Devon Cricket Board - D Division - Filleigh beat Wear by 10 wickets

FILLEIGH registered their best win of a disrupted season in the D Division so far when they trounced visiting Countess Wear by 10 wickets,
Countess Wear elected to bat and made 205 for nine with captain James Bogue their top scorer (77).

The major wicket takers were youngster's Ryan Bowden (3-40) and Ben Ward (2-26).

Filleigh chased the total down inside 30 overs to record an impressive win thanks to an opening unbeaten partnership of 206 between 17 year old Macaulay Harrison-Hooton (106no) and Rob Collier (85no), who scored his third half century in four games.

Harrison-Hooton a Devon U17 player, has just re-signed for Filleigh after a brief spell at North Devon and this was his first century in senior cricket, an innings containing seven sixes and six fours.

This was a much-needed win for Filleigh, which hopefully will get the season back on track after a period of availability issues have hampered team performances.

DHANUJA Haturusingha took seven for 32 as leaders Clyst Hydon took Honiton apart by 185 runs.

The Mid Devon side were bowled out for 261 and that is only a par score on their small ground.

That underlines how well Honiton bowled with Adam Holmes and Phil Tansley (2-13) both claiming braces of wickets.

Rick Martin (78) top scored for Hydon, aided and abetted by Kev Sercombe (28) and Clinton Lewis (26).

Sri Lankan Haturussingha the tore into the Honiton order as the reply was all done and dusted with just 76 on the board, 20 of them scored by Holmes.

On Saturday Honiton, who sit bottom at the one-third mark of the season, 15 points from safety, entertain fourth placed Filleigh.

Honiton will have a new captain then as Kevin Kelly resigned on Saturday evening in the wake of this latest defeat.

His three years in charge included winning promotion in 2011.

Kelly will carry on playing under new skipper Holmes.

FENITON slipped to a fourth defeat of the D Division season and they are back in the bottom three after a five wicket reversal at Uplyme and Lyme Regis.

Skipper Graham Tucker was not one to mince words after the defeat saying: “I am afraid we have some players who perhaps think they are too good for this division. Patently that is not the case given the manner in which we lost this game. I thought we’d turned the corner after our usual sticky start, but that’s not the case. Instead of being upwardly mobile we are heading in the opposite direction and that is worrying.”

Tucker top scored with 46 and there were contributions from Chris Palfrey (30), John Pyle (27) and Mark Kingdon (24) in a total of 212.

They had been a comfortable 93-2 before the middle order fell away dramatically to leave them 113-7. Tucker and Pyle then steadied things with a 68-run partnership for the eighth wicket and it was with some relief that they passed 200 before the innings closed.

However, that was not enough to deny the hosts as they lost just five wickets in a successful run chase with John Pyle bagging a brace of wickets.

Adam Caddy (52), Ben Whittington (49no), Alex Taylor (25) and Henry Perry (22) were the main contributors to a successful home run chase with victory sealed on 216-5.

This was after they had bowled the visitors out for 212 with Rhys Davis (3-50) and Taylor (3-13), the pick of the home bowlers.

On Saturday Feniton travel to second bottom Halberton who sit 11 points and just one place below them in the table.

Tucker says: “Hopefully we’ll see a fully focused performance up there on Saturday to once again kick-start our campaign.”

Seaton sit second in the D Division behind runaway leaders Clyst Hydon after a five wicket win at Ashburton.

The home side were bundled out for 132 thanks to the combined efforts of Mike Wheeler (4-15), Alex Hunt (2-25) and Phil Collins (2-23).

John Waterhouse then stroked his way to an unbeaten half century and Mark Bray chipped in with 20 as Seaton strolled to their fourth win in six outings.

Skipper Ben Morgan said: “This was a massive win in terms of our season’s ambitions. Had we lost there’d have been a big gap between us and Ashburton, but now we sit above them.

“They won the toss and batted which did not surprise me. However, the wicket really did some odd things. The ball was popping one minute then staying low the next and it was a two-paced track for sure.

“We had them wobbling at 40-6 and 70-8, but their tail wagged and I was uncomfortable at tea having seen what the wicket was doing.

“My worries ended when I saw how John (Waterhouse) approached his innings. The victory is something we must now build on.

“It’s clear everyone can beat everyone else, possibly with the exception of Clyst Hydon who I think will march on take top spot.

“With everyone else having lost at least twice in the first third of the season it’s going to be close, but we are in good shape and I am looking forward to what the rest of the season holds for us.”

Next up for Morgan and his men is Saturday’s visit of fourth bottom Shaldon Optimists who have won three and lost three of their opening six games of the campaign.

Morgan says: “We have never played them before so its unchartered territory. We’ll need to be on our metal, but if we perform as we did at Ashburton then we’ll be okay.”

SEAMUS McKenna clobbered an undefeated 120 as Shaldon Optimists crushed Halberton & Sampford Peverall by six wickets

Halberton found the going tough at first against Carl Woolnough (3-35) and Mark Couch (0-26 in nine) and were glad of a ton from Greg Maher for reaching 228 for six.

Maher took a risk or two but hit 117 and at the height of the carnage H&SP added 83 in nine overs.

The Shaldon innings was off to a sedate start when Maher took a stunning slip catch to take Todd Ballman for 14 off the bowling of Jon Geary,

Another 29 were added in a positive start for the Shaldon batters and at 49 for two at mature knock was needed.

Couch (38) joined McKenna as the pace was upped. The two batsmen notched 92 in a 64-ball stand and set the tone for the game.

When Couch holed out at long-on off the bowling of Salter it seemed like a game may be on but another partnership of 75 in nine overs from Jamie Day (35) nd McKenna put paid to that.

McKenna reached his second ton in just 4 days – he got one in a T20 game midweek as Shaldon finished a great match with 14 overs to spare.