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8th December 2010

Plunkett and Stokes shine for EPP

A fine bowling performance spearheaded by Liam Plunkett and Danny Briggs restricted WA IIs to 388 all out on a good batting wicket at Lark Hill, Port Kennedy today. Resuming on 304 – 4, Western Australia lost their remaining wickets for 84 shortly after lunch.  Plunkett worked willingly and extremely hard over the innings with spells against the wind and without use of the new ball. As in the One Day contest Danny Briggs found a good length and pace to trouble WA and again the young Hampshire spinner finished with four wickets.

Varying the batting order to fulfil some of the development aims and player exposure to wickets and circumstances, EPP opened with James Taylor, alongside Craig Kieswetter.  Taylor batted intelligently through the innings to finish on 87 not out – providing the perfect foil for the power games of Kieswetter and Ben Stokes. The latter was also promoted up the order to provide experience of the conditions. While Kieswetter and Jonny Bairstow fell cheaply to expansive shots, Taylor continued untroubled, finding gaps and stealing singles. 

As EPP attempted to accelerate the game, Ben Stokes’ innings of entertaining stroke-play enlivened the match.  Stokes hit an 84 ball 70 including 10 fours before being run out bringing to an end an otherwise considered innings. The experienced Andrew Gale supported Taylor through to the close with EPP handily poised on 206 – 3.

EPP v WA II Day two scorecard [EXCEL, 48k]<