Devon Cricket Board - C Division West: Howrihane wants two more wins for title

C DIVISION WEST
CHAGFORD need a win against in-form Kingsbridge this Saturday to get back in the C Division West play-off picture after a 30-run defeat at Whitchurch cost them ground.
The gap between Chagford and second place is 24 points and they have to get past Babbacombe, Civil and Bridestowe to get there.
As their run-in includes Babbacombe and Bridestowe, Chagford have everything to play for in the last month of the season.
Billy Barriball (63) and Rob Bone (21) gave Whitchurch a 71-run start and they went on to reach 216 for seven with Charlie Barriball (27) and Trevor Jackman (26) all chipping in.
Chris Rowlands took three for 28 for Chagford, who go to 186 for nine in reply and no further.
James Fulner (48) helped them reach 109 for three, then wickets started tumbling to Bone (4-45) and Charlie Barriball (2-36).
Jake Griffiths kept the lower order going with 30.
BABBBACOMBE are still in the play-off race following a 34-run win over Yelverton Bohemians.
With Andy Kingdon and Tim Goodwin both on holiday, Babbacombe were a light in both departments.
Skipper Steve Broad (54) and Mike Pugh (66) shouldered the batting burden, putting on 104 for the fourth wicket in a running total of 160 for four.
The final total was 199 for seven.
Ben Passmore was brought in for his 1st XI debut in the absence of Goodwin and was on a hat-trick in his first over.
“What a start,” said skipper Steve Broad. “Unfortunately, his hat-trick ball was a dot ball.”
Passmore took two for 28, so did Sam Powell, and with Paul Bates twirling away for three for 20 Yelverton were dismissed for 165.
Babbacombe entertain Whitchurch this Saturday looking to do something about the 11-point gap between them and Bridestowe in the play-off place.
DARTINGTON & Totnes took a major step towards automatic promotion from the C Division West by beating Plymouth CS&R by seven wickets.
Civil had roared up the table to second place in recent weeks and, along with Bridestowe, were credible challengers for the title.
Beating Civil has put D&T 28 points clear of Bridestowe at the top and knocked CS&R down to third.
Darts aren’t there yet, but skipper James Howrihane said they are not far away either.
“We’ve got four games left and need to win two of them,” said Howrihane.
“We could probably lose two – not that I want to – as we would still pick up points.”
Howrihane will be disappointed not to get at least one of those wins when his side make the short trip to lowly Stoke Gabriel this Saturday.
James Sharp top scored for Civil with 36 in a modest total of 160 all out.
Ben van Niekerk spun his way to three for 18 and there were two wickets each for Chris Cook and Will Gornall.
Van Niekerk (67) and Jono Colgate (31) posted 102 for the second wicket as D&T wiped out the deficit without too many issues.
STOKE Gabriel lost to Bridestowe by 138 runs in a game between two sides heading in different directions.
Victory hoists Bridestowe back up to second and in with a shout of reaching the play-offs.
Stoke Gabriel remain one off the bottom and the 34 points between them and safety look unbridgeable in the time left.
The Moorlanders won the toss and batted, and they got off to a great start through Tom Fogerty (57) and Gary Sizmur (17).
A couple of rain showers then reduced the game to 40 overs per side.
The score raced along at near to a run a ball as James Ewen (60) put on 56 with Fogerty and 71 with Nazir Khan (56no).
A flurry of wickets fell towards the end, thanks mainly to a great spell by young Dan Bullock (4-43), but the runs kept flowing as Bridestowe reached an imposing 230-9 from their 40 overs.
The Stoke chase never really got going, with only Sam Parker (23) and Doug Ansley (19) making double figures.
Wickets tumbled to Nazir Khan (4-18), Alex Jopling (2-14) and Dan Fogerty (2-10) as Stoke crawled to 93 all out in 33 overs.
It was Khan’s last game for Bridestowe as he is heading home to Sweden this week.
ASHBURTON’S race looks just about run after they nosedived to a 168-run defeat against Kingsbridge.
James Ford hit 85 as Kingsbridge put 231 for eight on the board in 45 overs.
Ashburton were all out for 63 in reply – Martin Causey with a dozen the only batter to get into double figures.
With four games left Ashburton are 60 points to play for. A loss away to second-placed Bridestowe this Saturday will confirm what has looked inevitable for some time.
Kingsbridge spent most of the first half of the season down at the wrong end, but have shot up to sixth and have a 45-point safety net between them and the drop zone.
Kingsbridge lost opener Will Dorey on nine – the first of four wickets for Matt Coon (4-28) – which brought Ricky Carr out to join Ford.
Carr hit 36 in a stand of 89 with Ford and when he went Hari Bedalle (22) carried on the good work.
Ford was fourth out on 177 – Coon getting him in his second spell – but with wickets in hand and eight overs to go Kings could thrown the bat,
Alex Browne (16), Will Pike (10) and Dan Hardy (10) all go on with it and got out.
Ashburton lost openers Taylor McLellan and George Marshall reaching double figures and that set the tone for proceedings.
Causey had 12 of the 23 for four on the scoreboard when he got out to Neal Peach (2-21).
James Rosewarne (2-9), Dan Hardy (2-2) and Bhanu de Silva (2-18) ran through the rest with the minimum of fuss.