Devon Cricket Board - Stevens the difference in basement battle

Stevens the difference in basement battle

TAVISTOCK are out of the bottom two in the A Division after beating Bideford by 17 runs in the basement battle at Westward Ho!
South African Jay Stevens opened with 46, but lacked worthwhile support at Tavvy laboured to 79 for six when he got out to Paul Heard (3-22).
The key pairing for Tavistock was the seventh-wicket stand 81 between Rob Milligan (37no) and Jonty Newton (54.
Newton went first at the end of a 74-ball stay that included five fours and two sixes.
Milligan batted through for an unbeaten 37 and shared in an eighth-wicket cameo worth 25 with James McGahey (16) which proved crucial in the final totting up.
Bideford captain James Ford (3-25) picked off some tail enders in the latter overs.
Bideford got to 100 for one in reply by the 16th over and looked the most likely winners.
Shaun Cleave whipped out Josh Roach for 35 and Bideford promptly fell apart.
Four wickets went for 19 runs added with Shaun Daymond, Cleave (2-22) and Stevens (3-41) all getting involved.
Matt Shepherd (24) and Alex Hannam (18) put on 34 to give Bideford some hope.
Hannam kept going after Shepherd went, but Lee Baker (3-22) and Stevens gunned down the tail as Bideford surrendered to 181 all out.
Tavistock are only six points clear of the drop zone, but that is definitely a step in the right direction.
Skipper Daymond said Tavvy got there in the end, but made hard work of it.
“Our top order let us down again, except Jay Stevens who made a great start,” said Daymond.
“Thankfully, Jonty Newton and Rob Milligan dug in and batted as we all should have and got us a score.
Bideford came out of the blocks well and were scoring very quickly, but our bowlers stuck at it and we got there in end.
“Jay Stevens was great late on with the ball and Lee Baker bowled superbly.”
Defeat leaves Bideford winless at the bottom, although skipper Ford felt there were signs of an upturn.
“Josh Atkinson in his opening spell, then fit-again Paul Heard and Chris Luxton had Tavistock in all sorts of trouble,” said Ford.
“Their middle-order batsman played vital knocks which meant chasing 70-80 more than we should have.
“Josh Roach and Paul Heard got us into a great position; sadly we couldn't see it through there overseas player being the difference.
“We will take the positives into the next game.”

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