Friends Life battle to title

Semi-final one saw the favourites and defending champions Pynes Hill Pirates get off to the worst possible start, being 7-3 after 1 over. Teams will always struggle to recover from that, they certainly missed their talisman and leading run-scorer Andrew Feather. Friends Life then lived dangerously with some interesting shot selections but scored the required 61 runs with 8 balls to spare. Semi-final 2 saw group winners Wilkinson Grant take on Landmark. Landmark were put into bat first and scored 70-5 thanks to Gordon Benzie’s knock of 35 not out. Wilkinson Grant kept it very tight with the bowling and now only needed to score 71 in their 10 overs. Gordon Benzie then bowled a tight over in the middle of the innings with a wicket which knocked Wilkinson Grant off target and they finally succumbed to 52 all out with 3.2 overs to spare.

So the final was between long-overdue Landmark and Season 3 winners Friends Life. Friends Life asked Landmark to bat who set an average score of 76–4, all four wickets coming from run-outs. Friends Life then struggled through some tense moments eventually scoring the winning runs with an over to spare and their final two batsmen at the crease.

“It was great to see the league played in such a fantastic spirit, with a good mixture of abilities and some entertaining moments” Andrew Fry – Business Administration Manager. “It’s great to see people playing cricket throughout the winter and enjoying this format, and it’s also fun to umpire with specific corporate rules to aid enjoyment.” Steve Rowe – Coach and Umpire for the league.

Season 8 is being planned for April / May 2012, companies wishing to participate in future seasons can contact Andy Jack at a.jack@exeter.ac.uk . Coaching is also available for all players of all standards within the superb Sir Christopher Ondaatje Devon Cricket Centre.