ALPHINGTON skipper Stuart Shaw is confident there is plenty of time to make up lost ground after his side went fourth after a seven-wicket win over Braunton,
Alphas – nearly men when it comes to promotion for the past couple of seasons – were predicted to be there or thereabouts in C Division East this season.
It didn’t go to script at first with just one win in three starts. Back-to-back wins over Uplyme and now Braunton have put Alphington back in the mix.
Said Shaw: “What we have shown the past two weeks is even with players out we can still win games.
“We must have had six or seven out against Braunton, but the depth in the club is coming through.
“Simon Burrell came up from the second team and played a solid innings to help see us through.
“Particularly pleasing for me was to see young Tom Ballet (4-39) come through and take four wickets on his debut. Having coached him myself since he was eight, it was great to see.
“It looks like one of those divisions this year where almost anyone can beat anyone and a lot of clubs are bunched together.
“We will have a better idea where we are at the halfway stage, but as we have seen before things can change in the second half.”
Braunton made 149 for nine at the Chronicles with Phil James rescuing them from 66 for six with an unbeaten 47.
Opener Jon Baglow made 25, but wickets fell regularly to Tom Ballet (4-39) in particular as Braunton laboured.
James and Mark Johnson (24) put on 64 for the eighth wicket to give Braunton something to defend.
Alphington cruised to victory with more than eight overs to spare without taking too many chances.
Dan Brierley and Baglow bowled tidy spells, but runs came off Mick Cashmore and 2nd XI skipper Andy Jones, who was promoted into the side.
Simon Burrell (39) and Luke Phillips (41) gave Alphington a 54-run start. A stand of 69 between Burrell and Nick Halse (43) took Alphington within a dozen runs of victory.
CLYST HYDON cruised to a five-wicket win over Uplyme & Lyme Regis in a game slimmed down to 31 overs a side after a rain break.
Mark Batey top scored for Uplyme with 72 not out off 62 balls – eight fours, four sixes – in a total of 155 for eight.
Liam Gorfine made 26. Next best were a brace of 11s from Tyler Wellman and Gelf Anderson.
Kev Sercombe (3-18) took wickets up top, Rumesh Batagodage (2-40) had a couple of pricy ones in the middle and there was a wicket each for John Rhodes and Will Thornton.
Skipper Ian Sutton set the tone for Hydon by opening up with 52 off 60 balls – eight fours and a six – which took his side to 92 for two with help from Sinthruan Thevaraj (14) and Mike Cliff (19).
Batagodage (27no) took Hydon the rest of the way there.
Sutton said the weather break had a negative effect on Uplyme, not that he was crediting that for his side’s win.
“You have to feel for Uplyme, they got the rough end of all the rain delays and did very well to post a total, before the sun came out at tea,” said Sutton.
“Having said that we still had to win it and we bowled well - barring a few too many extras - and fielded well.
“Kev Sercombe in particular bowled a great spell with the new ball.
“Batting, put together some good partnerships to build a platform, but one of us who got in should have seen it through.
“We lost more wickets than we would have liked, but always felt comfortable.”
COUNTESS Wear are still in the relegation places following their three-wicket setback against Whimple.
Wear got to 98 for two thanks to Kav Dias (36), Dave Jarvis (29) and Gavin Darke (22) then faded as Leigh Lorenzen (3-46) and Luke Witton (3-39) got into them.
Mark Dave made 24 in a total of 187 all out.
Whimple were tested by Dias (3-39) and had to see him off.
Lorenzen (64) got Whimple up to 119 for five, leaving skipper Ben Silk (34no) to wrap up the win with more than 10 overs to go.
FENITON are still setting the pace at the top of the C Division East, unbeaten after five games and with a four-point lead over Cullompton going into Saturday’s derby clash with Whimple.
Two big stands formed the basis for Feniton’s total of 245 for eight against Clyst St George in their latest win.
Chris May (34) and Mark Kingdon (60) put on 41 for the third wicket, then Alex Frankpitt (47) joined skipper Kingdon to add 80 for the fourth.
Steve Bourke (4-39) was the pick of the Clyst bowlers. Sam Read (2-39) and Chris Ferro (2-17) had decent returns.
Clyst were all out for 179 in reply – Kingdon capping a man of the match display with three wickets for five runs. Jon Pyle had a brace.
Sam Dent top scored with 55 and Bourke made 29, but Ferro (24) was the only other batter with a significant score.
CULLOMPTON kept Feniton in their sights at the top of the C Division West with a five-wicket win at Kilmington.
Kilmimgton skipper Tom Gooding will no doubt feel his side underperformed on their way to a disappointing total of 112 all out.
Gooding top scored with 29, Adam Culley made 14 and Alex Rockett made 10. No one else got into double figures.
Cully’s bowlers shared the wickets round with three for Trevor Gwandu (3-16) and two each for Jason Parr, Lee Nessling and Adrian Pullin.
Cullompton got off to a wobbly start with Jason Parr, Gwandu and Darren Pauyl all out for single figures.
Brendon Parr (20) and Jacob Dienes (32no) got the innings moving, leaving Pulling (24) to help Dienes clinch the win.
Cullompton are at home to lowly Countess Wear this Saturday.
