Kings
second game on tour was against a strong Sidmouth 3rd XI, played
on a hot sunny afternoon at the picturesque Bicton College ground.
Kings were forced to make changes for the game with Sones and
Norman both out injured, but Kings were boosted by the arrival
of the Southern Hemisphere pair of Richard Evans and Pete Pardadise.
Having won the toss Sidmouth elected to bat first.
From
the start it was clear that Kings had stepped up several levels
in 
opposition.
With little assistance from the slow pitch Kings opening bowlers,
Tighe and Bygrave were 'picked off' at will by Dibble and Thompson.
The difference between the sides was clear to see as both batsmen
using great timing simply worked the ball through the field to
the boundary. With a lightning fast outfield, once past the field
there was no stopping the ball. Two crashing sixes (one Just missing
Sones
in the scoring box) helped rattle the score along at an incredible
pace. By the tenth over Sidmouth had posted 70 and the hundred
was on the board by the 15th over. It was clear to all that at
this rate Kings would be facing a huge total of the likes never
seen before. Kiwi Thompson soon raced to his fifty and was soon
joined by the left handed Dibble.
But
soon afterwards Kings got their first breakthrough when Dibble
looped a tame
return catch to Pipe (123-1). Kings had by now reduced the scoring
rate a little, with Perry's slower pace working well. Kings got
their second success when Mears caught Pagett to give Pipe his
second wicket. (153-2). Then without addition to the score Kings
got the key wicket of Thompson, he drove powerfully at Perry who
somehow manage to cling on to the rocket that was the return chance.(153-3).
With only 25 overs gone Kings still faced an up hill battle to
claw their way back into the game but that is exactly what they
did. With the hot sun beating down from a cloudless sky Simon
Pipe produced one of the most determined and controlled peices
of bowling that you will see for a long time. It was Pipe who
struck again when O.Pagett became his next victim, clean bowled
for just 2 (156-4).
However
Kings then had to watch the score board rattle along again before
their 
next
success as Baker and Bess put on fifty for the next wicket. But
when Mears had removed Baker, well caught by Smith (206-5) it
became the Pipe roadshow. First he took the throw from Tighe to
run out Smallacombe (213-6) and then he accounted for Bess, bowled
for 10 (217-7). Pipe soon claimed his fifth wicket when he bowled
Fung (223-8) and it became six wickets when Mansbridge was caught
by 
Mears
(228-9). The innings was declared soon after on 234-9, the highest
score ever made against Kings, but certainly a lot better than
it had looked after 45 minutes with 100 already on the board.
On a hot afternoon Kings had stuck to their task with admiration
in the field, whilst Pipe was outstanding in his exhausting stint
of 14 overs yielding a personal best of 6-40.
Kings
set off in search of what seemed an unlikely target and from the
start it was clear they were up against it. In the very first
over they lost their first 
wicket
when Perry could do little with a searing delivery from Pagett
and was caught at short leg by Thompson. (1-1). However this brought
the inform Evans to the crease to join Miller. The battle was
now survival against some extremely quick and useful bowling from
Pagett and Smallacombe. However the two Kings players kept the
scoreboard ticking along and saw the score pass 50 in seeing off
the opening bowlers. However the real threat was still to come
as Hollands was introduced.
The
wily leg-spinner was soon extracting extravagant spin from the
pitch and with a superbly disguised googly he soon had the Kings
players realising they had
a real battle on their hands. The score had reached 76 when Hollands
produced the perfect googly to dismiss Miller for a battling 21
and soon after repeated the ball to bowl Paradise without scoring.
(83-3). At the other end though Evans was playing with his usual
confidence and regularly found the boundary. He was joined by
Pipe who started to find some of his missing flair. The two attacking
batsmen seemed well at ease now and were scoring frequently without
any real threat. Pipe lifted a big six onto the club house roof
and soon after Evans reached his fifty (the first time 
a
Kings player had made four scores over 50 in a row). However just
when it seemed that these two would see out the overs to claim
a draw there came a final sting when Pipe was adjudged lbw for
31 (149-4) and then Evans suffered the same fate for a fluent
70 (165-5). But there was to be no more scares as Tighe put his
first baller of the day before behind him with a rapid and unbeaten
23 to take the score to a very respectable 178-5 when stumps were
drawn.
Taking
into consideration the level of opposition, Kings had gained a
very creditable draw and deserved praise for dragging the game
back first in the field and then rising to the challenge with
the bat - Pipe and Evans were both outstanding, but all deserved
credit on the day.
