Fog and double victory

After a fantastic visit to the National Cricket Centre at Loughborough on Thursday, both Mullion sides were looking forward on Saturday to displaying their new skills by putting the coaching advice into practice. The weather though had a different idea as fog cloaked the south coast of Cornwall. Both matches cancelled, Mullion settled for the six points.

Monday was a different story; the sun was out, the pitch was still damp (no covers down here) but everyone was ready. This St Just-day, saw the 1s away to St Just 3s while the 2s hosted to St Just 4.

In the 1s, with top bat Trevor Lee was unavailable, the first string was stil able to put out a strong side and could place Dave Fowles in the 2s.

After the disappointment of Saturday's fixture succumbing to the Cornish weather Mullion were keen to get back to winning ways when they travelled to St Just for this bank holiday encounter. Asked to bat, it was never going to be an easy task batting in the strong winds sweeping across West Cornwall and on a wicket likely to assist early bowling on a damp surface.

Mullion began well with openers Nick Casley and Phil Wheatley capitalising on some lose bowling, but it was not long before St Just claimed danger man Casley for 11, well caught at backward point. Skipper Jim Pearson came to the crease adding a useful 42 with Wheatley before a mix up resulted in the run out of the Mullion opener for a useful 20.

With the halfway point of the innings approaching it was left to Pearson and Keith Warbis playing his first game of the season to steady the ship and a combination of good running and some poor St Just fielding allowed the pair to add some quick singles as the boundaries began to dry up. However with the visitors well set at 107-2 Warbis top edged an attempted pull short and was caught at square leg for 24.

A good partnership materialised between new batsman Mark Hall and the captain as Mullion looked to push on, however the skipper was not content at running out one of the Mullion top order batsman and after a quick fire 16 a desperate dive was not enough to save Hall who was well short of his ground. At 149-4 with six overs remaining Mullion were in good shape before St Just youngster Tom Carey had other ideas, bowling Paul Warbis and Matthew Cuff in successive overs, while Pearson was trapped in front for 63 and the innings came to a rather disappointing end as Mullion totalled 168-8.

After tea Mullion set about defending their total intent on making it a fifth successive victory and after Cuff removed opener Chris Laing for 6, superbly caught in the gully at the second attempt by Paul Warbis and the ever-reliable Jeff Charleston picked up wickets in successive balls St Just were 34-3 and Mullion had sensed their chance. The wind picked up leaving the umpires little choice but to remove the bails to prevent further interruptions, however this did not deter Cuff's accuracy who twice crashed the ball into the stumps in his fourth over and after the third run out of the day Mullion had sliced into the middle order.

Although St Just showed some resistance in the lower order young Mark Johnson deservedly picked up his eighth wicket of the season and after Mark Griffiths and Casley snapped up a wicket each, it was left to Cuff to wrap up the innings claiming his fourth wicket in an impressive display that saw St Just humbled for 86 with opener Nelson Eddy stranded on 38.

The 2s back home at Mullion, saw skipper Mark Johnson senior lose the toss and bat, facing what appeared to be a young St Just side. Almost immediately, Simon Meridew and Ian "Buddha" Laity experienced that just because the bowler is young, it does not mean that he cannot bowl as they both made their way back to the pavilion to the polite sound of quacking.

2 for 2 was just the boost for Mark Jennings and Dan Johnson to knuckle down and put Loughborough's batting coach John Abrahams' lessons into action as they pushed the score to 70 before Mark fell on 27. With the score climbing steadily, Dan Johnson who went in at No. 4 losing partners.

Then Johnson senior entered the fray with the score on 124 for 7. Mark Johnson doesn't use a bat as a precision tool; he uses it to club the ball into submission. With the last ball of St Just's innings Mark was out on 40 with Dan carrying his bat for a splendid 81. Mullion finished with 187 for 8.

After a fine tea with Mrs Meridew's Date and Walnut cake and Mrs Fowles' scones, it was time to see if the bowling and fielding coaching was going to be remembered and put to good use. Bowling slightly into wind, Ian Laity removed No. 2 and 4 with the scoring rate well below that required for St Just to win. It was St Just skipper Jim McKenna at No. 5 with opener Howard Eddy who then showed experience can turn a game as they alternated between boundaries and quick singles to test Johnson's field placing.

No one was going to leave the ground as each over edged St Just closer to their target but always looking that it was going to go to the last over. Then on 90 McKenna attempted a shot that he will regret - Harding bowled him. Although far from over Mullion knew that the biggest threat was out.

The St Just youngsters put up a brave fight but with Phil Harding now on a mission, he mopped them up with figures of 8 for 32 as they were all out just 8 runs short. Although a close call between Dan Johnson, Harding was the Cockspur Rum man of the match. As St Just Captain Jim McKenna wrote in his match comments, it was a tremendous match that was almost a privilege to lose.

Mullion 1s 168-8 in 48 ov (J Pearson 63; T Carey 3-43); †St Just 3s 86 in 28.4 ov (N Eddy 38*; M Cuff 4-23). Mullion 1s won by 82 runs.

Mullion 2s 184-8 in 48 ov (D Johnson 81*; S McKenna 3-42); St Just 4s 176 in 46 ov (J McKenna 90; P Harding 8-32). Mullion 2s won by 8 runs.

Cockspur Rum man of the match: Harding 11.3-3-32-8