PLYMOUTH are through to finals day of the Servicemaster T20 competition following an 18-run win over Lewdown in the West Devon qualifier.
Opener Jamie Walsh thumped 58 off 37 balls as Plymouth made 177 for eight in 20 overs.
Leon Horn (2-23) and Matt Witcher (2-16) were the pick of the Lewdown bowlers, both going for less than six an over.
Lewdown were behind the clock at the midway stage – 61 for four when Witcher (25) was caught behind - but accelerated in the second half.
Fifty-eight off the final three overs proved a bit too much thought and Lewdown were 159 for eight when the overs ran out.
Waiting for Plymouth in the first semi-final at Sidmouth on Sunday morning are Bradninch, who won the East Devon qualifier by beating Devon T20 champs Exmouth.
The lunchtime semi-final pits Torquay against North Devon.
The winners at Sidmouth go through to a regional finals day involving the champions from Cornwall, Somerset and Wales.
Win that game and the next stop is the national quarter-final for a place in finals day, which this year is at Derby on Tuesday, September 6.
Bradninch player Gary Chappell knows all about the national rounds as he went all the way to the final last season.
Exmouth won through to finals day at the SWALEC in Cardiff where, after beating Pudsey Congs in the morning, they lost in the floodlit final to Ealing.
Plymouth’s total was anchored round at stand of 92 between Walsh and Jake Luffman.
While Walsh was hitting seven fours and three sixes at one end, Luffman clattered along to 34 off 22 balls at the other.
By the end of the eighth over Plymouth were 92 for two and looked at a 200-plus total.
Jack Williams broke the stand by dismissing Luffman, the Walsh and Rob Bennett went three balls apart to Horn.
Steve Luffman (13) and skipper Sam Stein (19no) kept the board moving in the later overs.
Lewdown’s top scorer was Dan Fogerty with 27 off 20 balls. There was plenty of chip ins – Witcher, Williams (22), Harry Geering (18) but no stand of more than 50.
Hal Kerton – three overs for 11 runs and the wicket of Tallan Burns – was the cheapest of the Plymouth bowlers. Claire Varcoe had three wickets in the dying overs.
