Devon Cricket Board - B Division: Captain Cook resigned to drop

B Division: Captain Cook resigned to drop

B DIVISION

CLYST St George skipper Matt Cook is resigned to relegation after the 150-run defeat by Barnstaple & Pilton left the team 27 points adrift of safety at the foot of the table.

Laurence May clattered along to 120 as B&P made it to 278 all out. May and Jack Popham (52) put on 110 for the firth wicket.

Steve Bourke (4-69) and Pete Andrews (2-31) were the pick of the bowlers.

There were three wickets each for Ross Burbidge (3-30) and Henry McEndoo (3-47) as Clyst were bowled out for 128. Chris Ferro (36) and Dan Takle (27) offered the only real resistance.

Clyst have only won one game all season and time is running out to improve on that record.

Said Cook: “I think all that is left now is to enjoy ourselves and try to win some games.

“Last season we only stayed up by beating Shobrooke on the last day of the season when almost everyone expected us to go down.

“We had a better side last season than we have now so perhaps it is not surprising we are where we are.”

South Devon let Tavistock off the hook as a game they looked odds on to win ended in a losing draw.

Early wickets from Peter Vorster (3-38) had Tavvy reeling at 14 for three and 88 for seven with Dave Manning gone for 31 wasn’t much of an improvement.

Shaun Cleave (73no) and Will Downham (25) put on 89 for the eighth wicket as Tavistock recovered to 195 for eight. Tom Carter (2-7) picked up a couple of cheapies at the end.

South Devon looked good at 53 for one – Carter making 34 – were stalling at 94 for four and five and in trouble at 104 for six.

Dayment (4-33) was Tavvy’s most effective bowler as South Devon were held to 138 for eight.

South Devon’s disappointment was tempered by learning they had done enough to regain second place from Chudleigh, who lost by nine runs against Chagford.

Chagford’s batting did a disappearing act after Del Lammonby went for 21 with Tersius Gouws (3-24), Jack Vittles (3-12) and Jon Martin (2-16) reducing them to 63 for nine.

A last-wicket stand of 51 between Jeremy Christophers (17) and Chris Rowlands (14no) spelled trouble for Chudleigh, who ended up chasing 115 to win.

Chudleigh were two for two with Mark Solway and Matt Heather out, recovered to while Gouws (15) and Dan Le Marquand (27) added 54 and were in no-man’s land at 75 for eight.

Rob Clarke (27) and Jack Vittles came together at 75 for nine and set about chisling away at the 40 needed to win.

They had reached 105 when Lammonby (6-18) got Clarke out to win the game. Christophers finished with four for 42.

Thorverton have gone from fourth from top to third from bottom in less than a month after going down by seven wickets to leaders Plymstock.

Morgan Parkinson had a day to remember with an eight for 31 haul as Plymstock skittled Thorverton for a measly 71.

Some of the Thorverton batters played shots to forget though with only two – Paul Fielder and Andrew Codling – making it into double figures. The last five wickets went for 14 runs, which says it all.

Gwillam Crouch (2-15) earned Thorverton a bonus point, but Dom Wood’s 28 not out and 24 extras meant it was all over early.

Axminster dropped a place to fourth from bottom when Dartington & Totnes beat them by two wickets to go past them.

A second-wicket stand of 108 between Paul Miller (51) and Gary Larcombe (49) helped Axminster accumulate 167 for six in the 43-over game.

Bertus Loots (3-48) pipped Harry Baxendale (2-46) in the D&T bowling stakes.

Totnes reached 138 for four without too many problems – Scott Stevenson hitting 10 fours and six in his 48 and Loots smashing six sixes in a quickfire 42.

Wicket tumbled to Larcombe (3-27), Alex Wraight (2-58) and Nick Taylor (2-48) as Totnes scraped over the line with three balls to go. Ryan Stevenson had 26 for the winners.

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