Tucker clubs double century in 320-run win | Just 86 balls needed to reach the milestone | Promotion now one win away | 'It was a mixture of brutal hitting and short boundaries' – Seaton 2nd XI captain Mike Wheeler
By OLLIE SMITH
TOBY Tucker clubbed a double century for Seaton 2nd XI, helping his side to defeat Bradninch & Kentisbeare’s 3rd XI by 320 runs.
Seaton were asked to bat first by their opposition, and Tucker opened the batting with Shane Strawbridge. The pair put on 117 together before Strawbridge was the first man out for 29.
There were plenty of starts for Seaton, the top six all made it to 20, but only Tucker and David Parker (32) made it past 30.
Tucker’s 50 came up in the ninth over, and he made it to three figures in just the 15th. He carried on the brutal hitting, as did his batting partners; there were 23 sixes and 43 fours hit in the innings. Tucker’s knock contributed 24 fours and 15 sixes, 186 of his runs came from boundaries.
Tucker started the 29th over on 187 and finished it on 200 and retired not out. After hitting Will Greig for consecutive sixes, he settled for a single to bring him the 200. He retired after that run, occupying the crease for just 86 balls, allowing other batters to have a chance out in the middle.
According to league archives, which are notoriously incomplete in places, Tucker owns the 32nd double hundred in the competition’s 54-year history. Thirty different batsmen have clocked 200-plus scores. Ashburton’s Lloyd White and Kilmington’s Alex Rockett have done it twice!
Rockett’s 299 against Honiton 2nd XI in 2022 is the closest anyone has got to breaking the 300-barrier.
Seaton finished their innings on 402 for seven, with all but three of their used batters striking at more than 100.
The Seaton bowlers then blew away the B&K batting line-up, Finlay Copp (3-18) and Phillip Collins (3-41) doing the early damage.
Stuart Wright then came on, and he only needed three overs to do the damage. His 4-7 meant that B&K were dismissed for just 82 inside 20 overs. The top scorers were Chris Gillett with 14, and Jed Findlay with 20.
Seaton captain Mike Wheeler was full of praise for his double-centurion, as he said: “It was a mixture of some seriously brutal hitting, and some short boundaries.”
The short boundaries at Kentisbeare have meant high-scoring games are a common occurrence, this is the third time an excess of 400 runs has been scored. The second time saw B&K 3rd XI post a 300 run opening partnership.
Wheeler then praised Tucker’s mentality, as his retirement meant the rest of the team would have time to occupy the crease.
“His innings resulted in a double century from just 86 balls, before giving the rest of the team an opportunity to bat. He had already done the damage so there was less pressure,” said Wheeler.
Should Seaton defeat Budleigh Salterton 3rd XI on Saturday, they will have secured promotion to the F Division East.
