Devon Cricket Board - B Division round-up: Pens back to winning ways

B Division round-up: Pens back to winning ways

B 2nd XI DIVISION

IPPLEPEN got back to winning ways in the B Division 2nd XI competition when they beat Alphington by three wickets.

Matt Hodgson (3-24) and Sam Barrett (3-25) worked hard to keep the Alphas to 118 for nine. Simon Tapley (31no) and Jeff Heath (27) sorted out the chase.

Shaun Taylor took five for 12 and new boy James Long took two for 24 as Kingsbridge skittled Abbotskerswell for 79.

Long, a 17 year old who moved to the South Hams recently, top scored with 61 in a perfunctory run chase.

Fortunate to playing after the recent wet weather, the grounds team put in many extra hours just to get a game played but with a wet pitch to start with the toss was key and Kingsbridge won and invited the home side to bat.

An opening partnership of 28 was as good as it got as the away side made the most of the movement available and wickets fell quickly with Taylor (5-12) Mark Edmonds (2-24) doing the bulk of the damage.

Haydn Crocker battled hard for 18 but extras ended as top scorer with 19 and the hosts were all out in only 35 overs.

As Kingsbridge began their reply the game was in the balance as the ball continued to dominate bat and they found themselves 0-2 and 5-3 with Crocker (1-12) and Hugo Whitlock (2-5) finding considerable early movement.

However that was the end of the success for Abbots as Long chanced his arm with some lusty blows and despite rotating the bowlers the breakthrough couldn’t be found and Kingsbridge reached the target after 20 overs as the pitch dried out.

Despite good efforts, Abbots were ultimately out done by the pitch but will be looking to bounce back in the local derby with South Devon next week.

Richard Ward (88) Sam Thomas (58) and Wes Fowler (46) were among the runs as Brixham rattled up 251 for four at Bideford.

Mike Barron (3-23) and Matt Parsons (4-24) dispatched Bideford for 120. Fergus Bradbeer had the best of a sad set of scores in a 131-run defeat.

Matt Reed was the man of the moment for Ottery St Mary in their 89-run derby win over Sidmouth.

Reed top scored with 68, and Robert Bradshaw-Smith was 53 not out, in an Ottery tally of 216 for eight. Graham Munday accounted for four Ottery batters at a cost of 58 runs.

Reed them took three for 34 to back up Keith Biggs (4-22) as Sidmouth were bowled out for 127.

South Devon were always on hiding to nothing after Ian Whally (5-11) helped bowl them out of 115. Kevin Murphy made 30 and Ian Shepherd 20.

Despite Tim Grainger’s four for 58 on his return to the South Devon side, Simon Coomer (33no) saw Plymstock over the line with four wickets in hand.

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