Devon Cricket Board - Exmouth and Cornwood through to T20 county finals

Exmouth and Cornwood through to T20 county finals

Former Devon League cricketer Greg Evans (ex-Budleigh and Exmouth) handing his sponsorhip cheque on behalf of Servicemaster to DCL chairman Stuart Munday
EXMOUTH are on their way to the Servicemaster Clean Devon T20 finals day on the County Ground on July 27 after brushing aside Exeter and Exmouth to get there in the regional play-off.
Mid-Devon qualifiers Heathcoat and Exeter met East Devon pair Exmouth and Budleigh at Heathcoat on Sunday in the regional final.
Exmouth overpowered Exeter in their semi-final racing to 184 for four the limiting Exeter to 109 all out.
Bob Dawson (74) and Richard Baggs (71) put on 146 in the first 13 overs for Exmouth.
The final was a little closer against a Budleigh side who beat Heathcoat in the morning to get there.
Baggs carried on where he left off with 55 and Seb Benton made 62 as Exmouth totted up 178 for eight. Budleigh were 146 for seven when time ran out.
Budleigh’s morning semi-final win over Heathcoat had been a tense affair, only sealed with three balls to go.
Dan Powell top scored with 38 and Toby Lochead made 27 in Heathcoat’s 139 for seven.
Budleigh’s bowlers were mostly miserly – Lloyd Murrin’s two overs excepted – with Lloyd White’s two for 21 as good as it got.
Budleigh were not in a good place at ten for two after two overs, but Elliot Rice (22) and Harry Parkin (55) got on with it as the target came down.
The key knock was one of 34 off 16 balls from Murrin, whose stand of 55 with Richard Arnold (16) got the target down to 18 to win.
It was two off the last over from Jason Parr, which White and Dan Messom got between them.
Also through to finals day are Cornwood, who beat Plympton by 38 runs in the Ivor Dewdney’s Plymouth play-off.
Cornwood posted 136 for eight against Plympton with opener Jackson Thompson making the top score of 27.
Steve Lambert (19), Duncan Boase (17) and Ben Warren (17) all chipped in, but the key stand was a late one between Byron Langley (11) and skipper Elliot Staddon (26no).
Their partnership of 41 for the seventh wicket ultimately put the game out of reach for Cornwood.
Plympton ran into difficulties on the chase during a 15-ball spell that saw five wickets go for 15 runs added.
Among the casualties was dangerman Wes Hartslief for a top score of 23.
Matt Butterworth had three wickets in an over and took all five of the wickets to fall in that spell.
That was game over and Butterworth went on to finish with six for 22 as Plympton were bowled out for 98 with three balls to go.
There is unfinished business in the South Devon competition where Bovey Tracey will entertain Paignton on Thursday, July 17 in the district final.
Bideford and North Devon should have played the Torridge final on Friday, but were rained off. The replay is this Friday (July 11) at Braunton CC.

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