Devon Cricket Board - C Division East: Worrying times for Shaldon

C DIVISION EAST
SHALDON remain a bit too close for comfort to the C Division East basement after suffering a 93-run defeat at Alphington.
Alphington’s 182 all out – Mark Porter top scoring on 29 – looked well within reach for the Optimists.
The game got away from Shaldon in the time it took to slip from 52 for three to 66 for eight.
There was no way back after that and Shaldon crumbled to 89 all out.
There is still a gap of 15 points between Shaldon and Kentisbeare in the second relegation place.
However, with 80 points to play for that can change quickly and Shaldon could do with a win over Uplyme this Saturday – a tall order as the Dorset side are second in the table.
Dave Haysom (27) and Anthony Shepherd (27) gave Alphas a 60-run start then Porter (29) and Tom Bath (24) kept the board ticking over.
Veteran Neil Murrin chipped in with 20 not out at the end after Porter fell at 144 for seven.
Mark Couch (3-25) and Carl Woolnough (2-24) were the most effective bowlers. Chris Whitehead’s three wickets cost 59 runs.
Shaldon were spun out by Paul James, whose six nine off 6.1 overs including five in a row as the slide gathered pace.
Todd Ballman made 24, which was as good as it got for Shaldon on a day where eight batters failed to reach double figures and three didn’t manage a run between them.
CLYST Hydon became the latest side to fall by the wayside against Ottery St Mary when they went down by two wickets to the long-time leaders.
Ian Sutton top scored for Hydon with 68 and George Pawley weighed in with 58 as Clyst reached 202 all out. Dhanuja Haturusingha made 38 and Ottery gave away 25 extras, which doesn’t leave a lot from the other eight batters.
Ottery’s hot property teenager Billy Rudolph took five for 21 and there was support from Kev Kelly (3-38) and Ollie Reed (2-20) on the bowling front.
Rudolph then cracked an unbeaten 81 to anchor the Ottery chase. Billy Reed added 53.
Haturusingha (3-28) took the bowling honours for Clyst, who will hope for better things against Alphington on Saturday.

Seaton’s C Division East season came to a premature end when they were well beaten by promotion-chasing Uplyme and Lyme Regis, writes Steve Birley.

There are still four matches of the campaign to be played, but the Seaton league season is all but done as they now cannot be promoted and are well clear of any threat of relegation.

After losing the toss, Seaton skipper Ben Morgan saw his side struggle against some terrific Uplyme bowling with four wicket, down and just 34 runs on the board.

Morgan and Joel Seward launched something of a mini-revival before both departed in quick succession after which the resistance folded with the final Seaton wicket falling on 97. Seward top scored with 23 and Morgan chipped in with 15.

The Uplyme run chase was launched by Jed Whittington who showed the home bowlers little mercy as he powered the ball to all parts of the ground on his way to a quick-fire 39 as Uplyme quickly sealed an eight wicket win.

Such was the early Whittington dominance that, when he was out in the ninth over for 39, that was also the team score!

Morgan said: “Had I not lost the toss we may well have seen a very different game. As it was they (Uplyme) bowled superbly and we had no answer.

“I can’t fault the lads, but sometimes you just have to hold your hand up and accept that, on the day, the better team won, and that’s exactly what happened to us on Saturday.”

He continued: “We were not helped by a surface that saw one or two deliveries do very different things! It was a two-paced track which saw the odd ball pop up. That said, their bowlers were so consistent with line and length.”

With his team sitting fourth on 174 points they find themselves 57 points shy of second placed Uplyme and also 51 points above second bottom Kentisbeare.

With 80 points to play for in the final four games of the Tolchards League C Division East season, Seaton are neither going up, nor going down.
Morgan says: “It’s time now to give some of the emerging youngsters some 1st XI experience. We are fortunate to have a number coming through the ranks and, given our mid-table spot, now is an ideal time to see what they are made of in terms of the senior side.
"For the next four games the focus is going to be very much on next season.”

On Saturday Seaton travel to Feniton after which they host first Barnstaple and Pilton and then Alphington before ending the season at Ottery St Mary on the final Saturday of the month.

BARNSTAPLE & Pilton suffered an unexpected slip up at Kentisbeare, where they went down by 58 runs against a side fighting to stay up
Steve Reed (79no), Tom Bunker (74no) and Scott Chappell (60) were Kents’ leading scorers in a tally of 360 for four.
Barnstaple & Pilton got to 302 for nine in reply before their overs ran out.
Brady Saunders hit 65 and James Thomas 52 for B&P.
It’s Filleigh at home for B&P this Saturday in a game which will have some bearing on the relegation scrap.
Barnstaple, 47 points clear of the drop zone, can make themselves 100 per cent safe by winning.
A B&P win will almost certainly send Filleigh down as they are 32 points adrift at the bottom already.
Filleigh were turned over by 89 runs at Feniton last time out and with 10 defeats in 14 starts skipper Simon Prideaux fears the writing is on the wall.
“We just aren’t scoring enough runs to win games,” said Prideaux.
“It isn’t much fun losing every week and if we do go down it may give us change to regroup next season.”
Home skipper Jonathan Pyle made 122 as Feniton recovered from 115 for six to make 259 for six.
A stand of 144 for the seventh wicket between Pyle and Matt Kingdom (26no) got Feniton moving after Gary Henry (2-33) and Ryan Bowden (3-31) had slowed them up.
Filleigh were all out for 170 in reply. The Prideaux brothers – Mark (65) and Simon (37) were the leading scores.
Pick of the Feniton bowlers was Matt Davies (5-33). Adam Ramcharran had three for 40.