JACOB Caunter came up trumps for Plympton with a match-winning spell to earn an unlikely two-run win over visiting Budleigh Salterton.
Plympton’s odds of winning didn’t look too good after they were held to 140 for nine – and Budleigh were 108 for two in reply.
Slow left-armer Caunter took five for 28 to run through the middle and lower order – and if he didn’t get them James Degg (4-43) did.
“We certainly did it the hard way,” said Plympton captain Craig Donohue.
“By the end we were down to 10 men in the field and my dad fielding as 12th man as Harry Kandampully had gone off injured.
“Budleigh were 108 for two chasing 140 and you think it is going to be a good one to win from that position.
“The thing is we have become quite a hard side to beat – we have a young side that never knows it is beaten until the last ball.
“Jacob and James bowled superbly – they were the right bowlers at the right time to take wickets.”
Budleigh’s attack, which boasts Somerset’s Max Waller, former Devon pacer Trevor Anning and Aussie spinner Matt Junk, is hard to score runs against at the best of times.
Between them Waller (2-28), Anning (3-16) and Junk (0-15_ sent down 30 of Plympton’s 50 overs at a cost of just 57 runs.
Kandampully (20) and Justin Wubbeling (34) had to stick around for their runs.
Tail-enders Donohue (19no) and Jamie Bailey (12) put on 26 for the ninth wicket – crucial runs in the context of a low-scoring game.
Budleigh set off in pursuit with Junk (57) and Elliot Rice (16) putting on 31.
Degg bowled Rice, but the runs kept coming from Junk and Waller who added 29.
The turning point was Caunter trapping Waller lbw for 26. That was 108 for three.
Junk went next – six fours in his 57 – and from then on it was game on.
Alex Richardson with eight was Budleigh’s ‘best’ scorer as wickets tumbled – the last five for 10 runs added in a total of 138 all out.
