KENTISBEARE consolidated top spot in the D Division East when they defeated lowly Topsham St James by six wickets.
Mark Phillips hit a top score of 99 for Topsham and put on 95 for the third wicket with Ed Baxter (24), Matt Garner (30) and Aiden Pring (20) chipped in.
Mike Cooke claimed wickets right down the order to finish with five for 49. Tom Martin bagged three for 19, mostly with the new ball.
Opener Paul Tatterton led the Kentisbeare pursuit with 95 off 90 balls. He chalked up 65 with Karl Walton (24) and 105 with David Armstong (42) to make the game safe.
HONITON were on the wrong end of an eight wicket defeat when they ran into Chardstock,
Jon Hext (49) and Adam Holmes (40) pointed Honiton towards 143 for six then Kieran Conway (46) and Tom Strawbridge went all the way to 213 for six.
A stand of 103 between Gary Larcombe (91no) and Rob Hutchings (43) put Chardstock in control, leaving Ed Brown (49) to see them over the line.
BARNSTAPE & Pilton made up for lost time with a 56-run win over Halberton & Sampford Peverell that took them up to second.
B&P had been top of the table until the previous Saturday when they were rained off on a day when all around them played.
Andy Barton scored 22 of the first 25 in B&P’s book, then got out to Josh Kallaway (3-36).
George McEndoo (91) and Jack Moore (76) put on 160 for the second wicket then Brady Saunders hit 25 in a hurry towards a final total of 237 for four.
Halberton were holed below the waterline early on by James Lake (3-25), who had help from Steve Moore (2-10) and Jason Smith.
Richie Durrant arrived at 19 for four and batted on and on and on for 137. No one after him made more than nine!
In a stand of 41 for the ninth wicket with Durrant, Kallway made just four.
Lee Cole (2-19) accounted for some tail-enders, leaving Steve Moore to claim Durrant with the last ball of the game.
“It looked like we were going to bowl them out for under a hundred at one stage, but near the end it was getting a bit tense,” said skipper Steve Moore.
“All credit to Richie – it was a really good innings.”
UPOTTERY clouted the Axminster bowling all round the ground and out of it on their way to a whopping 349 for four.
Openers Rob Tasker (145) and Matt Button-Stevens smashed 222 for the first wicket. Tasker had 16 sixes and six fours in his knock.
Andy Pulman turned the screw with five sixes and three fours in a quick 59 not out.
Alex Wraight’s two for 55 off nine was as good as it got for the Axminster bowlers.
Axminster were all out for 203 in the 41st over – Pulman taking four for six to speed the lower order on their way.
There were half-centuries for Axminster for skipper Paul Miller and Dave Field.
TIVERTON timed their run chase to perfection as they defeated Woodbury & Newton St Cyres by four wickets.
Bits and pieces made up the W&N total of 209 for eight – the best bits coming from Hugo Boatright (37), Riordan Deehan-Jackson (36) and Andy Cork (20). Deehan-Jackson and Cork put on 60 for the eighth wicket.
It was a similar story when Tiverton batted once they had seen Usman Manazir (4-31) use up his overs.
Fin Stoneman (25no) and Tom Cowle (21no) finished what Sam Reed (34) and Richard Pugsley (41) started.
