Devon Cricket Board - B Division: Chagford hit with points penalty

B Division: Chagford hit with points penalty

B DIVISION

CHAGFORD have lost two points they could have done with in the scrap to dodge relegation after batsman Alan Searle appeared before a discipline panel on Wednesday night.

The former Exeter, Bovey, Tavistock and Hatherleigh player, who was once a Devon rugby player, faced three charges of dissent, bad language and improper conduct arising from the game against Thorverton two weeks ago.

Only the dissent charge was upheld, which earned the player a two-match ban and the team a two-points deduction.

The bad language charge was not upheld and the conduct charge left to lie after the evidence proved inconclusive.

It did no one any favours that only one of the match umpires turned up at the hearing to give evidence.

Chagford chairman Bryce Rundle said there would be no appeal against the finding of the panel as the player and club had admitted the dissent charge.

Chagford are now 16 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table and need to beat fellow strugglers Clyst St George tomorrow to have a realistic chance of staying up.

Chudleigh entertain Axminster looking to gain more ground on South Devon in the tussle for second spot behind champs-in-waiting Plymstock.

Although Chudleigh were rained off against Clyst last time out, South Devon got fewer points by losing at Plymstock.

There’s five points in it with two games to go and everything to play for, according to Chudleigh coach Jon Martin.

“Our aim is getting promotion and we have a pretty good idea what we need to achieve it,” said Martin.

“Two more wins and a minimum of 17 points in each should do it – and if South Devon can only get a losing draw so much the better.

“Us and South Devon are both good sides having good seasons and have been neck and neck for weeks now.

“I don’t think there is much difference in the last two fixtures – we’ve got Axminster and Barnstaple, they’ve got Thorverton and Axminster – and it may well be decided on who wants it most.”

South Devon, at home to Thorverton, need to get back on track quickly after their mauling at Plymstock.

“We lost the toss and lost the game,” said skipper Dave Knowles.

“Plymstock bowled good lines it and gave us very little, but three hours sunshine created a different pitch for them to bat on.

“Thorverton should have beaten us at there place so we know we have to be at our best. It's make or break if we want to be playing A Division cricket again next season.

“Our game needs high intensity and we must do our basics well. If we do we have enough decent players to get a result.”

Thorverton could mathematically make a late promotion push themselves if they win at South Devon and Chudleigh hit a losing streak.

However, skipper Ally Fury isn’t too disappointed as the team has improved over the last 16 weeks.

“We can look upon the season as a learning process with a very young team that has come a long way,” said Fury.

“Apart from the two games against Plymstock we have been close to getting a result every week.

“It is very much a what-could-have-been season, disrupted by injury and absence.

“This Saturday, despite still having an outside chance of promotion, we find ourselves missing seven first team players.”

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