Back

C DIVISION

 

STOKE Gabriel retained the leadership of the C Division ahead of Heathcoat and Cockington when they trounced South Hams rivals Kingsbridge by 66 runs.

   Steve Tolley was back to his best with 41 – he and Rob Baker notched 66 for the second wicket – then Neil Robinson got on with it to make 40 not out towards a total of 204 for six.

   Kingsbridge skipper Simon Gledhill will be disappointed to have lost the game after making an early 47 to help his side to 88 for two with 18 overs to go.

   Steve Tall's 12 and Andy Willmott's 11 were the best of a sorry set of scores apart from Gledhill's as Kingsbridge dipped to 104 for three, four and five and on to 138 all out.

   Dave Pruysers (3-49), Sean Dwyer (3-23) and Nick Sandbrook (2-39) did the damage with the ball for Stoke, who lead Heathcoat by seven points and Cockington by eight. Stoke visit Cockington this Saturday, which could be a pointer to how things will work out over the months ahead.

 

TAIL-enders Russ Witton and 16-year-old Dan Clarke got Feniton out of jail in their game away to Ivybridge.

   Ivybridge skipper Andy Johnson's early season form continued as he biffed a top score of 92 in a tally of 220 for seven.

   Along the way there as a stand of 60 for the second wicket with veteran left-hander Derek Soloman (23) and another worth 77 for the third wicket with Karl Prescott (59no).

   Jon Pyle and Mason Abbot had two wickets each for Feniton.

   Feniton were 30 for two after early difficulties against Aussie Mike Anderson (3-41), but recovered well as Graham Tucker (24) and Adrian Pullin (26) pushed the score along to 88 for two.

   Johnson turned to spinner Karl Prescott to make the breakthrough and he responded by taking fourfor 42 to hasten Feniton's demise to 135 for nine. Only Dave Carnall, the former Sidmouth captain, stayed around long for his 36.

   Ivybridge had nine overs at Feniton's last pair of batsmen, Whitton and Clarke, but couldn't shift them as the visitors blocked it out to finish on 159 for nine.

   Three games into the season Feniton are one off the bottom with a basement clash against Kilmington coming up.

   The table is gloomy reading for Feniton skipper Graham Tucker, which he puts down to the problem of being team with a lot of soccer players in it.

   "We reach the start of the new cricket season as the football season is fading away, so, unlike a lot of teams, we aren't able to benefit from pre-season games or winter nets.

   "We have accept we must make the switch between codes out on the cricket square.

   "It's something we have to get used to, but what it does mean we don't really get going until four or five games into the campaign, That's the time to judge us."

 

KILMINGTON moved ahead of Feniton and out of the bottom two with a useful five-wicket win away to Babbacombe.

   Opener Paul Sutherland top scored for Babbacombe wth 172 in their total of 172 all out. Sutherland and the much-travelled Terry Farkins – Barton, Torquay, Babbacombe, Paignton, Abbotskerswell, Barton (again) and back to Babbacombe – put on 77. Farkins made 43 of them. Rob Bloxham chipped in with 37.

   Tom Gooding (40no) and Rory Helliar (50) ensured a relatively smooth cruise to victory for one of the divisional new boys.

   Babbcombe skipper said it wasn't the batting that let his side down, but their second-half performance.

   “We were put in on a difficult pitch and did well to get 172, which I felt was a winning score,” said Bates. “We didn't create enough pressure when we bowled and the batted well to get them.”

 

COCKINGTON the other new boys in the C Division, were four-wicket losers at Clyst Hydon, which would have been an unusual experience for the Torquay side.

   Last season they only lost twice winning the D Division – and had gone 12 games since Chagford put one over on them by 43 runs.

   Getting some of the Needham brothers out is the key to beating Cockington and Kevin Sercombe duly obliged with two of them – Shaun first ball, Chris for 13 – on his way to figures of four wickets for two runs in nine overs.

   Will Gregg tidied up at the other end, where his five for 56 included Chris Needham for 10. Neil Stanlake plodded along to a top score of 22 not out for Cockington in their total of 101 all out.

   Sercombe then played a key role with the bat, making an unbeaten 22 to see them through from six wickets down in tandem with Graham Trude. Dean Reed mad 24 early on.

   You can't keep the Needham's quiet for long though: Chris had three for 50 to back up skipper Darren Scott (3-16) in the bowling department.

   Skipper Scott was phlegmatic in defeat, commenting: “We've had a bad day and the best side won.

   “We haven't lost many games in the last two years – and after we lost to Chagford last season we only dropped one point from 120 available afterwards. If that's an omen, fair enough.”

 

HEATHCOAT capitalised on Cockington's defeat to oust them from second place and claim it themselves on the strength of a 20-run win over bottom club Dawlish & Teignmouth.

   Dawlish are in all sorts of problems at the moment – losing players hasn't helped – and were one short from the start against Heathcoat as Sam Greensitt cried off injured on match-day morning.

   D&T skipper Andy Lockyer was pleased with his 10 men for dismissing Heathcoat for 141 – Rob Fisher (4-17) and Tim O'Connell (3-23) among the wickets – as that represented an improvement on recent performances.

   Without a battling 40 by Chris Parkes, which detained the D&T bowlers for 103 balls, and 356 by Jack Menheneott, Heathcoat could have been in trouble.

   Billy Alcock (24), Jon May (24) got D&T up to 69 for three, but 69 for five was the start of their problems. Mike Hutchings (19no) almost got D&T there, but ran out of partners the last four wickets went for 16 runs.

   Devon youth prospect Menheneott rounded off a good afternoon with four for 22. Paul Elliott and Darren Drew picked up a couple of wickets each.

   These are worrying times for D&T captain Andy Lockyer, although he was encouraged by a glimmer of improvement against Heathcoat.

   “Our bowling and fielding were much better, which is a good sign as Heathcoat are stronger than either of the other two teams we have lost to,” said Lockyer.

   “It's the batting that's a worry as we aren't occupying the crease for long enough. I am disappointed in my own form as well and hope to change that and lead by example in the next few games.”