DEVON League officials are likely to ask for reports from both side and the umpires after Hatherleigh had a fruitless trip to relegation worriers Brixham.

The Hatherleigh team arrived at Boundary Park shortly after 11am on Saturday morning to find the game had been called off due to rain.

Mark Lake, the Hatherleigh captain, felt there wasn’t a lot wrong with the ground so asked one of the appointed umpires to give his opinion.

“What it will say I don’t know, but he came and had a look and said he would write a report,” said Lake,

“It had stopped raining and there wasn’t a lot wrong with the ground, apart from a couple of wet ends on old wickets.

“As far as I am concerned there was no effort from Brixham to get the game on.

“I think Brixham didn’t want to play for some reason.”

Brixham chairman Barry Orchard, who is one of the club volunteers who works on the ground, said Lake was wide of the mark.

“I guessed that accusation would be thrown at us and nothing could be wider of the mark,” said Orchard.

“In our position we need to be playing games, Six points for a cancellation is no good to us at all.

“Apart from Jim Allenby who had Somerset commitments, we had our strongest possible side out.

“We kept  Hatherleigh fully informed from Friday onwards when it poured down with rain that there could be a problem.

“After it chucked it down on Saturday morning we rang Hatherleigh to say the game was off – and were told they were on their way and had reached Kingsteignton.

“We had left it as late as we could, but felt the ground was treacherous in places.

“The problem was the square where the ends of old wickets were just patches of mud.

“Umpires are very cautious about slippery conditions nowadays and one of the patches was right next to the pitch we were playing on.

“I understand Hatherleigh are bitterly disappointed not to play, but our consciences are clear.”

Hatherleigh, whose lead at the top over Sandford has been trimmed to four points, area at home to Budleigh Salterton this Saturday.