recent triumph, and to ponder the rhyming nature of cricket. I was also left to feel the strange, albeit not unfamiliar, compulsion to go home and watch some Star Wars.

Broadclyst Pins Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
3nb 8w 1b  
for 6 wickets
12
118 (17.0 overs)		     
Briella Humphreys-Crouch ct  Paul Carr 24 29 2 1 82.76
Craig Crouch Retired Not Out  5 13 38.46
Tom Haywood ct  Mark Hailwood 11 8 2 137.50
Rudi Ellis Retired Not Out  26 13 4 200
Paul Stewart ct  Will Luscombe 3 12 25.00
Harry Whiting b  Simon Willmot 12 7 3 171.43
Dylan Ellis st  Matthew McDonald 2 9 22.22
Tom Higgs st  Kyle Wedgewood 8 9 2 88.89
Mark Baker Not Out  10 9 2 111.11
Dan Pooley Not Out  5 4 1 125.00
Philip Walker  

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Lee Grant2.00200.001.00
George Mather2.00500.002.50
Paul Carr2.0019119.009.50
Kyle Wedgwood2.0028128.0014.00
Mark Hailwood2.0027127.0013.50
Simon Willmot3.0016116.005.33
Will Luscombe2.00717.003.50
Matthew McDonald2.0013113.006.50

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 4w 1b  
for 6 wickets
7
119		        
Jonathan Kirby ct  T Higgs 1 5 20.0 1 2
Chris Cook Retired Not Out  28 24 3 1 116.67
Fraser Chave Retired Not Out  25 18 3 138.89 1
George Mather b  M Baker 2 3 66.67
Lee Grant Retired Not Out  25 17 2 1 147.06
Kyle Wedgwood ct  D Pooley 14 12 2 116.67
Simon Willmot b  D Pooley 4 12 33.33
Will Luscombe b  R Ellis 1 4 25.00 1
Matthew McDonald Run out  1 6 16.67
Mark Hailwood Not Out  3 4 75.00
Paul Carr Not Out  8 5 1 160.0

Broadclyst Pins Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Philip Walker3.001100.003.67
Tom Higgs3.0027127.009.00
Mark Baker3.0027127.009.00
Briella Humphreys-Crouch2.001800.009.00
Rudi Ellis3.01919.003.00
Dan Pooley3.001628.005.33
Dylan Ellis1.001000.0010.00