Back

WEEK 25 , SEPTEMBER 20 & 21

SANDFORD are the 2008 North Devon Holiday Homes League Champions after the claimed an 83 run win at Bradninch in the final fixture of the top-flight season.

   The game, staged at Keynsham Avenue, Bradninch, was a classic, winner-takes-all contest and it was Richard Foan who proved to be the star of the show on a ground he used to play on until he left for Creedy Park in 1999.

   Indeed Foan, opening the batting for the visitors, was facing in the home side, his Uncle Derrick, whilst amongst a large crowd gathered to see the final day ‘title decider' were his mother and father, Mike and Carole.

   Sandford batted first and were a wicket down inside the first over when Foan played a ball straight back to home opener Ross Acton who deflected the ball onto the stumps to run out the non striking batsmen Richard Discombe who made the trudge back to the Pavilion having not faced a ball.

   This brought Matt Theedom to the wicket and he and the Creedy Park side's Saturday 1 st XI skipper Foan promptly put on 107 for the 2 nd wicket before Theedom fell to a smart catch by Nick Dean off the bowling of Phil Chappell. Wickets continue to fall at regular intervals but, crucially for the batting side, Foan was in imperious form and not offering a chance as he powered his way past his half century and ultimately to a magnificent century, his second of the Sunday League campaign.

   Foan ton came up in just 115 balls and he despatched five 6's and eight 4's being particular ruthless on one over from Phil Chappell that he cracked 23 off. What's more when Foan's innings reached 22 he broke a long standing club record of the most runs by a Sandford player in a cricket season, beating the 1244 of Matt O'Brien to take his place amongst Creedy Park folklore.

   Sandford skipper Paul Smith chipped in with some priceless late order runs as the visitors posted a daunting total of 227-9.

   Gary Chappell (3-35) and Joel Murphy (2-54) were the most successful of the home bowlers, it was Murphy who ended the Foan innings. One ball after being clubbed into an adjacent field, Murphy got one a little straighter, Foan missed the shot, the ball hit his pads, the umpires finger went up and the centurion walked, this in the penultimate over of the innings.

   Faced with a target that required a run of a shade over five an over the home side got the perfect start through Dan Hardy and Ross Acton who kept the board ticking over with 36 coming off the first eight but then Acton fell to a smart catch by Simon Ashplant off the bowling of Brian Leach and once that first wicket fell others followed at regular intervals until the side was eventually all out for 146. Tim Piper (27), Joel Murphy (25) and Ross Acton (24) made the greater contributions but it was a regular supply of slower bowling that proved the difference. R

ichard Coupe picked up 3-27 and that man Foan helped himself to 3-28 as Sandford claimed the Sunday Leagues top honour for only the second time.

   North Devon II ended their Division Three campaign with a win over Bratton Fleming II who said goodbye to the section with a 77 run defeat. Jamie Overton (139) and twin brother Craig (69) put on 142 for the first wicket at Instow as the home side posted a healthy 262-5 and the visitors could only muster 185-9 in reply, three wickets form both Tim Cook and Dan Payne.

   Shobrooke Park won one and lost one in a double header weekend to complete their programme. Saturdays win at Sandford II was followed by an eight wicket defeat at Champions Morebath who had a centurion and a bowler achieving the ‘fivefer'. John Chilcott, not for the first time this season, hit a century and Eddie Wensley bagged the five wicket haul as Shobrooke scored 172 and Chilcott led the home side to an eight wicket victory.

   The Division Four game at Newton Tracey II was another of those ‘winner takes all' contests only this time the issue at stake was a place in the Division next summer whilst for the loser it would mean starting next April back in the basement Division.

  Adding spice to the mix was that Kelseymen could actually still afford to lose and would stay up, but only if they pooled sufficient points in defeat. Newton Tracey claimed the win, and by a margin of nine wickets and that left Kelseymen ending up relegated alongside Bishop Nympton. It was a case of wickets all round as Kelseymen laboured to a total of 183-8 and then, knowing that they would stay up if they could knock the runs off and lose just a couple of wickets, Simon Gear (115no) and Rob Gear (38no) saw the home side to a nine- wicket win.

Division One: (Sunday)

Sandford 227-9 (R Foan 114, M Theedom 58, P Smith 25; G Chappell 3-35, J Murphy 2-54), Bradninch 146 (T Piper 27, J Murphy 25, R Acton 24; R Coupe 3-27, R Foan 3-28). Sandford (20pts) bt Bradninch (4) by 83 runs.

 

Division Three:

North Devon II 262-5 (J Overton 139, C Overton 69, J Starkey 30; J Smith 2-47), Bratton Fleming II 185-9 (P Dartnoll 39, M Southcott34; T Cook 3-38, D Payne 3-42), North Devon II (20pts) bt Newton Tracey (6) by 77 runs.

Shobrooke Park bt Sandford II. No other details received.

Shobrooke Park 172 (Eddie Wensley 5-45), Morebath 173-2 (J Chilcott 110). Morebath (20pts) bt Shobrooke Park (2) by 8 wkts.

 

Division Four:

Kelseymen 183-8, Newton Tracey 184-1 (S Gear 110no, R Gear 38no). Newton Tracey II (20pts) bt Kelseymen (1) by 9 wkts.

Final tables

 

Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | B H Mon | Week Six | Week Seven

Week Eight | Week Nine | Week Ten | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16

Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21 | Aug BH Monday | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 | Week 25 |