Devon Cricket Board - Ottery get back on track at first opportunity

TABLE-topping Ottery St Mary were quickly back on track after their defeat by Feniton when they beat Seaton by five wickets.
Seaton were in all sorts of trouble at 45 for five - Will Harrison (3-39) and Alex Thurgate (2-39) among the wickets – but recovered to make 150 all out.
Chis Aplin (36) and Tim Mitchell (26) made the runs that gave the bowlers something to defend.
Jody Clements wound up the innings with figures of three for 19.
Ottery had to work for their win as Joe Berry (4-32) proved a thorn in their side.
Jack Pritchard (32) and Rob Crabb (52) laid the foundations, leaving skipper Lewis Townsend (38no) to close out the game.
Victory puts Ottery 27 points clear of Alphington at the top of the table going into this Saturday’s meeting with Filleigh at Salston Field.
With nine games to go there is plenty of time for things to change at the top.
Skipper Townsend is confident but not complacent.
“It was a good performance all round against Seaton – just what we wanted after losing to Feniton,” he said.
“The second half of the season means we will be stronger as players come back from university, but we are not unique in that and the sides we play will get stronger too.”
ALPHINGTON skipper Stuart Shaw heaped praise on all-rounder Tom Bath after his match-turning performance in the 192-run win over Kentisbeare.
Bath stroked his way to a maiden Devon League century in Alphington’s total of 276 all out.
After Dave Haysom (26) and Anthony Shepherd (53) got Alphington motoring to 60, Bath pretty well took over.
Shepherd and Bath put on 105 for the fourth wicket. When Shepherd went, Bath kept going to reach 101. Ashley Green chipped in with 27 before ran out.
John Parkin (3-52) and Andy Chave (3-59) were the leading wicket-takers for Kents.
Kentisbeare moved to 100 for three without too many problems – Ian Goodyear (34), Phil Tatterton (29) and Parkin (32) making runs.
Bath (2-23) and Ben Newcombe (2-24) were the early wicket takers, then skipper Shaw (4-26) spun through the remnants.
Said Shaw: “It was a superb knock by Tom Bath and proved what we have known about him for some time.
“It was his first league ton for us and I hope if will give him the confidence to put together some more big scores.
“The wickets were handy too. It was certainly his day all-round.”
CLYST Hydon sent Barnstaple tumbling to a 10-wicket defeat in a one-sided affair,
Hydon’s Sri Lankan professional Dhanuja Haturusingha took six wickets for 11 runs as B&P were bundled out for 70.
Jack Moore got 24 of the runs, which didn’t leave many from his 10 team-mates.
Ian Sutton (34) and Heflin Wood (30) had the runs knocked off before tea.
Hydon are at home to Sutton’s old club Seaton this Saturday.
FENITON dropped down into the bottom four in the C Division West when they lost by eight wickets to Uplyme.
Adam Ramcharran hit a top score of 58 not out for Feniton in a total of 179 for nine.
A stand of 70 between the Canadian and skipper Jonathan Pyle (42) was as good as it got for Feniton.
Uplyme lost two wickets on the chase – one each to Pyle and Mark Kingdon – but were never in any trouble.
Adam Caddy gave them a platform with 32 then Mark Batey (62no) and Richard O’Halloran (83no) shared in a century stand that won the game with time to spare.
Feniton go to Alphington this Saturday.
SHALDON are hoping new signing Tshepo Legodi will help them get away from the foot of the C Division East table in the second half of the season.
Legodi has been around the Devon League for a while, first with Tavistock (2000-02) and since then with Exeter, mainly in the 2nd XI in recent seasons.
He made his debut last Saturday in the one-run defeat at Filleigh in a basement battle with another side trying to get away from the bottom of the table.
Legodi bowled nine lively overs for 44 runs as Filleigh made 204 for nine in45 overs.
The only stand that mattered for Filleigh was one of 103 for the third wicket between skipper Simon Prideaux and dad Mike. Dad made 29 and lad 69.
Pick of the bowlers with four for 33 was Andrew Espley. Todd Ballman had two for 34.
Shaldon went off like a pop-gun – Karl Blackburn smiting three successive sixes in a rapid 33.
Kiwi George Thomas made a more sedate 67 and the bits and pieces got Shaldon in sight.
Mike Prideaux (5-23) bowled Filleigh back into the game and when last man Chris Whithead went out to join Dan Hawkchurch, Shaldon were 181 for nine.
Bit by bit the lead was whittled down until the last over arrived with two needed to win.
Whitehead lashed the first ball to the point fielder, giving Filleigh victory by the narrowest of margins.
MARK Mbofona, the Mid-West Rhinos all-rounder who joined Filleigh last season, has left the club and joined C Division East rivals Kentisbeare.
Skipper Simon Prideaux said the club and the player had been unable to agree terms for the rest of the season and Mbofona had left with everyone’s best wishes.