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EXMOUTH hit rock bottom in the Premier Division when they went down by 50 runs to fellow strugglers Torquay.

   Torquay were put in on a damp track at the Maer and did well to reach 150 for nine before skipper Justin Yau declared two balls before the end of the 50 th and last over.

   As Exmouth are down at the wrong end of the table with Torquay – they hit the bottom in the aftermath of this defeat – Yau couldn't see any point risking giving away a bowling bonus point.

   Exmouth were three wickets down midway through the second half with only six runs on the board and from then on in Yau could sense the first victory of the season.

   There was a brief scare when rain forced Exmouth off when last pair Richard Baggs and Mark Woodman were at the crease, but the clouds passed and Kris Davis (2-28) broke the stand soon after the resumption.

   Torquay didn't have the best of starts as they were 50 for four after an early going over from Exmouth's South African paceman Carson Lederle (3-17).

   Usman Malvi (49) and Yau (18) hauled the situation round in the second half of the innings with a stand of 43 before Arul Suppiah (4-84) bowled Exmouth back into contention.

   Joe Thompson showed his cameo 39 against Plympton a week earlier was no fluke by biffing 36 not out in the dying embers to give Torquay a nudge they needed.

   Torquay wanted early wickets to put pressure on Exmouth – and Malvi and Thompson obliged.

   Mike Paine was out first ball of the innings when he jabbed a catch back to Malvi, who followed up by snaring Suppiah lbw in the same over.

   Thompson captured James Burke thanks to a Yau slip catch – that was six for three – then cleaned out Robbie Debenham.

   By the end of the 13 th over Exmouth were 34 for six and staring defeat in the face.

   The inevitable fightback came from Andy Buzza (26) and former Torquay all-rounder Ed Yeo (23), who got the score up to 72 for seven.

   Malvi (5-28) unpicked the partnership and that was the end for Exmouth, who had no prospect of batting out almost 30 overs for a draw.

 

BUDLEIGH Salterton capitalised on leaders Plympton being rained off against Sandford to move in at the top of the table with a six-wicket win over Paignton.

   Paignton were dismissed for 101 in   game reduced to 40 overs a side due to bad weather – Simon Edwards making a top score of 20 after coming in at 53 for six.

   Devon captain Bob Dawson took it nice and easy on his way to 39 not out as Budleigh knocked off the runs with more than 13 overs to spare.

   Budleigh are now eight points clear of Plympton at the top of the table. Paignton drop to within three points of the second relegation slot.

   Paignton's stand-in opener Stephen George spent 18 balls trying and failing to get off then mark before Ian Bishop had him caught at slip by Rob Newman.

   Kobus Pienaar was in and out for 10 – Steve Spoljaric snared him lbw – then surviving opener Seb Benton was run out by a good throw from Liam Cooke for 18.

   James Hudson was just starting to get going when Dawson had him caught at extra-cover for 10.

   Two balls later Tim Ward picked out the next fielder round in the off-side cordon – Matt Webb at mid-off -   and Paignton were   48 for five.

   Mark Gilmour was just out when Edwards got on and Edwards wrung another 48 runs out of the tail enders before he was the final man to go.

   Edwards fell to a sprawling catch down at fine-leg by Dawson, who made good ground to get under the ball after left-hander Edwards swiped at Webb and got a thick top-edge over his head.

   Mike Pedley came up with the goods early on for Paignton with the wickets of Ben Howgego and Ben Slack as Budleigh stuttered at 23 for   two.

   Steve Spoljaric and a subdued Omari Banks were the only other casualties on the chase as Daswson, latterly accompanied by Sandy Allen (22no) knocked off the rest of the runs.

 

SIDMOUTH took the thick end of a draw out of their meeting with North Devon, who didn't quite have the firepower to make 166 to win.

   At one stage – the one when North Devon were 107 for six in reply – Sidmouth looked the likely winners.

   Dan Bowser (25) batted sensibly to save the game and North Devon could even have gone on to win it.

   But they left too much to do in the final five overs and closed so near yet   so far on 151 fore eight.

   Sidmouth's total of 165 for eight was constructed around a knock of 64 from Neil Hancock.

   Stuart Rhodes (2-31) and Matt Westaway (2-31) had Sidmouth an edgy seven for three before Hancock calmed things down

   Hancock was sixth out on 124 having put on 88 in a vital stand for the fourth wicket with Nick Gingell (27)

   Wickets tumbled after Hancock went – three fell for four runs – until Adam Dibble (25no) and Louis Talay (12no) shepherded Sidmouth through to the end.

   North Devon made an inauspicious start with opener Rob Ayre caught at point for two and Rhodes, who played on to Dibble.

   North Devon had to contend with wicket-taking interruptions from Scott Barlow (2-35) and Will Murray (4-35) as they staggered to 107 for six.

   Neil Bettis played his shots getting to 22 – then played a bit to freely and got out to Barlow.

   Bowser (25) and Mark Overton (29) got North Devon back on an even keel, then Westaway (26no) batted through to the end.

 

PLYMOUTH'S winning run came to an abrupt end as they slumped to a nine-wicket defeat at home to Exeter.

   Former Tavistock seamer Tshepo Legodi (2-15) was among the wicket takers for Exeter as Plymouth were bundled out for 87.

   Exeter skipper Jon Tipper helped himself to three for 15 in 10 tidy overs and there were wickets for Simon Bird (2-25).

   It all started badly for Plymouth with opener Callum Whittaker caught at slip by Glen Lammonby off Tipper, who promptly cleaned out Mark Thompson as well.

   Legodi bowled Chris Barr for 12 and Josh Bryant for a single. When Keith Willcock went for an 11-ball duck, caught at mid-wicket by Marshall Hood off Tipper, Plymouth were 25 for five.

   Skippers past and present, Luke Minett (21) and David Burke (21no) staved off total humiliation, but the total was undefendable and Plymouth must have known it.

   It took Exeter just 20.4 overs to wipe of the runs, Aussie opener Hood making 38 not out.

   Defeat drops Plymouth down from fourth to fifth with Exeter now in their old place.

 

SATURDAY morning leaders Plympton were victims of the weather as their match against Sandford was rained-off.

   Their day off cost them the leadership as Budleigh Sallterton moved past them on the back of a six-wicket win over Paignton.