Devon Cricket Board - Premier champs defeated in first game

PREMIER DIVISION – WEEK ONE

SAM Wadham took the wickets but Paul Elliot deserved the praise as Heathcoat marked their return to Premier cricket with a 99-run win over Paignton.

   Paignton, chasing 259 to win, were dismissed for 159 in reply with Wadham taking four wickets and Elliot one of three bowlers taking a brace.

   Heathcoat skipper Liam Lewis said it was the sort of team performance needed to make an impression in the Premier, but singled out Elliot for an extra pat on the back.

   “Everyone bowled well, but I can’t remember seeing Paul beat the bat as often as he did against Paignton,” said Lewis.

   “Time after time Paul went past the outside edge and had he picked up four or five wickets it would have been no more than he deserved.

   “We played with the right intensity and looked a bit sharper than Paignton, who seemed to have their heads down from early in the game.

   “We must not get carried away though. We have had one game and there will be harder ones ahead”

   Heathcoat could not have wished for a better start than 88 for the first wicket between Pete Randerson (53) and Joe Smith (72).

   When Randerson pulled a full-toss from Mike Pedley to mid-wicket , Sam Smith came in to joing his brother and shared in a 50-run stand before he got out to Tom Field.

   Lewis then settled in for the duration, making a stylish 70 which took him to the final over.

   Paignton’s bowling figures were mixed with Stephen George bowling tidily for 15 overs and Steffan Kelly taking two for 58.

   Pedley’s figures (1-32 off four) would have been better had Randerson not clouted him for three fours in the same over!

   Paignton were always up against it after Elliot (2-41) and Wadham (4-33) reduced them to 55 for five. Only skipper Seb Benton (20) lingered long. Wadham had him caught by Elliot of a leading edge.

   Connor Bryan stopped the slide with a patient 45 which delayed Heathcoat longer than they wanted.

   Wadham cleaned up Bryan in his second spell and from 133 for seven it was downhill all the way with George stranded on 18 not out when Lewis (2-26) dismissed last man Justin Mann.

STEVE Allen and Andy Buzza both hit half centuries as Exmouth just got enough runs on the board to claim a winning draw at Bovey Tracey.

   It was a close-run thing though as Bovey were only eight runs short of victory when the overs expired.

   In a game reduced to 37 overs a side due to bad weather, Buzza (53) and Allen (50) were the leading scorers in an Exmouth total of 177 for eight.

   Exmouth needed a lift after labouring to 66 for four under pressure from South African seamer Danny Childs (2-32) and Ryan Bougourd (4-34) and got it thanks to Buzza and Allen.

   Allen hit four fours and a six during his 69-ball stay. Buzza hit five fours in a stand of 64.

   Bovey had a makeshift top order in the absence of Chris Clayton and Nick Seager, which may explain why they were 33 for three. Toby Ingham picked up Lewis Hammett to a catch in the gully then bowled Charlie Carter.

   Debutant Theo Holland, who has stepped up from B Division cricket with Cockington last season, made 10.

   Andy Fairbairn (35) and Chris Bradley (41) moved Bovey along to 88 for four before the controversial dismissal of Bradley ended the stand.

   Bradley was given out bowled by David Lye, although Bovey were convinced the ball rebounded off keeper Buzza’s pads on to the stumps.

   Bovey kept going for the run with Fairbairn and Ben Ayres (38) posted another 58.

   A great catch by Trevor Anning removed Ayres off Lye’s bowling and when he went Bovey’s chances diminished.

   Anning’s throw beat Andrew Longstreet for pace between the wickets then Fairbairn went to Baggs having hit a six and four fours.

   Bougourd and Peter Bradley were the not-out batsmen in Bovey total of 171 for seven.

SIDMOUTH captain Will Murray said the 14-run defeat at Bradninch confirmed his suspicions that retaining the Premier title will be a tall order.

   The three-times champions were struggling at 102 for nine chasing 177 to win at Bradninch, but got within touching distance of the target thanks to a last-wicket stand off 60 between Matt Cooke and Miles Dalton.

   Said Murray: “Matt and Miles almost took us to an unlikely victory, which only goes to show the depth of batting we have in the side.

   “I would not say I am devastated to lose, but the way we lost cemented in my mind how difficult it will be to retain the title this year.

   “We were chasing 20 or 30 more than I would have liked, but had we batted better early on that would not have been a problem.

   “Sean Nowak bowled a lively opening spell for Bradninch and we didn’t deal with him very well at all.

   “It is one game out of 18 and there is plenty of time to get it back. We need to show against Heathcoat this Saturday what we can really do.”

   Richard Cater’s 68 was the rock-like innings the Bradninch total of 176 all out was constructed around.

   Cater – strong in front of the wicket – hit 12 fours and a six before Dalton snared him lbw.

   James Street, Joe Webb and Ross Acton all got started then got out.

   Pick of the bowlers for Sidmouth was Murray with four for 42.

   Sidmouth started poorly in reply by losing Josh Bess to Nowak in the second over.

   Their problems were exacerbated when surviving opener Anthony Griffiths left a delivery from Paul Nott and watched in horror as it bowled him!

   When Nick Gingell (28) arrived Sidmouth were 50 for four and chasing the game.

   Bradninch kept the pressure on with some tidy bowling and sharp fielding, emphasised by Louis Storm’s diving catch at point to send back Murray.

   When Will Gater, Jamie Wardop and Murray all went for just 11 runs added, it didn’t seem likely the last pair would hang around long.

   Cooke’s 42 and Dalton’s 27 not out meant a few anxious moments in the home camp before Nott returned to prise out Cooke.

PLYMOUTH skipper Callum Whittaker said his side set the standard for the season ahead with a walloping seven-wicket win over first-day opponents Budleigh Salterton at Mount Wise.

   Kevin Davies and Charlie Hill had three wickets each as Budleigh were bundled out for 133 with more than three of their 50 overs to go.

   Doug Hewitt then slammed an unbeaten 67 as the city side won at a canter to claim all 20 points.

   Said Whittaker: “We got off to a great start last year, then went off the boil and I don’t want to see that happening again.

   “One of our problems was doing the simple stuff consistently well and we certainly seem to have improved there.

   “Once we got through Budleigh’s top for there wasn’t a lot to come – and by doing the hard yards early we made life easy for ourselves.

   “It was just the start I was looking for, but make no mistake Exmouth this Saturday will be a bigger test than Budleigh were.”

   Plymouth’s ‘bonus’ player Davies –a South African seamer who came to the city to work and does not come under the overseas player restrictions – nipped out Budleigh openers Sandy Allen and Bob Dawson with assistance from Whittaker behind the stumps.

   James Burke – the former Plymstock youngster who commutes to Budleigh for his cricket – shared in modest stand of 29 with Neil Murrin, who faced 57 balls compiling his five-run share.

   Charlie Hill (2-22) and Chris Hadfield (2-6) disrupted the Budleigh middle order and only a battling 28 from Devon’s Scott Barlow prevented a sub 100 total.

   Barlow, who hit a six and two fours, was ninth out at 133 to a catch at mid-wicket.

   Hadfield wrapped up the innings by sending back Matt Plowan.

   Plymouth made a sold start in reply through Whittaker and James Toms, putting on 35 before a smart piece of fielding by Lloyd Murrin accounted for Whittaker when he should have settled for a single instead of trying for a second.

   Toms was bowled by Barlow for 13, which brought Hadfield in to join Hewitt.

   Aussie Hewitt was the dominant partner in stands of 34 with Hadfield and 57 unbroken with veteran Steve Luffman.

   Along the way Hewitt mauled Lloyd Murrin’s bowling by smashing him for seven fours in a nine-ball over which, when the wides and no-balls were added in cost 31 runs.

PLYMPTON captain Andy Walter took his comfort where he could following the 131-run drubbing at North Devon.

   Zimbabwean Glenn Querl top scored for the Instow men with 68 as they hoisted 248 for eight in 50 overs.

   Craig Overton, who is on the Somerset Academy programme, made 56 and there were useful chip ins from Martin Gear (26) and Craig’s twin Jamie (27).

   Plympton nosedived from 27 for one to 42 for four then 83 for five to 99 for nine on the wy to 117 all out. Take out David Wrench’s 37 and there wasn’t a lot from the rest.

   This is a transitional season for Plympton as stalwarts like Keith Donohue and Arwyn Jones are no longer around to bowl – and Lewis Gregory is making big strides with Somerset.

   Walter’s view was it could have been worse - and Plympton did well to stop North Devon really piling up the runs.

   “When Querl and Craig Overton were in we were looking at North Devon making 350, so to rein them in to under 250 was a good effort,” said Walter.

   “Craig Donphue bowled really well for his three wickets and Jamie Pfeiffer did the job I was looking for of bowling darts at one end.

   “North Devon are a top side and I expect them to be up there all season. It is how we do against the mid-table sides which is going to be important.”

   After the Gear brothers – Rob (12) and Martin (26) put on 43 for the first wicket, Querl and Jamie Overton put on 99.

   Overton went first, caught at mid-wicket, with Querl making it to 209 when he holed out to Donohue at long-on.

   Querl hadn’t finished with Plympton either as his six-for31 haul helped skittle them out.

   Among his victims was Donohue, who trod on his wicket trying to hook a bouncer.

   Walter (17). Pfeiffer (11no) and last man Matt Gregory (13) were the only Plympton batsmen to reach double figures.