EXETER heaped more pressure on defending champions Sidmouth by sending them tumbling to an eight-wicket defeat on the County Ground.
Devon captain Josh Bess fired Sidmouth’s top score of 75 in a total of 209 all out.
As targets go it was not a problem for Exeter, who knocked it off with 13 of their 50 overs to go.
Openers Alex Barrow (72) and Rob Holman (40) set up the chase, which Ben Green (51no) and Tom Lammonby (32no) wrapped up.
Victory takes Exeter out of the bottom two, although they were only there in the first place because of a points deduction for an admin error.
Sidmouth and Torquay, champions respectively last year and the year before, are joint bottom with North Devon three points clear of them.
Sidmouth have a tricky run coming up of Torquay, Exmouth (2nd) then Heathcoat (4th). They need two wins to get the seasons motoring before they get mired in a relegation battle.
Miles Lenygon, Exeter’s winning captain, was content with a job well done against Sidmouth.
“We fielded and bowled well but we were gifted some wickets too,” said Lenygon.
“It was a very flat pitch and Sidmouth never had enough runs.
“Our guys batted well and did the job.”
Matt Cooke missed out at the top of Sidmouth’s order, but the brothers Bess appeared to lay a solid platform for the middle order to build on.
Josh and Luke (26) added 86. Zak scored 45 from 48 balls faced but had problems at the other end.
Although Zak Bess was in for 18 overs, he couldn’t get on the strike for long.
Wickets fell to Jon Tipper and Tom Pedel (2-36) and as scoreboard pressure mounted tail enders Miles Dalton and Charlie Miles were run out.
Scott Barlow’s 23 not out in even time at number nine got Sidmouth past 200.
Barrow and Holman set off smartly, putting on 110 in the first 20 overs.
There was a brief lull while Green settled in and on 150 Barrow went caught behind.
Green and Lammonby put on 62 unbroken in a 10-over partnership to wrap things up.
