Devon Cricket Board - Premier 2nd XI: All over for Exeter

Premier 2nd XI: All over for Exeter

PREMIER 2^nd XI

EXETER are destined for runners-up spot in the Premier 2nd XI competition after slipping up by 47 runs against Cornwood.

The City side needed to win at Cornwood – and hope long-time leaders Plymouth slipped up against North Devon.

Up at Instow, Ben Stein cracked 107 as Plymouth made 246 all out. North Devon were 163 for six with five overs to go when the light became too bad to continue.

By then Exeter had long been bowled out by Cornwood for a measly 84, chasing a modest 132 to win.

Scott Mansfield (30) and Chris Parker (28) were the leading run scorers as the Corns made 131 for nine in a 34-over game.

Exeter were bowled out for 84 by Harry Bennett (4-26) and Eliot Staddon (2-11). They trail Plymouth by 31 points with 40 to play for. Game over.

It was Cornwood’s fifth win on the bounce and lifts them nine points clear of the drop zone with two games to go, the big one being fellow strugglers Hatherleigh on the last day of the season.

Budleigh Salterton were rained off against visiting Plympton, which did them no favours in the struggle to stay up.

For Paignton beat Sidmouth by four wickets to move off the bottom of the table and leave Budleigh there instead.

On a bad day all-round for Budleigh, fellow relegation worriers Hatherleigh had the best of a draw against Bovey Tracey to move nine points further away.

Saj Patidar (60) pipped James Gingell (55) for top scorer in Sidmouth’s total of 172 for five at Paignton. Their stand of 95 underpinned the innings.

Paignton’s trio of former 1^st XI captains Terry Farkins (39), Mark Griffiths (24) and Tim Ward (26no) chased down the runs with 11 balls to spare.

With top two Exeter and Plymouth to play in that order, Paignton aren’t out of the wood yet though. First they have to get out of the bottom two.

“We will have a crack at Exeter and what we can get off Plymouth,” said Ward.

“Some off the other teams around us have to play each other, so the situation could change quite quickly.”

Hatherleigh took 15 points towards survival off Bovey Tracey in a game slimmed down to 40 overs each.

Rob Cockwill (59) and Mark Jones (48) put on 86 for the first wicket and with Ian Cockwill chipping in with 26 a useful total of 210 for seven was posted.

Bovey Tracey’s ex-wicketkeeper Lewis Hammett got to turn his arm over and helped himself to a rare four-wicket haul.

Bovey were 189 for nine when their overs ran out – last pair Ed Woolcott and Jack Thomas patting back the final over.

James Fulner (34) top scored, Phil Arnold was second best, but the batters were not able to get going as they were shackled by Sean Leatheran (3-24) and Mark Brock (3-42).

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