EVERY cloud has a silver lining and the ones that washed out most of the Devon League programme on Saturday certainly did for Sandford and Budleigh Salterton.
While their rivals were sitting around in pavilions waiting for the rain to stop, or had given up early, Sandford were going to the top of the table thanks to a winning draw at North Devon.
Budleigh Salterton also dodged the showers to beat Barton by three wickets and make up ground on the top clubs lost due to two defeats in a row.
Sandford's 15-point haul at North Devon lifted them into top spot above Exeter and Torquay, who were rained off at Plympton and Exmouth respectively.
Budleigh Salterton' 17-point booty off Barton hoisted them into fourth place and cut the leeway Torquay in third to a point. Second-placed Exeter and Sandford are within easy striking distance – especially as Budleigh play Exeter this Saturday… if it stops raining for long enough to get a game in!
In the logjam at the top the table – only nine points separate Sandford and Budleigh – every point is vital. Sandford skipper Richard Foan, who was run out for 99 at North Devon, said the next few weeks will be crucial to his side's chances of winning the Premier Division as they are up against three sides below them in the table.
“We've been given a bit of a break by playing when almost everyone else was rained off, but nothing that won't disappear if we lose our next game,” said Foan.
“In the next four games we play Chudleigh, Exmouth and Barton, who are all down at the bottom, and Paignton who are in mid-table.
“Our chances of winning the league this year will be a lot clearer once those games are out of the way. I would like to win three of them, but two would be a good start.”
Sandford ran into their old team-mate Neil Bettis at North Devon and he did them a huge favour by dropping Foan in the slips while still in single figures.
Foan made Bettis and North Devon pay for that lapse with that top score of 99 which, with 10 overs left in a match trimmed to 50 overs each due to rain, took Sandford to 202 for five.
Foan's fellow opener Adrian Small was out to the first ball he received from Martin Gear, but David Lye (28), Richard Tucker (21) and Chris Jelly (45) took it in turns to help Foan repair the modest amount of damage done.
Lye was well caught in the gulley by Richard Screech of Tom Allin, Matt Westway got one through to bowl Tucker and Jelly was caught out on the boundary slog-sweeping Robert Gear.
Foan, who hit seven fours and four sixes (three of them during an assault on slow left-armer Matt Dart), missed out on a ton when he chanced his arm against Bettis's at mid-off and was run-out.
There was only one contender for catch of the match: Robert Gear's run-in from long-off to remove Trevor Anning for 11 off the bowling of brother Martin.
In the overall scheme of things, North Devon captain Robert Ayre was happy to have kept Sandford below 250 as they were on course for around 300 at the 30-over mark.
The chase became largely academic after a while though as good Sandford bowling in the slippery conditions soon put North Devon behind the clock.
Although Richard Coupe (3-33) and Matt Theedom (2-50) were Sandford's leading wicket takers in a North Devon reply of 193 for eight, it was Lye's quick off-cutters that posed the problems.
Lye's one for 39 from 13 overs slowed North Devon to a crawl for a while. When they tried to up the tempo, wickets fell.
North Devon opener Stuart Rhodes went after Asa Wright for an over, taking 18 off the first five balls, then top-edged a catch to Lye at square leg.
Rhodes top scored with 68 but, by the time he was seventh out at 165, Ayre had already issued the order to batten down the hatches.
“Stuart always says 100 of the last 10 overs is gettable and was going for it,” said Ayre. “I had given it up as unachievable a couple of overs before that as we needed around 120 and had lost six wickets already.”
Bettis made 30 at the top of the order – Lye had him caught at slip by Foan – and the next best North Devon score was Rob Gear's 19.
Budleigh Salterton had to work harder than they expected to beat visiting Barton and were glad of the father-and-son-team of Neil and Lloyd Murrin for seeing them home when things had become tricky.
Having bowled Barton out for 117 in the last of 30 overs, Budleigh cruised to 100 for two in reply and it looked like game over.
Losing three wickets in five balls changed the game – then losing two more in a hurry put the pressure on Budleigh as they were 114 for seven. That's when the Murrin's came to the rescue.
Haydn Morgan was Barton's anchorman with 42 at the top of the order. James Toms missed out when he hit Bishop to Webb at short cover, then Imran Abbas had another frustrating afternoon of getting in then getting out again.
The Pakistani professional was on 14 when he was dropped by Neil Murrin off Webb. Having survived that scare he promptly hit the next ball to Steve Spoljaric, who hung on to it.
Five successive maidens from Bishop (3-32) and Spoljaric (2-25) put the brake on Barton, who had previously been losing wickets to Webb (4-41).
Aaron Williams fell to the first ball bowled by former Dawlish captain James Burton when he went to sweep and was caught on the square-leg boundary.
Webb then took two in a row – Adam Parker lbw and Nick Watkin in a most bizarre manner.
Watkin went for a big hit over mid-wicket and the ball hit fielder Neil Murrin on the forehead and dropped into his outstretched hands on the rebound.
After Webb had Morgan caught at slip, it was left to Tom Whittle (17) to wring what runs he could out of the tail enders.
Budleigh's chase seemed a routine affair as Sandy Allen (24), Bishop, who made 21 going in as a pinch-hitter, the Spoljaric (35) coasted to 100 for three.
Allen went caught at mid-off, Bishop was the first of four scalps claimed by Tom Porter, and Jack Porter trapped Spoljaric lbw.
Budleigh's problems started when they lost Paul Brown to a brilliant one-handed catch at full-stretch in the slips by Williams off Tom Porter.
Debutant Ben Carter came charging down the wicket to Damon Calland, and was bowled for his verve, then Mike Cliff was lbw to Tom Porter, who then got Webb out as well.
The Murrins poked and prodded the last four runs needed to win the game, but it was a close-run thing for Budleigh, who only had three balls of the last over left when the total was reached.