BRADLEYS VINTER CUP SEMI-FINAL ROUND-UP

OLD rivals Penzance and St Just will meet in the Vinter Cup final for the fourth time in nine years on Wednesday, July 2 after both sides won their last four ties in midweek at Redruth.

Holders Penzance, appearing in their ninth successive semi-final, took on ECB Cornwall Premier League rivals Truro on Tuesday night, who saw skipper Charlie Kent choose to field.

Pakistani pro Mehran Sanwal was trapped lbw for a golden duck by Freddie Bose, but Christian Purchase, fresh off his superb 153 not out at Golden Hill in the last 32 of the ECB National Club Championship, joined forces with player/coach Brad Wadlan as they reached 43-1 from the six-over powerplay.

Purchase (28) departed with 63 on the board in the ninth over to Adam Price’s (2-24) left-arm spin, but Wadlan went through the gears.

A 52-run stand with Grant Stone who made 37 from just 23 balls proved pivotal as Wadlan made 69 from 46 deliveries.

A total of 171-7 was always going to be tough and Truro never got going as although opener Scott Kellow struck three fours and three sixes in his 40 having earlier taken 3-41, wickets fell at the other end as they slipped to 28-4.

The off-spin of Giles Lawrence (2-29 off 4) accounted for Luke Johnson and Indian pro Akhilesh Sahani, while Sanwal (2-22 off 3) dismissed Ted Phillips and Price for ducks.

Kellow was bowled by Tom Dinnis (2-17) with 56 on the board and they then slid to 74-8 with the left-arm spin of Charlie Hearn (3-21 off 4) working wonders.

Robert Harrison made 15 and last man Bose 24 not out, but they were all-out for 119.

St Just denied St Erme in their first-ever Vinter Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening.

While St Just have won the competition a record 19 times, the Castle Field outfit are currently establishing themselves as a solid County Division One outfit.

St Just chose to bat and reached 32 in the fifth over before Ellis May (9) edged Shane Tangye (2-28 off 4) behind to Daniel Foulds, while wicket-keeper Rhys Brownfield got to 24 before falling in the same manner (49-2).

The experienced Neil Curnow and Sri Lankan pro Chamikara Edirisinghe added 57 before Edirisinghe (18 off 19) departed to Henry Hocking.

Curnow continued on his merry way in reaching 65 as Josh Semmens (16 off 13) provided valuable support, before departing in the 18th over with 142 on the board.

Semmens went in the next over to Hocking (2-21 off 3) which saw just five come off it, before a remarkable last over from Van Rooyen which saw four wickets and a solitary run, gave St Erme a chance as St Just closed their 20 overs on 148-9. Van Rooyen took 5-28 from his four overs.

Edirisinghe’s left-arm spin was deployed with the new ball and he took out Van Rooyen for 17.

But with opener Jake Preston making a fine 55 and Foulds 25, St Erme looked favourites having reached 103-2 with 46 required off 36 balls.

Foulds went to Joe Clifton-Griffith who went on to take 4-12 from three overs, and when Gareth May had Preston caught on the boundary, St Erme required 38 from 28 balls.

From there on, wickets fell at regular intervals as the innings finished on 133-9.