Devon Cricket Board - C Division: Lancs to have a look at Mutch

C Division: Lancs to have a look at Mutch

C DIVISION

HATHERLEIGH found out why Lewdown are running away with the C Division this season when the two sides met at Holsworthy Road.

Ryan Davies (26) and Nicholas Scott-Rogers (27) were Hatherleigh’s best run scorers in a total of 110 all out.

Having been 37 for five at one stage, 110 wasn’t a bad effort.

Lewdown’ Rob Mutch showed the form that has had Lancashire sniffing round him by taking four for 22. They will find out more when he spends part of the week after next at Old Trafford.

Harry Geering then struck an unbeaten 57, and Mutch cracked 17 not out from seven balls, as Lewdown raced to an eight-wicket win.

Clyst Hydon beat Bideford by six wickets to snatch second place off Hatherleigh, who were trounced by eight wickets by leaders Lewdown.

Will Barrett (62no) and Josh King (42) had the only scores of note in Bideford’s modest tally of 151 for six.

Having been 47 for five when Barrett went in to join King, Bideford did well to get as many as they did.

Dhanuja Haturusingha (2-27) and Peter Milner (3-29) took the wickets while Kev Sercombe (13-7-18-0) tied down an end effectively.

A second wicket stand of 97 between Chris Jelley (55) and Andy Feather (42) pointed Clyst towards victory.

Lewdown are now 51 points clear of second placed Clyst Hydon and 57 up on Hatherleigh with 100 to play for.

Seaton skipper Ben Morgan led from the front at Cockington where he brought himself into the attack after 16 overs of Joe Berry and the tiring Ben Libby and promptly claimed a six-wicket haul.

Shaun Needham made 85 and there were handy contributions from Chris Watton (34) and James Howrihane (29no) in Cockington’s 204 all out;

Morgan finished with figures of 6-43 and then sat back to admire a fine knock of 76 from John Waterhouse who, together with Mark Bray (30) and Nick Beedell (34), saw their side home in a comfortable run chase by six wickets.

Needham and Steve Mudge (2-48) took two wickets each for Cockington, who are 59 points adrift at the foot of the table.

With relegation battling rivals Ashburton also winning – the pair meet on the final day of the C Division season at Seaton – a win was vital to the Court Lane side’s chances of beating the drop.

Morgan said: “Winning was the main objective. It was nice to get a haul of wickets but for me far more pleasing was that, for only the third time this term, we have managed to score 200 plus and that’s a big bonus for us heading into the closing stages of the campaign.”

On his six-wicket haul, he is the first Seaton bowler this season to claim a six-for, he said: “I do like to bowl when the initial shine has gone off the ball. I did not get an immediate break through, my first came in my second over, but, after that ,everything fell into place for me.”

Ashburton beat Stoke Gabriel by 54 runs to stay out of the bottom two by a point.

Kev Nicholls (58) and Tom Durman (29) hoisted 61 for the first Ashes’ wicket and with Tony Lacy chipping in with 57 they reached 195 all out. Having been 139 for one with 11 overs to go, skipper Chris Pascoe may have been hoping for a few more, not that it mattered.

For Stoke weren’t allowed a starty as Durman (3-45), Ashley Harvey (4-26) and Marcus West pegged them back to 89 for six.

Mark Newman battled away in vain while making 59 not out to save the game, but it wasn’t enough as Stoke were all out for 141.

Kingsbridge had the best of a draw in their mid-table meeting with Ivybridge at Filham.

James Fletcher hit 69 in Kings’ total of 158 for nine. Bhanu deSilva took three for 30 as Ivybridge were held to 131 for seven in reply, skipper Gareth Andrews top scoring with 28.

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