AXMINSTER need to start winning some games soon after losing the derby clash with Kilmington by 17 runs.

Kilmington made 301 for five in 45 overs – most of the runs coming from former Axminster players.

Brett Garner made 36, Matt Rockett 95 and Alex Rockett 57 not. The two Rocketts – both Axminster old boys – put on 118 for the fourth wicket.

Axminster got close – 284 for seven – but not close enough and are 14 points adrift at the bottom of table.

Opener Matt Pile made 99 in first-wicket stand of 186 with Mike Wakley to get Axminster started.

“He didn’t know he was on 99 and having just hit the previous ball for four chipped the next one to mid-wicket,” said skipper Paul Miller.

Wakley kept going and going until he was fourth out at 284.

Miller had 45 not out but the few big hits needed to change the outcome refused to come.

There were two wickets each for Tom Gooding, Tom Olive and Glenn Harding, who got both of his in the final over.

“We got seven points out of that, which doesn’t seem right from such a close game of cricket,” mused Miller.

FILLEIGH defeated Clyst Hydon by a hefty 295-run margin to gain a bit more ground on the play-offs and break a couple of records along the way,

Seaton may take some catching at the top of the table, but second place is only 21 points away and very much achievable.

Ryan Bowden was the man of the moment with the bat for Filleigh, clouting 113 in a stand of 209 with Justin Saker for the first wicket in a total of 356 for three.

The C Division West has only been round a couple of summers, but Filleigh’s total and the first-wicket stand are both records.

Saker was first to go but Bowden added a further 43 before he was caught behind off Richard Arnold (2-59).

Prideaux (48no) and Harley Ashdown (30no) plundered another 77 unbroken before the overs ran out.

Hydon folded to 61 all out inside 13 overs – Dhanuja Haturusingha (25) and Clinton Lewis (16) the only batters with double-figure scores. Five batters failed to make a run between them.

Clyst Hydon fell apart against James Campbell (5-44) who was largely responsible fo sending them from 33 for two to 34 for eight.

Jon Hickman (5-17) accounted for the rest – including Haturusingha.

Hydon sit one off the bottom of the table with a derby date against Cullompton coming up.

BARNSTAPLE & Pilton did enough in the four-wicket defeat by Countess Wear to lift themselves out of the bottom two.

Eight points might not sound a great deal, but it was enough to take B&P past Countess Wear, who were hammered by Filleigh.

James Russell had 52 of the first 89 on the board as B&P headed towards a total of 238 fo nine.

Jack Moore went in when Russell came out and went on to top score with 76. There were no big stands, although Moore would have found one of 37 with dad Steve rewarding.

Kav Dias had two B&P wickets for 25 runs. Steve Holland and Ian Ballinger paid appreciably more for their braces.

Countess Wear were going great guns in reply at 128 for two when Neil Pateman (47) joined Dave Jarvis (28) and James Bogue (26) back in the hutch,

Mark Davey (23), Ballinger and Gavin Darke all came and went as the score reached 160 for six.

Dias (47no) and Kam Singh (43no) saw the chase through with an undefeated stand of 82.

Brady Saunders (3-36) was easily the pick of the B&P bowlers, although Steve Moore (0-32) gave little away in his nine-over stint.

SEATON are back in business at the top of the C Division East thanks to a five-wicket win over arch-rivals Uplyme & Lyme Regis.

It’s been a wobbly few weeks for Seaton, who slipped up against Cullompton then Filleigh to surrender their unbeaten record.

The Court Lane side remained top of the table though and sent out a message to the chasers by thumping Uplyme, who had been second on Saturday morning.

“We have had a couple of dodgy weeks when one or two people have not been available,” admitted captain Ben Morgan.

“Almost everyone should be available now for the rest of the season and we are going full out for promotion.”

Rob Thom (43) and Steve Batey (37) were Uplyme’s main scorers in a modest 155 for nine. Joe Berry took Seaton’s bowling laurel with four for 37.

Steve Pritchard (48) laid the foundation for Seaton, then Ed Hunt with 30 not out took them over the line.

Seaton are sitting on a 14-point lead over Cullompton at the top of the table going into the meeting with Kilmington this Saturday.

CULLOMPTON clambered into second place behind Seaton after they won by five wickets at Feniton.

Feniton suffered a middle-order malfunction after Mark Salter (25) and Adam Ramcharran (43no) got them started, crashing from 92 for five to 119 for nine.

Ramcharran protected last man Matt Davies to add 25 for the last wicket.

Adrian Pullin took four for 33 against his former Feniton team-mates and Brendon Parr took three for 20.

Cullompton didn’t look great at 29 for three – Jon French (2-29) doing the damage – and were kept honest by Charlie Selley (2-38),

Jack Grandfield batted through from 29 for his undefeated 60 that swung the game. Skipper James Blackmore (21) and Pullin (17no) supported in stands of 39 and 42 respectively.