Devon Cricket Board - Premier review: Sidmouth gain on leaders

PREMIER DIVISION – MAY 21

SIDMOUTH gained ground on the teams above them in the Premier Division title race with a five-wicket win at Plympton.

Devon captain Neil Hancock took four Plympton wickets for 41 runs as the home side slewed to 135 all out with five of their 40 overs to go.

Having been 79 for seven after Hancock and Will Murray (3-30) got stuck into them, Plympton did well to make 135 and were glad of a helping hand from Imran Ali Pasha with 28.

The target posed no real problems for Sidmouth, who were home and try with more than 17 overs to go.

Pasha (3-37) made life difficult at times, but not hard enough to derail the chase.

As leaders North Devon and second-placed Exmouth could only draw, against Bradninch and Paignton respectively, Sidmouth closed the gap at the top down to four points.

With North Devon to play on the Fortfield this Saturday, Sidmouth could go second or even top if Exmouth slip in the derby clash with Budleigh Salterton.

“It was a good day for us, not just because of the other results but because we got a result at a difficult place to win,” said Sidmouth captain Murray.

“I was pleased to get them all out for 135 as I knew it would be hard work getting them.

“Ben Gledhill batted very well at a difficult time for us after we had lost both our openers.

“Then Saj Patidar played the sort of wonderful innings we remember from when he was 1^st XI captain to see us through.”

Plympton started encouragingly enough with openers Andy Walter and Duncan Hefford posting 29.

The trouble started started at 53 for four when David Wrench was lbw to Murray.

The next three wickets went for just four runs – two for Miles Dalton (3-26) and another for Murray – as Plympton ground to a half at 79 for seven.

Pasha staved off total collapse and when he was ninth out at 119 there was a last-wicket cameo of 16 between Craig Donohue and Ryan Skinner.

Sidmouth lost openers Josh Bess and Anthony Griffiths to Donohue by the time they reached 31, but a stand of 56 between Gledhill (19) and Hancock (36) broke the back of the chase.

Gledhill and Nick Gingell fell in successive balls to Pasha, but the target was down to 23 by then and Sidmouth were seen home by Patidar with an unbeaten 25.

Plympton travel to Paignton this Saturday in a game they badly need to win to stop too much space opening up between them and safety, not that skipper Andy Walter is too concerned yet.

“Against a good side like Sidmouth, our total of 35 was never enough,” said Walter.

“I thought we gave them three wickets through bad shots, but saying that they have a good bowling attack based around Hancock and Murray

“In the field we did well to keep going and take five wickets . Imran bowled nearly 15 overs and bowled really well.

“Imran was backed up by Craig Donohue and some good fielding, especially by Josh Mailling, who took a great catch to get rid of Griffiths

“We can take a lot of positives from the last three games, two of which were against the top teams (Sidmouth and North Devon).

“We are stll not pushing the panic button yet as I feel we can turn some of our good performances into wins.”

BOVEY Tracey were spun to a turn by Plymouth as the city side snatched a 12-run win to go fourth in the table.

Openers Callum Whittaker (47) and James Toms (49) gave Plymouth an 81-run platform that helped take them to 194 for eight in 50 overs.

Bovey nibbled away at the deficit all the way and refused to give up even when they were 60 runs short with only two wickets in hand.

Spinners Matt Hooper (4-31) and Chris Hadfield (2-67) did most of the damage, but couldn’t shift Zaid Joseph, who was 40 not out when he ran out of partners at 182.

When Plymouth batted, after Whittaker and Toms were evicted, followed in short order by Doug Hewitt, Jake Luffman and Dave Burke, Plymouth had some rebuilding to do.

They had been 111 for two and found themselves 117 for five.

The key stand was one of 68 between veteran Steve Luffman (27) and Harry Kandampully, whose 37 off 39 balls upped the tempo when it was needed.

Devon spinner Chris Bradley (5-45) broke the stand and was easily the pick of the Bovey bowlers

Bovey suffered two early setbacks at Kevin Davies had opener Lewis Hammett caught behind, then next man in Charlie Carter was bowled second ball by Dave Burke for one.

Nick Seager (37) and Andy Fairbairn (25) made inroads during a stand of 50, but from 71 for three it started to slide as Bovey dipped to 99 for then 107 for seven.

Ben Ayres was run out for 21, which didn’t to Bovey any favours.

Joseph and Ryan Bougourd (17) took the tally up to 15, then Joseph and fellow South African Danny Childs had a go as the last pair.

The stand had reached 39 when Hooper snared Childs lbw for 11 to win the game.

EXMOUTH had Paignton under the cosh on the Maer Ground but could not kill them off and had to settle for a draw.

David Lye made a top score of 90 as Exmouth got to 200 for eight exactly in their 50 overs.

Lye, who hit 14 fours and a six, was dropped in the 20s by George Benton, which proved a costly slip on Paignton’s part.

The main stand of the inning was one worth 82 for the fourth wicket between Lye and Andy Buzza (45).

After Lye went caught behind, one of three scalps for Steffan Kelly (3-49), Buzza bated on until Kelly got him as well with an over to go.

Steve George bowled tidily for figures of two for 43 in 15 overs for Paignton,

Paignton were in trouble right from the start as Richard Cooper, Mark Smith and Connor Bryan were all back in the hutch with 19 on the board.

Matt Tarry bowled Cooper on his 1^st XI return while Anning claimed Smith caught behind and Bryan at slip.

Seb Benton was just getting going when he hooked a short ball from Anning down to Joel Tapper at long-leg.

A mature innings of 25 from Ollie Higgs, who batted out time with George Benton (63) got Paignton going again, then Benton and George staved off the threat of defeat with a stand of 72 for the seventh wicket.

Lye was deployed as a partnership breaker and duly obliged by nipping out George lbw for 33.

Mike Pedley was out the same way with one ball to go, at which point the game was safe from Paignton’s point of view.

Four off the last ball for batting points couldn’t be done by Tom Field as his scrambled two took Paignton to 173 for eight innings closed.

BRADNINCH held their nerve in a pressure environment to bring a winning draw back from North Devon by the narrowest of margins.

With James Street cracking a top score of 93 and Tim Piper making a half century as well, Bradninch reached 248 for nine in their 50 overs.

North Devon went off in hot pursuit with Craig Overton leading the way and need eight to win of the last over from Ben Slack (4-68).

Paul Hearad (15no) and Rob Ayre (22no) got it down to four off the last ball and could only manage two, which meant Bradninch were a run ahead and claimed the winning draw.

Bradnich had not had the best of starts when they batted as opener Richard Cater went in the second over to Glen Querl (4-51).

Brad Cachopa was bowled by Craig Overton for 30 with the score on 33 as Piper was digging in at the other end ff an anchorman role.

Piper (55) and Street put on 113 then Sean Nowak (46) joined Street to make another 78.

Wickets fell in the last few overs to Jamie Overton (2-30) as Bradninch took a few chances.

North Devon saw Neil Bettis out early to Nowak (2-70) and Mike Heddon not long after.

Craig Overton (61) and Querl (24) put on 44 then Jamie Overton (38) joined his twin in a stand of 59 that nibbled away at the target.

Left-arm spinner Squire got Jamie Overton out when he pulled a long-hop straight up in the air for Ross Acton to catch.

The chase continued with Rob Gear (35), Ayre and Heard getting North Devon close but not close enough.

BUDLEIGH Salterton warmed up for the looming derby date against Exmouth with a comfortable four-wicket win over Heathcoat.

Chris Small (67) and Liam Lewis (43) were the leading Heathcoat run getters in a 50-over total of 192 for seven.

Peter Randerson made 26 at the top of the order and looked good for a few more before he crashed a width ball from Matt Sutcliffe to James Burke at point.

The stand of 63 between Small and Lewis ended when Joel Murphy had Lewis caught at fine-leg.

After that it was bit and pieces with Ali Burt-Mitchell (13) and Paul Elliot (11no) chipping in.

Murphy (3-42) was the pick of the Budleigh bowlers.

Elliot (3-44) and Sam Wadham (2-64) alarmed Budleigh early on by getting out devon pair Sandy Allen and Burke respectively.

An 80-run stand between former Devon captain Bob Dawson (96) and Steve Spoljaric (33) put Budleigh in the driving seat at 99 for two.

James Hudson (23) helped Dawson get the score up to 160 for four Budleigh lost three wickets for as many runs during a brief wobble, but Dawson and Lloyd Murrin (20) got them over the hump.