Devon Cricket Board - Premier - Sidmouth lift title despite defeat

SIDMOUTH will be looking to put on a show worthy of the Premier Division champions when the visit Heathcoat this Saturday.

The Premier title is safely stowed away with two games to go, although not quite in the manner Sidmouth skipper Will Murray would have liked.

Outgoing champions Exmouth long ago gave up hopes of catching Sidmouth, but didn’t relinquish the title without a fight.

Having survived a five-wicket salvo from Dan Babula, Exmouth recovered to make 212 for nine.
Sidmouth, with the two points needed to be uncatchable in the bank, slumped to 48 for five in reply and after a brief display of resistance were all out for 127.

“It was bizarre really – and I wish I could explain how it happened,” said Sidmouth skipper Will Murray.

“It wasn’t a case of us taking our foot of the gas, but I think you have to give credit to Exmouth for playing well.

“They were eight for four and 45 for five, so to get 212 showed a lot of depth.

“Gary Chappell, Andrew Buzza and Trevor Anning all batted very well indeed.

“To get 200 on that wicket was a good score but we were capable of getting it.

“A couple of umpiring decisions didn’t go our way, but that shouldn’t have derailed us.

“It was disappointing to lose our unbeaten record so late in the season as we had hoped to go all the way through. However, in a couple of years when we look back at what we have achieved this season we will still feel pride in it.”

Babula had Exmouth rocking with four wickets in five balls the visitors were glad when Murray gave him a breather.

Buzza (34) and David Lye (20) regrouped, then Chappell joined Buzza in a key stand of 78 for the sixth wicket.

When Buzza went out came Anning to join Chappell and they put on 65 for the seventh wicket.

Chappell was first out for 88 to the returning Babula, who knocked over Anning (52) and Lawrence Greenway in his second spell to finish with eight for 62. They are the best bowling figures in the Premier Division this season.

Anning (4-23) and Chappell (4-45) then accounted for seven in a row as Sidmouth wobbled.

Scott Barlow (29), Murray (12) and Charlie Miles (19) scored enough between them to avoid the indignity of being bowled out for less than a hundred.

Exmouth are away to North Devon this Saturday.

BOVEY Tracey captain Andy Fairbain said it won’t be the end of the world if his side miss out on second place in the Premier this season.
A 45-run win over Plymouth, who are second, means Bovey can still finish runners-up behind champs-elect Sidmouth.
Fairbairn, whose side entertain doomed Sandford on Saturday, said Sidmouth’s dominance this season had taken some of the edge off the competiton.
“We don't have our heart set on finishing in a certain position,” said Fairbairn.
“Once Sidmouth ran away with the league it was a case of just doing as well as we can and seeing what happened.
If we win our next two games and Plymouth slip up in one, we should finish second, but we'll see what happens.”
Fairbairn said he had nothing but respect for Sidmouth, whom he rates very highly.
“I have said before I think Sidmouth are the best team in the South West of England,” said Fairbairn.
“Certainly this year they were too strong for anyone else in our division to come close to challenging them.”
Bovey made 247 for eight with Malcolm Lake top scoring on 55.
A 97-run stand with Ed Woolcott (22) got Bovey going, but they faltered against the change bowlers and slipped from 107 for two when Lake went to 148 for six.
Sam Stein did the damage with four for 34, aided and abetted by Gionne Koopman (2-34) and John Kerridge (1-44).
Bovey’s lower order blocked out Stein and upped the temp in the last 10 overs with Sam Hickenbottom (35) and Chris Bradley (39no) putting on 54 for the eighth wicket.
Plymouth started well enough – they were 108 for three after 21 overs – but a middle-order collapse proved costly.
Ben Stein (28) and Koopman (41) had already been and gone but the problems started when Jake Luffman and Joe Walsh went two balls apart for one run added.
Former Devon captain Chris Bradley (2-16) turned the screw on Plymouth, then Nathan Roberts (2-43) picked up wickets in his second spell.
Hal Kerton (14) and Sam Stein (39) put up some fight at the end, but the damage was done and Plymouth slowed to a close on 202 for nine.
James Toms, skippering the side in the absence of Matt Hooper, said Plymouth contributed to their own downfall by a poor start.
“We didn’t turn up for the first 20 overs - I think we had given away 30-odd extras by then and were always trying to drag the game back,” said Toms.
“We fought back really well, led by Sam Stein, who was outstanding, and in the end felt a little disappointed to let them get up to 250.
“Batting wise, Ben Stein and Gionne (Koopman) were in complete control early until Ben got an absolute stinker.
“Then we lost wickets too frequently to give us the chance to chase them down.
“We are still in a strong position to finish second and we will bounce back next week against Exeter.”

CORNWOOD showed the fighting qualities they will need to dodge relegation in a one-wicket win at North Devon.

While Sandford are resigned to relegation after their defeat by Exeter, it’s al go play for between Cornwood and Torquay for the second drop spot.

The gap between Cornwod in the second drop spot safety is 27 points, which is what it will take to get past Torquay.

The two sides meet this Saturday at Oak Park in a game with relegation decider written all over it.

Tail-end Charlies Elliot Staddon and Adam Goodliffe saw Cornwood to victory at Instow in a thrilling finish with three balls to spare.

Cornwood, chasing 257 to win, appeared to be on the way to defeat after slumping from 172 for four when Matt Skeemer was out to 177 for seven.

Jason Hall and Byron Langley repaired some of the damage in a stand of 44, then Staddon and Goodliffe finished the job.

“This result has given us a glimmer of hope with two games remaining,” said chairman Nick Goodliffe.

“We know that the odds are still against us with the gap to be made up, but we have Torquay at home next up and we will be fighting hard for another vital victory.

“We certainly feel in a better position after the North Devon game than before it.”

North Devon’s total was built around stands of 116 for the second wicket and 85 for the fourth, both involving Rob Gear.

Opener Barney Huxtable made 68 and with Gear for company took the score up to 125.

Hall broke the stand by removing Huxtable then Max Curtis was run-out by Staddon three runs later.

Gear was still there though and kept the runs coming with Ed Yeo at a rate of nearly eight an over.

Ryan Rickard sent Gear back for 75, then took the catch off Goodliffe’s bowling to dispatch Yeo for 62 off just 47 balls.

Matt Skeemer (0-35) and Jackson Thompson (0-19) were the cheapest of the Cornwood bowlers: Goodliffe was the only bowler to take two wickets.

Jackson Thompson’s 71 anchored the early part of the Cornwood chase and when he went at 114 for three they were well placed.

Steve Lambert kept the board ticking over with 55 and had he stayed longer it could have been plain sailing for the Corns.

Losing three wickets for five runs didn’t help – Skeemer, Lambert and Rickard – but thanks to Hall and the tail-enders Cornwood clawed back 13 points on Torquay that could prove crucial.

HEATHCOAT are on target for a top-five finish in the Premier Division – and top four is not out of reach – after sweeping past Torquay by five wickets.

Toby Lochead stroked 74 and Dylan Penberthy 56 as Heathcoat hunted down 182 to win at the Recreation Ground with more than 17 overs to spare.

Victory leaves Heathcoat fifth in the table with two games to go, against champions Sidmouth (H) this Saturday and local rivals Sandford (A) on the final day of the season.

Heathcoat are only 15 points behind Bovey Tracey in fourth place and with 44 on the table they could yet get past them.

Torquay struggled to 181 for eight in their 50 overs and were lucky to get that far having struggled against Jason Parr (3-47) early on then Qassim Adams (2-34) and Jack Menheneott (2-17) in the middle order.

Apart from Faisal Iqbal – 39 off 100 balls – and Mitch Pugh (21) it was unimpressive stuff from Torquay as they subsided to 89 for six.

Iqbal and Josh Hunt (39) put on 36 for the seventh wicket then Jack Richardson (35no) helped Hunt post another 36 for the eighth as Torquay rallied at the end.

Heathcoat’s reply was much more up temp, led from the top by Lochead and Penberthy with a stand of 99.

Penberthy went first, but Lochead carried on to 150, by which time he had passed 400 Premier runs for the season.

Iqbal (3-35) took three wickets for ten runs added and Richardson nipped out Sam Smith (21) as Heathcoat faltered with victory in sight.

Dan Powell (10no) and Ned Menheneott (13no) ensured there were no slip ups.

Skipper Smith said finishing fourth would be ‘brilliant’ for the first year back in the Premier Division, but not easy.

“Sidmouth will be tough but I would be happy with fifth, which was more than we hoped at the start of the season.,” said Smith.
A target Smith does have in mind is 500 runs for young opener Lochead, who has 432 for the season so far.
Lochead came over from Sandford pre-season and has proved a big asset for Heathcoat in a short time.
“He has got a good eye and great hands and is growing in confidence all the time,” said Smith.
“Once he knew his place was secure opening he became a bit more confident and started scoring runs.
“The more runs he scored, the more he looked like scoring. If he could get to 500 – and there is no reason why not – that would be fantastic for him.”
SANDFORD’S 29-run defeat by Exeter at Creedy Park left them with no prospect of avoiding an immediate return to the A Division.
Have been up or down every season since 2011 and always knew staying in the Premier this term would be tough without a number of key players from their promotion-winning side.
Jamie Palmer, who took over when Simon Ashplant decided to take a year out to go traveling, said his players could be proud of the effort put in even if it wasn’t enough.
“Although we are now going to get relegated, we can take positives from this year into next season,” said Palmer.
“We knew this year was going to be tough and a lot of people thought we were going to get stuffed out of sight every game.
“We've proved a lot of them wrong.
“The atmosphere around the dressing room has been really good all year as well - and that is massively important when you are a struggling side.”
Palmer (4-38) did early damage to Exeter, who were 13 for three and 51 for four before Tom Richardson (54) and Will Steward (36) got them off the hook with a stand of 68.
Wickets fell again after Richardson went until Dom Bess (23) and Merrick Steward (23) knocked up 42 for the ninth wicket. It was a stand Sandford could have done without.
Ollie Sale and George Greenway 92-47) posed early problems for Sandford, who were 14 for threee.
Surviving opener Tom Mitchum (36) and Laundre Van Wyk (33) made a 44-run dent in the deficit, then Mitchum kept going with Ryan Miller as Sandford reached 102 for five.
Then the wheels fell off. Back came Sale for a second spell and he knocked over three in a row as Sandford went from 120 for five to 127 for nine.
Last pair Nigel Ashplant and Palmer delayed the inevitable, reaching 144 all out.
“I think we had a decent game again but once more couldn't see it through,” said Palmer. “It sums up our season.”