Devon Cricket Board - E Division: Filleigh and Honiton press on

E DIVISION

HONITON stay second after they were involved in a low-scoring affair at Kentisbeare where they were skittled out for just 95 and yet emerged winners by a comfortable margin of 36 runs!

Andrew Chave (5-27), Harry Howe (2-10) and Patrick Hobson (2-26), combined to bundle out the visitors but then Alex Beighton also found the bowling conditions to his liking, taking 4-11 as the Kents were knocked over for just 59 with only Chris Gillett (25) able to make much of an impression.

Kentisbeare skipper Michael Cooke said: “When we rolled them over for 95 I was thinking that we had a real chance of knocking them off but then we found just how tough batting was!”

Woodbury managed to avoid defeat for only the second time in their ten outings to date this season when they bagged a winning draw from a high scoring affair at Kilmington.

Mark Kavanagh (87) and Tim Greenslade (80) were the mainstays of a Woods total of 272.

The basement dwellers were able to take advantage of the fact that the East Devon hosts were without their three first choice front line bowlers through injury!

It was left to Hal Cook to serve up the best of the bowling for the home side and he did more than that, sending down a dozen overs to claim seven wickets for 57 runs! Then Tom Gooding produced a magnificent effort with the bat, striking an imperious 154 to take the run chase mighty close to a successful conclusion.

Sadly he fell in the 45th over at which point home thoughts changed from seeking the win to taking the losing draw, something they managed, closing on 254-8.

Kilmington skipper Maurice Beviss, one of the three injured players who was forced to play after another late withdrawal through injury said: “I am pleased we emerged with the draw and did not pick up any more injuries. It was always going to be difficult without Ben (Noble) and Keith (Rockett) as well s myself, that’s the three front line bowlers. But Hal (Cook) certainly took his chance.

Upottery were engaged in a fascinating duel at Filleigh where the E Division leaders edged a low scoring affair by 17 runs.

Filleigh batted first and were always struggling in the face of a superb spell with the ball from Lee Nicholl who finished with a season’s best to date of 6-62 from his 13 overs as the North Devon side were bowled out for 153.

Skipper David Woolacott led the run chase with a top score of 34 but wickets fell along the way, the final one on 136 to leave Upottery beaten by those 17 runs.

Uplyme and Lyme Regis’ Caddy brothers Ashley and Adam dominated proceedings at Kenn where they scored over half their side’s runs and then accounted for six of the home wickets.

Batting first Uplyme closed on 221-8 with skipper Ashley Caddy top scoring with 93 and Adam chipping in with 35.

Pete Chislet took 3-47 for the hosts. Adam Caddy then outshone his brother with the ball taking 3-8 as the skipper claimed 3-36 with Kenn bowled out for 160. Dave Murfin continued his fine form with the bat with the top score of 73 and Vijay Goud weighed in with 47.

Babbacombe skipper Paul Bates said losing to Tiverton & Bickleigh was a chance missed to get away from the drop zone in the E Division.

The home side batted first and were bowled out for 124 with only Rob Redding (34) and Tom Ince (23) making any respectable progress.

At 49 for one a good total looked likely, but a mini collapse to 85 for six, prompted by Andy Quick (4-39), put Babbacombe on the back foot.

At the halfway point Tiverton were 65 for five, so both teams were still in it. However, a watchful stand of 45 between Richard Pugsley (31) and no.8 Derek Reed (26no) saw T&B over the line in one of the two overs they gained from dismissing Babbacombe early.

Bates claimed all but two of the wickets for the home side, his latest five-wicket haul coming at a cost of just 22 runs.

Babbacombe are now one off the bottom of the table and 26 points behind Tiverton & Bickleigh, whom they have to get past to reach safety.

“It was a golden opportunity missed to drag another team down into the relegation battle,” said Bates

“I cannot fault the player’s efforts to try to do what we said we wanted at the start of the game.

“Having been bowled out cheaply in two of our last three games we set out our stall to bat our overs, but again fell short despite good contributions from Rob Redding and Tom Ince.

“We scrapped and battled in the field, we had some chances to break the crucial seventh-wicket partnership, but the luck seems to go against you when you're at the wrong end of the table!

“The teams above us are not out of sight just yet, but we need to keep doing the things we have done well all season and start improving our batting to put some pressure on the teams above.

“Those two overs we conceded at the end of our innings cost us dear. You don’t win games very often when you don’t bat your overs.”