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A BOWLING record that has stood for almost 70 years has finally fallen to one of the oldest spinners around.

   Retired University of Exeter lecturer Jeff Stanyer won't see 70 again, but that doesn't stop him wheeling away for the Devon Dumplings.

   The Dumplings, are a wandering club who play midweek games all over the county, and have done since 1902.

   The leading wicket taker for the club was clergyman Gerald Heslop, who took a staggering 1,077 wickets for the Dumplings during a career lasting from 1904 to 1939.

   Heslop, who also represented the Devon County side from 1903-1913, died aged 79 in 1964.

   Stanyer, who first played for the Dumplings in 1961 when he arrived at the university to lecture in politics, has been creeping closer to the Heslop's record for the past few years. He passed the 1,000 mark in 2001 and stared the current season just seven short of Heslop's all-time record.

   The record had to go sooner or later and did in the Dumplings penultimate game of the season, a 10-wicket win over touring side South Oxfordshire Amateurs.

   The record fell to the second of two stumpings by Gareth Tidball off the bowling of the veteran off-spinner.

   South Oxfordshire Amateurs won the toss and elected to bat in all all-day game at the County Ground, Exeter on a hard, flat wicket.

   With a stand of 81 for the first wicket, the tourists got off to a steady start, moving to just over 100 at lunch.

   On the resumption SOA lost wickets regularly taking their score to a declaration total of 246 for six after 69 overs.

   Stanyer's figures were 12 overs, two maidens, two wickets for 39 runs.

   Other wickets fell to fellow spinners Chappell, Hicks and Rendell with a direct hit run out by Marshall Hood completing the tally.

   Opener Marshall Hood (158 not out off 95 balls) and Jas Kalsi (84 not out off 78 balls) demonstrated just how flat the pitch was when the Dumplings batted.

   The the match won by 10 wickets in just 28.5 overs in 114 minutes.

   Aussie Hood batted with ruthless power and authority but even such an excellent knock took nothing away from the display of the 18-year-old North Devon player Kalsi.

   South Oxfordshire Amateurs 246-6 dec (J Stanyer 2-39), Devon Dumplings 247-0 (M Hood 158no, J Kalsi 84no). Dumplings won by 10 wkts.