Devon Cricket Board - D Division: Four from four for Yelverton

D Division: Four from four for Yelverton

D DIVISION
Yelverton made it four wins from four with a five-wicket home win over Filleigh.
Simon Prideaux (39) top scored for the North Devon side in a total of 202-8. Matt Tamsett took 3-30 and Viv Kothari then led the run chase with 66 and Steve Luffman hit 47 as Yelverton got home on 203-5 with two overs remaining.
John Hickman took 3-42 for Filleigh who have now lost two of their first four outings this term.
Countess Wear sit second despite an eight-wicket defeat at Halberton & Sampford Peverell where they batted first and closed on 240-8. Dave Harkness top scored with 72 whilst Phil Robins (4-51) and Richie Durrant (3-69) were the main wicket takers. Dan Coles then led the Mid-Devon side’s run chase with a splendid 131 and Tom Sambrook was unbeaten on 82 at the close.
The pair put on 211 for the opening wicket – and that’s a new Divisional league record.
Honiton sit third in the D Division after a winning draw with visiting Plymouth Civil Service and Roborough.
Adam Holmes (91) and George Meadows (72no) were the principle scorers in a home total of 246-4.
The visitors finished on 220-6 with Honiton skipper Kev Kelly the most successful of his bowlers with 3-17.
Kelly said: “The track was simply too good to bowl a side out on as nearly 500 runs for ten wickets indicates. We batted very well, but it was too much of an ask to get another competent batting outfit out on that track.”
On Saturday Kelly takes his side to early season whipping boys Cockington who have been bowled out in all four of their games so far for an accumulative total of 290 runs!
Seaton climbed four places in the D Division table after an emphatic seven wicket success at basement dwellers Cockington.
Edward Hunt was the star of the show with 108 as he and Stephen Pritchard (48) put on 150 for the second wicket.
A score of 204-3 meant maximum batting points were secured for the first time this term and then the bowlers went to work. Ben Copp picked up three wickets and there were braces for Phil Collins, Joe Berry and skipper Ben Morgan as the South Devon side were bowled out for 110.
A delighted Morgan said: “That was a very thorough performance. At last we got runs from the batsmen and then we bowled and fielded exceptionally well to bag an important win which will do plenty of good to our overall confidence.”
Next up is the biggest test of them all as Seaton become the latest team to try and stop the Yelverton express. The table topping side have won all four games so far this season dropping just four points along the way. They are the visitors to Court Lane on Saturday. Morgan says: “If we apply ourselves as we did at Cockington and all departments deliver then we will be a match for them.”
Whimple’s Chris Palfrey (left) had a day to savour in his side’s home winning draw with Feniton.
The East Devon derby provided a feast of runs with Feniton just a single hit from winning when stumps were drawn for the day.
Palfrey struck a magnificent unbeaten 136 as he and skipper Ben Silk (83no) led their side form a worrying 53-4 to a commanding 275-4 at the close. The pair added 221 for the unbroken fifth wicket which becomes a new Francis Clark D Division league record for that wicket.
John French bagged a brace of wickets for Feniton who were led in what was almost a magical run chase by a Brian Cann century. The evergreen Cann finally departed on cricket’s ‘nelson’, out for 111. Such was the Cann dominance of the chase that the next best Feniton offering was the 30 from Ben Allen. It was that man Palfrey who led the bowling honours with 5-70 from his 13 overs and Silk chipped in with an economical 1-23 as Feniton closed with their last pair at the wicket and just five runs short of the Whimple offering.
Home skipper Silk said: “It was a cracking game, one that either team could have won. Chris (Palfrey) batted superbly.”
This weekend both Whimple and Feniton travel with Silk taking his side to Filleigh and Feniton head into Exeter to meet Countess Wear.

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