Devon Cricket Board - C Division 2nd XI: Yelverton break duck

C Division 2nd XI: Yelverton break duck

C DIVISION

IT was third time lucky for Yelverton who beat Clyst St George by six wickets.

Evergreen Tony Carter opened the bowling with 16 year old Cameron Dawe (2-33) and the pair bowled well in tandem, both beating the edge on numerous occasions.

Carter struck to remove the dangerous Welsh lbw for 11.

Skipper Chris Pearson replaced Dawe and bowled an economic spell picking up three wickets, all to catches.

Gavin Jones's leg-spin (1-24) proved difficult to play and kept it tight from the other end.

Gareth Farmer (1-19) found some prodigious swing in the dry conditions and picked up a wicket to leave Clyst struggling on 140-7.

Carter & Pearson returned to close out the innings for 180 in the 45th over, with Carter ending up with 2-53 off his 12 overs and Pearson 4-24 off his 12.

Yelverton's reply started well, with Lee Johns and Gavin Jones punishing any bad ball.

The pair put on 50 for the 1st wicket before Jones was caught in the Gully for 14.

Mark Symes joined Johns and the pair put on 20 before Symes was adjudged leg before for five.

Gerry Keen came and went for eight, getting a leading edge off a ball that bounced excessively to leave the score 83-3.

Paul James joined Johns and the pair put on 68 to break the back of the chase. James was caught for 41 with 30 still required and Johns was forced to retire on 54 with cramp.

Fifth wicket pair of Tom Noble and skipper Pearson saw the team home on 183-4 without further ado, Noble (23 no) and Pearson (15 no) at the end.

Barnstaple & Pillton 2nd XI came up short on the chase when they visited Shobrooke Park in the C Division.

Park, who included former Navy player Cliff Dare (98), put 204 for eight on the board with Shaun Cole taking four for 45. Dave Jolliffe hit 60.

James Roe (41) and C Clarke (45no) were the leading run getters for B&P, who ran out of steam at 187 for six.

Kingskerswell’s recent run of form came to an end in bizarre circumstances against visiting Thorverton.

Losing the toss was irrelevant because Kerswell had to start with eight players through a mixture of work commitments, a late return from London, and a mix up over a set of keys.

Finding themselves 36 for four was in no way surprising!

However Chris Hurrell (54), Pieter Douglas (32), and Nathan Weedon (25), all did their best to post a respectable total.

Indeed a respectable total would have been achieved if either James Pethick had not pulled a hamstring early on in his innings and had there not been two rather bizarre run outs.

In the end, the total of 169 all out, with still 10 overs remaining, was felt to be at least 50 runs too few.

Bowling honours went to young Stuart Tait (2-17) and Neil Anning (2-15).

Kerswell are nothing if not resilient and it wasn’t long before Douglas and Nathan Weedon were ripping into the early Thorverton order.

With Dave Dingle and Chris Hurrell both picking up wickets, Thorverton were in real trouble at 60 for five.

However 15 year old Harry Choules (64no) and Neil Anning (46no) put paid to the Kerswell hopes with a fine unbroken stand of 110.

After the game Kerswell skipper Nigel Butt said: “Everything that could have gone wrong did.

“We also lost Pieter Douglas to a borderline no ball which he hit like a bullet and which was caught

“It was always going to be tough to defend 169 on our ground and on a hard wicket where the ball really did nothing all afternoon.

To try to do it with 10 men, and with one of our bowlers out of action because of a blow on his fingers, was always going to be a severe challenge.

“I am proud of everybody and the effort they put in. No one gave up and to see people diving around in the field right to the bitter end was incredibly encouraging and will hold us in good stead for future fixtures.”

Elsewhere, Dan Sanders hit a match-winning 71 for Plymouth CS&R in their five-wicket triumph over Honiton.

Jamie Horgan racked up 117 for Cornwood, who had Clyst Hydon nine wickets down and four runs short of victory when the overs ran out.

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