Exeter SJ v Barnstaple & Pilton
PROBLEMS are mounting up for Exeter St James, who clung on grimly for a draw against Barnstaple & Pilton on a day when it appeared it would have been easier to win.
Stuart Shaw (3-28), Steve Poortman (3-18) and Nigel Fereday (3-2) put a welter of problems in the run-up to the match to one side to dismiss Barum for 140.
That ought to have been the platform for a dash to victory for Saints, who hadn't won a league game this season prior to Saturday, but those problems were about to come back and haunt them.
Poortman made 53 and Shaw 18, but no one else reached double figures as Saints were left hanging on at 109 for nine.
Saints' problem is a shortage of players which has got so severe they had to cancel their 2nd XI fixture at home to Shobrooke Park on Saturday. There were worries the club wouldn't have enough registered players on the books to get a first team out, although they seem to have scraped by.
Axminster v Alphington
ALPHINGTON signalled their promotion credentials in the best possible way with a comfortable four-wicket win at Axminster that Steve Bowen set up for them.
Bowen got the Alphas off to dream start by reducing Axminster to 20 for four in his own – and from then on it was always going to be a struggle for Danny Larcombe's side.
Paul Miller justified his elevation from the 2nd XI with 38, Mark Richards (39) and Stuart Evans (25) weighed in and by the end of 46 overs Axminster had scraped together 175 for eight.
Bowen returned to finish with six for 42 and there were two wickets for spinner Paul James.
Bowen hadn't finished with Axminster yet as his top score of 51 underpinned the Alphington chase. Ian McDonald made 34 early on and James finished it off with three overs to spare with an unbeaten 30.
Victory lifts Alphington within five points of second placed Barnstaple in the log-jam behind early leaders Brixham.
Plymouth CS v Clyst SG
CLYST St George were thwarted by Plymouth Civil Service's tail-enders in a drawn game at Beacon Down.
Civil are struggling on the bowling front at the moment, which showed as Clyst raced away to 249 for four in 46 overs.
Duncan Chave hammered 118, which included 17 fours and a six, while Chris Cook helped himself to an unbeaten 55.
The stand for the fourth wicket between Chave and Cook was worth 109 to Clyst. Skipper Steve May (26no) put on 62 unbroken at the end with Cook.
Andy Hawker's two for 66 was the best set of bowling figures in Civil's book.
The smart money was on a Clyst win after they had reduced Civil to 41 for four in reply with Pete Weatherhead, who went on to finish with six for 49, doing most of the damage.
Then former Civil captain Neil Martin started to lead a fightback which, at one stage, appeared capable of winning the game.
Martin and youngster Mo Alam (26) rattled up 72 in 10 overs then veteran Phil Bayliss (32) helped Martin add 60 for the sixth wicket.
The target came down to 57 off 15 overs at one stage, but Weatherhead returned, Cook bowled tightly and although Martin finished on 89 not out Civil were 220 for eight when the overs ran out.
Plymstock v Bideford
PLYMSTOCK soon put their defeat at Brixham in the past with a workmanlike 47-run win over visiting Bideford.
Plymstock's innings was a bit of a stop-start affair that began well with openers Nick Langridge and Josh Nash putting on 45, slowed as Mike Clements (4-38) posed problems with his off-spin and reached a crossroads at 86 for five.
Denzil Addicott (66) and Paul Burleson (22) pushed the score up to 136 for five and Addicott kept going to help Plymstock reach 167 all out.
Matt Clarke, Jack Perham and Mike Wigley all had two wickets each for Bideford.
Bideford's reply stared well – Matt Allin and James Ford (32) making 34 for the first wicket, then it all started to go wrong for them.
Graham Jackson (2-24) and Addicott (3-39) were both on hat-tricks at different times as Bideford's middle order imploded.
Wigley (31) survived at one end for a while, but Seb Jordan (3-27) was cleaning up at the other. Mike Cherry came on at the end to take two for 17 as Bideford were dismissed for 120 with more than eight overs to go.
Skipper Ian Whalley said afterwards it was just the sort of performance Plymstock needed after their reversal at Brixham.
“We needed a win just to kick start our season,” said Whalley. “Let's hope we can take the same form into the game against Clyst St George this Saturday.”
Brixham v Seaton
BRIXHAM'S Pakistani spin demon Aqeel Ahmed performed the hat-trick for the first time in his career as Seaton were sent crashing to a 174-run defeat by the early B Division leaders.
Aqeel, with Brixham this term after six previous summers with Barton, claimed eight for ten as Seaton slumped to 57 all out.
Raul East made 20, but only Aaron Quartermaine (14) reached double figures as Aqeel did Seaton to a turn, sending them reeling from 31 for one to 57 all out.
Aqeel's figures were eight wicket for 10 runs in 7.3 overs as Seaton were humbled inside 25 overs. His hat-trick victims were tail enders Adam Monkley (bowled), Richard Arbuthnot (caught) and George East (bowled).
Aqeel wasn't far away from breaking a Devon Divisional League record that has stood since 1985 - that of John Mather's eight for seven for Abbotskeswell against Yealmpton.
Leigh Rowley holds the Brixham record for most wickets in a League match, his was nine for 36 against Bideford 1991.
Andy Jago is the only other Brixham bowler to have taken eight wickets in a League match when he took eight for 40 against Plympton 1988
Brixham totted up 231 all out in the last of their 45 overs – Andy Pugh top scoring on 62. Pugh and John Lamswood (38) put on 81 for the second wicket before Quatermaine and East sparked a mini slump to 172 for six.
Richard Ward (31) and Mark Orchard (23) helped get Brixham moving again after they had faltered.
Defeat drops Seaton down to one of the bottom of the table where they are jostling for space with crisis club Exeter St James, whom Brixham are due to visit this Saturday.