Devon Cricket Board - D Division: Ashes in promotion picture

ASHBURTON moved within six points of a promotion place as they edged past Filleigh by eight runs.
Ashes openers Kevin Nicholls (42) and Kris Connabeer (18) got off to a flyer with Pascoe (47) pushing the score along to 57-1 after 10 overs.

Martin Brice (2-26) and Mike Prideaux (3-52) took the pace off, on an already slow wicket, and bowled well to put the brakes on.

James Marsh (3-50) gave the middle order trouble as Ashburton slowed to 159 for eight.

However, Ashley Berry (57no) and number 10 Matt Coon (23no) mounted a counter attack, smashing 73 in less than seven overs to finish the innings on 232 for eight.

Filleigh did their best to keep up with the asking rate, thanks mainly to a monumental effort from Kevin Toze, who sweated for a two-and-a-half-hour 67.

There were contributions all the way down with extras the next best with 38.

Tight bowling at firstfrom Connabeer (2-29) and Coon (3-46) and then youngsters Matt Churchill (2-49) and Dom Durman (1-31) kept the visitors at bay.

On Saturday Ashburton travel to Countess Wear looking to gain more ground on the second-placed Seaton.

HONITON skipper Adam Holmes played a key role in his team’s derby success over promotion chasing Seaton.

Holmes first claimed three of the Seaton wickets as the hosts were bowled out for 222 and then he hit his sides top score of 48 as the win was achieved with three wickets and just under two overs to spare.

Seaton were led to their 222 by Richard Walker with a splendid 102 with the best of the rest coming from the bats of skipper Ben Morgan and Mike Wheeler, who both hit 26.

The Holmes three wickets apart there were a brace bagged by Kev Kelly who had missed the previous weeks defeat being on holiday.

Holmes then led his sides successful run chase with that knock of 48 whilst Ollie Cave chipped in with 39.

The win, their fourth of the campaign, and a third in then past four outings since Holmes took over the skipper’s role, boosts the Honiton bid to avoid dropping out of the D Division.

They now sit fourth bottom, 11 points above second bottom Countess Wear and five points clear of third bottom Halberton & Sampford Peverell.

A delighted Holmes said: “That was just what we needed after the previous week’s defeat and it gives us a better than fighting chance of clambering clear of then drop zone.

Everybody chipped in be it with bat or ball or indeed in the field. It was a very competent all-round display; one that augers well for the remainder of our season and if we can repeat this sort of collective shift over the next seven weeks then we will keep our status in this division.”

He added: “I would like to say hat’s off to Seaton and in particular their skipper Ben Morgan who made a real scrap of the game and tried all he could to fashion a result. I wish them well for the rest of the season.”

“On Saturday Honiton entertain Feniton and Holmes says of the game: “It’ll be tough, but it’s one I expect to win.

“They (Feniton) have a team far too good to be bottom, but the fact that they are means they are not playing well, or not getting the breaks and we have to take advantage of that.”

The defeat, a fourth of the season, coupled with Shaldon’s home success over basement side Feniton sees Morgan’s men slip out of the top two with the South Devon coast side now a point better off and Ashburton have closed to within five points in fourth spot.

On Saturday’s Morgan and his side travel to third bottom Halberton and Sampford Peverell.

Winning in Mid Devon is a must for, if leaders Clyst Hydon win a 12th game in as many outings at Shaldon, Seaton will be back into a top two berth come stumps on Saturday evening.

THE painful season that Feniton are enduring continued on Saturday as their first ever visit to Shaldon ended in a ninth defeat of the campaign and they remain rock bottom of the D Division.

The South Devon coastal side batted first and Feniton performed superbly with the ball in sweltering conditions to bowl them out for 236.

Kev Brandon was the architect-in-chief with a five-fer, finishing with figures of 5-64 and John French helped himself to a four wicket haul.

The run chase was going well thanks to a splendid 62 from Mark Kingdon, but, as has been the case for much of this season for the Acland Park outfit, things did not go to plan and wickets were lost at crucial times, the final one falling with the home total 20 runs away.

Ben Allen chipped in with 32 and the one plus that Graham Tucker and his men took out of the contest that they did at least bank the maximum number of points possible for a losing side with their full house of batting and bowling points on the day.

They stay bottom, but remain within striking distance of the three teams immediately above them in the D Division table.

They have 97 points, three fewer than second bottom Countess Wear and nine less than third bottom Halberton & Sampford Peverell.

Honiton (14 points better off) and even sixth placed Filleigh (26 points ahead) are also within catching distance as the season reaches the two-thirds stage this coming Saturday when Feniton travel to a Honiton side that has had a serious upturn in fortunes since the appointment of a new skipper with three wins in their last four outings.

CLYST Hydon beat Uplyme by 44 runs to continue on their unbeaten way to promotion.

The Mid Devon side batted first and posted an imposing total of 293, reached with an Ian Sutton century and a charitable 49 extras!

AT 200 without loss it was already looking a lost cause for the visitors, but the introduction of the sloe left arm spin of Mark Brimmacombe changed the dynamic of the innings as he claimed six for 52 in just eight overs and all ten wickets fell in the space of 90 runs!

The reply was led by the Whittington brothers Ben (60) and Jed (52) and the run chase was always up with the asking rate.

There were big wickets taken mid-innings with rare failures with the bat for Taylor and Caddy, but skipper Steve Batey (8) and Mark Brimmacombe (27), got the chase back on track before the loss of Batey with the score on 222, after which the re-introduction of Dhanuka Haturusingha ended the reply on 250, 44 shy of victory with seven overs still to be bowled.