Sedgwick’s safe hands help side grab win

A SOLID all-round team display helped PEPPARD STOKE ROW secure a 22-run victory via the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern method at BALLINGER WAGGONERS last Saturday.

Peppard were asked to bat on a wicket which had been afflicted by two days of heavy rain, but skipper Andy Watts and youngster Kyle Tappan put on 44 until the latter was caught at point by Freddie Thompson off the bowling of Max Conway.

Watts fell for a well-made 38 shortly after, but Nick Sedgwick played aggressively from the outset as he made a run-a-ball 28 which included a sumptuous six over extra cover before falling with the score on 83.

Chris Humphreys and Daniel Watts kept the visitors rolling, but a middle-order collapse meant they were ultimately only able to post 166-8 from their 40 overs.

Ballinger struggled in reply and with the exception of opener Fin Clark (30), none of the top order settled.

Humphreys, Oli Sedgwick, Matt Syddall and debutant U17 Owen Ravden were all among the wickets — the last benefitting from an astonishing grab at mid-on from Sedgwick — and with Humphreys also enacting a run out from the boundary, Ballinger were left stuck on 87-5 after 27.2 overs when the increasingly heavy rain eventually won the day.

Peppard Stoke Row visit Great Kingshill tomorrow (Saturday), the two sides locked together in third place on 144 points with two games of the half season remaining.