Devon Cricket Board - Sidmouth edge Premier derby

PREMIER DIVISION – WEEK FIVE

SIDMOUTH had the edge in a derby draw against Exmouth that did neither side any favours as they chase North Devon at the top of the table.

New dad Anthony Griffiths celebrated the arrival of his first son by smacking a top score of 83 in Sidmouth’s 260 for five.

Josh Bess (53) and Neil Hancock (52) both chipped in with half centuries.

Emouth couldn’t quite keep pace with the clock in their 50 overs and were 238 for seven when time ran out.

David Lye made 78 and had back up from Barney Huxtable (41) and skipper Richard Baggs.

Sidmouth are now 12 points off the pace and have Exmouth a point behind them now instead of four points in front.

Captain Will Murray was happy to get past Exmouth and with the way the game went.

“With the slightly depleted side we fielded, I was very pleased with the result,” said Murray.

“The top four batted brilliantly, and constructed a very competitive total.

“Exmouth showed their strength and depth in their batting line up, which pushed us the whole way.

“We just kept them at bay with impressive fielding, and bowling spells from Josh Bess, Fionn Wardrop and Matt Cooke.”

Highlights of the game included Hancock slamming nine fours and three sixes on his way to 52 off 34 balls.

Griffiths was run out by a nifty bit of fielding by Huxtable.

When Exmouth batted Lye unusually took his time making runs, facing 92 balls for his 78. Baggs go on with it when his time came, hitting 46 off 37 deliveries with a six and five fours.

BOVEY Tracey’s losing run continued as they went down by eight wickets away to leaders North Devon.

On what was the hottest day of the year in the rest of the county, play was disrupted due to rain and both sides lost five overs batting time.

Bovey were all out for 215 in the last of their 45 overs – Andy Fairbairn top scoring on 56.

Zimbabwean Glenn Querl led the North Devon bowling effort with six for 46 and there were hree wickets for spinner Rob Gear (3-43).

Gear then slammed 93 to lead North Devon to victory with more than four overs to go.

Defeat leaves Bovey one place above the drop zone – and grateful Paignton didn’t beat Budleigh Salterton to go past them.

The two relegation rivals meet this Saturday in what is shaping up into a real 40-pointer, even at this early stage of the season.

Bovey got into early difficulties against Jamie Overton and Querl, which reduced them to 47 for four.

Fairbairn and Chris Bradley hauled things around with a stand of 82 for the fifth wicket, a stand that only ended when Bradley (44) pulled a pulled Querl to mid-wicket shortly after the rain break.

With Fairbairn out soon after – one of six scalps claimed behind the timbers by Rob Ayre, Bovey suffered a mini slump.

Some lusty blows by Charlie Carter (26) and Pete Bradley’s nudged 18 got the score past 200.

North Devon made the chase look eash with none of the Bovey bowlers able to exert any real control apart from Danny Childs (2-59).

Dan Bowser made 53 before retiring hurt with a leg injury, then Gear and Craig Overton (16) took the score up to 164.

Gear was dismissed with a ton for the taking when he slashed Childs to Fairbairn at short cover.

Craig Overton went caught behind, which left twin brother Jamie and Ayre (25no) to bang off the rest.

DEVON trio Sandy Allen, Bob Dawson and James Burke batted Paignton into submission at Queens Park.

Paignton captain Seb Benton made a top score of 84 in Paignton’s total of 220 all out in the last of their 50 overs.

Although Paignton lost opener Steve George to the third ball of the game Burke cleaned him out – Benton and Connor Bryan (49) put on 146 for the second wicket by way of a riposte.

What was needed were a few more runs from the middle order after Bryan then Benton went one after the other for just six more runs added.

Wickets tumbled in the middle order to Dawson (3-48) and Scott Barlow (3-54) with no one making more than Mike Pedley (16no) for Paignton.

Sandy Allen (31), Dawson (88) and Burke (65) them made light work of knocking off the runs with more than six overs to spare.

Victory moves Budleigh up to fifth in the table, ahead of Bradninch who could only draw at Heathcoat.

HEATHCOAT’S in-form captain Liam Lewis clubbed a top score of 72 in a grand total of 232 for eight in the drawn game with Bradninch.

Long the way there was a stand of exactly 100 for the fifth wicket with Sam Smith (49).

Also among the runs were Peter Randerson – caught a point for 32 – and Chris Small with 25.

Lewis looked like making a few more when he flicked a ball angled into his pads at to James Street at mid-wicket.

Lewis was one of three victims for Ross Acton (3-65), who shared the bowling honours with the impressive Sean Nowak (3-66)

Bradninch made a solid start through Richard Cater (20) and Tim Piper (24), then seemed to nod off.

Losing Brad Cachopa lbw first ball to the frugal Paul Elliott ((2-32) didn’t help the Bradninch cause.

Street made eight off 42 balls at the height of the go slow, which was partly enforced by Matt Hague bowling four successive e maidens.

With the game out of reach – Bradninch needed 150 to win in the last 10 overs – Acton and Novak put bat to ball.

Ross Acton hit 33 not out and Sean Novak 47 in an unbroken partnership of 63 that took Bradninch up to 159 for six in reply.

Jack Menheneott with four for 45 was the pick of the Heathcoat bowlers – and could have gone one better had Lewis been switched on.

Dropped catches exempted, Lewis was more than happy with the result.

“This was a very good result,” said Lewis.

“We batted well and set a score that was always going to be hard to chase on our wicket.

“Paul Elliott bowled 15 overs on the bounce superbly!

Jack Meneheneott troubled all their batsmen and deserved a five-wicket haul - and would have had one had I not dropped a dolly.

“Matt Hague bowled very well and continuously beat the outside edge.

“On the whole I am pleased to take 14 points against a very talented young side.”

PLYMPTON captain Andy Walter felt the derby defeat by Plymouth should go down as ‘the one that got away’.

Having slumped to 44for four in reply to Plymouth’s 214 for six, David Wrench led a spirited fightback with an unbeaten 90.

While Wrench and Imran Ali Pasha (3) were putting on 90 for the sixth wicket, Plympton hopes were raised.

Ali’s dismissal to a stumping – a controversial one as far as Plympton players were concerned – slowed the comeback just in time from Plymouth’s point of view.

Four wickets went for 13 runs as Plympton dipped to 147 for nine and a last-wicket stand of 35 between Wrench and Ryan Skinner couldn’t change anything.

“We were unfortunate with three or four umpiring decisions that went against us and definitely had a bearing on the match,” said Walter.

“David Wrench and Imran batted fantastically well and had they stayed together a few more overs there is a good chance we would have won.

“Imran was given out stumped because the umpire said his heel was up. We will have to disagree over that.

“We competed from start to finish, we refused to give up and we showed all the fighting qualities we are going to need to get away from the wrong end of the table.”

Opposite number Callum Whittaker said: “Plympton bowled well so I was happy with 214 for six - and when we had them 50 for five it should have been game over,” said Whittaker.

“Dave Wrench and Ali got them closer than we were expecting, but once w broke that partnership I was always confident.”

Whittaker, (42) was among the leading scorers for Plympton as they negotiated a way through two livelly spells from Imran (4-61).

George Stephenson made 43 and Steve Luffman 38. Imran got Harry Kandampully out when he returned for a second spell, but Chris Hadfield (37no) got on with it inn the last 10 overs as he and Stephenson put on 56 for the sixth wicket.

Plympton were all at sea at first as Dave Burke (2-43) and Ben Robins (3-49) got among them. Opener Duncan Hefford went third ball, which was an ominous sign!

Wrench and Imran stopped the rot, but once Imran went the Plympton tail was exposed to spinners Hadfield (2-38) and Matt Hooper (1-25) with predictable results.