Devon Cricket Board - B Division - Marais smashes whirlwind 148 not out

MARIO Marais smashed an unbeaten 148 as leaders Lewdown crushed second-placed Ivybridge by nine wickets.

The Bridge made a respectable 218 for six – Jeewan deSilva hitting a top score of 56 in stands of 38 with Harry Soloman (23) and 77 with Kelvin Trent (35). Andy Johnson made 30 at the top of the order.

Lewdown lost skipper Harry Geering on 12 for one – and that was it!

Dave Ball made a solid 61 not out at the other end from Marais, who bludgeoned 148 not out off 99 balls with 16 fours and ten sixes.

Lewdown (148pts) top the table by nine points from Tavistock (139) with Chudleigh (136) third and Ivybidge (132) down from second to fourth.

Skipper Geering feels Lewdown have something extra to give yet and predicted the best has yet to come from his side.

“Obviously I am very happy with where we are at the halfway stage – top and with only one defeat, despite not always performing to our best,” said Geering.

“Our fielding needs some work but as we are top I can’t complain too much.”

Geering praised Marais for the quality of his batting, but stressed it wasn’t a one-man show.

“Marco gave everyone an entertaining watch with some big hitting and Dave Ball batted very well in a finely paced innings,” said Geering.

“Ivybridge got off to a good start, but we dragged it back with some good bowling from Jordan and Hughes.”

Opposite number Gareth Andrews knew at tea his team were a bit short of runs, but didn’t realise how short.

“I thought we were about 30 short, but after Marais made 148 not out I don’t think 350 would have been enough,” said Andrews.

“His innings was the best I have ever seen for ball striking – he hits it miles!”

CHUDLEIGH pipped Barnstaple at the post to stay hard on the heels of the B Division promotion chasers.

Chudleigh made 218 for eight then held Barum to 216 for nine in reply to win by two runs.

Victory inches Chudleigh within three points of second-placed Tavistock and 12 behind leaders Lewdown.

Promotion is the aim for skipper Jon Martin, who feels his side are in the right place.

“We are in a strong position at half way – and my side is only going to get stronger and more consistent in selection as the season goes on,” said Martin.

Scott Schaw hit a top score of 83 for Chudleigh, coming in at 64 for three after Sean Day had been in and out for two.

Schaw was involved in stands of 72 with Dan Britcliffe (26) and two of 28 with Rob Clarke (16) and Shaun Newland (13no).

George McEndoo with three for 62 shaded the wicket taking for B&P, although Steve Moore (9-0-28-2) and Jack Popham (9-2-20-2) were both far more economical.

Barnstaple’s innings gathered pace as it went on, helped by Tom Popham (31) and Brady Saunders (45) at first, then McEndoo in the middle.

McEndoo made 62 off 72 balls and had he stayed there to the end B&P probably would have won.

Ed Forward ran out McEndoo in the 43^rd over when the target was 16 to win off 12 balls.

Clarke bowled the last over and kept it tight to leave B&P three short of victory on 216 for nine.

SHOBROOKE Park have turned to the old guard to take over the captaincy following the sudden retirement of Justin Dollow,

But instead of having one skipper, they are going to have two as Chris Ford and Jon James have taken it on jointly,

Both have been skippers before – James in 2008 and Ford in five different stints totting up to 14 years either side of a spell with Sandford.

It is an unusual solution and it didn’t start as either skipper would have liked as the new regime lost by eight runs at Tavistock first time out.

Ford was undeterred by that setback, saying: “The captaincy side of it worked quite well, but we threw it away right at the end.

“For 90 per cent of the game we were winning it then in the last 10 overs played some terrible shots and gave away our wickets.

“A little more application and it would have been a win.”

Tavistock made 188 all out – Travis Muller top scoring with 57 – then bowled Shobrooke out for 180 in repy.

Mike Dixon top scored with 32 and Phil Anning followed up three wickets earlier on with 24 runs.

Shobrooke Park are at home to leaders Lewdown this Saturday.

LUKE Boyadijan hit a century as Thorverton ended a lean run of five defeats on the spin with a six-wicket win at Alphington.

Thorverton have slipped down the table into the bottom two while they have been losing and are still there despite the win at Alphington.

However, vice-captain David Baldock is confident a corner has been turned going into the second half of the season, especially as the next game is against his former club South Devon, who are winless and propping up the table.

“Once our batters saw off their opening bowlers Alphington didn’t have a lot to trouble us,” said Baldock, who stroked an unbeaten 52 in the run chase.

“Luke and Harry Choules (43) batted chancelessly at the top of the order – and for once we had a bit of luck.

“Luke thought he was plumb lbw before scoring a run, but it wasn’t given, and I was dropped at cover when I didn’t have too many.

“Their opener (Dinesh Raheja) tried to run himself out several times before he finally managed it, and that helped us as well.

“The luck has been going against us in recent games and when it’s like that heads drop.

“We have had a good win over a decent side with a number of overs to spare, which has given everyone a bit of a lift.

“We are not at the end of the rainbow yet, but we have gone through the worst of the rain.

Raheja top scored for Alphington with 76, Tom Bath made 60 not out on his return to the side and there were useful chip-ins from Alan Davey (36) and Mike Shepherd (43) in a total for 256 for five.

Boyadjian made 103 and Harry Choules 43 for Thors before Baldock cracked off the rest.

STOKE Gabriel moved another two places clear of the B Division drop zone by beating South Devon by 67 runs.

Birthday boy Steve Tolley slammed 93 in a total of 252 for nine and looked on course for a ton before Ian Shepherd (4-39) dismissed him.

Ian Coulton (29) and Tolley made 70 for the first wicket with Richard Lake (35) helping Tolley notch another 52 for the fourth.

Wickets fell at the end when the slog was on and South Devon’s Shepherd cashed in then. Earlier, Dave Amery (3-31) had kept the frontline batters quiet.

South Devon may be struggling at the wrong end of the table, but they haven’t given up the fight just yet.

Veteran opener Brian Allen top scored with 60, he put on 74 with Jonty Parsons (26), and at 105 for two South Devon were well placed.

Losing three wickets for two runs killed South Devon stone dead and despite Paul Hooper’s 49 they subsided to 185 all out.

Kris Davis finished with four for 36 and Jack Tolley took three for 33.