BARTON stay three points clear of Shobrooke Park at the top of the table after they walloped Plymstock by 102 runs at Dean Cross.
Barton totted up 240 for eight in their 45 overs, built around a solid effort from the top five and some lower-order prompting as well.
Will Grainger (27) and Andy Hele (23) got the score up to 95 for three, then Adam Parker (23) and Matty Needham (42) underpinned and advance to 168 for seven.
Jon Martin went in when Needham was seventh out and biffed 40 not out from 28 balls.
Pick of the bowlers were Ian Whalley (3-26) and Syed Ali (2-35).
Plymstock’s run chase was undone by Martin and Tom Porter, who is relishing his return to the 1st XI this season.
Martin (2-37) and Porter (4-26) had Plymstock reeling a 38 for five before Scott Mansfield (38) arrested the slide.
Martin got Mansfield out in his second spell, which left Matt Crampton (4-35) to polish off the stragglers.
Barton will be aiming for a win at Tavistock this Saturday to keep them top of the table.
Inevitably there will be thoughts of promotion at Cricketfield Rood, not that Parker is thinking that far ahead.
“We are playing good cricket at the moment – long may that continue – but there is a long way to go.,” said Parker.
THORVERTON were glad of a lengthy batting line up in their last-gasp, one-wicket win over Seaton.
Opener Matt Hewer batted through for an unbeaten 125 off 162 balls – 17 fours and a six – in Seaton’s 238 for two.
Hewer and Josh Cann put on 83 for the second wicket and Ben Morgan (46no) added 90 unbroken with former Axminster, Bovey Tracey and Sidmouth batter Hewer.
Nick Barton’s nine overs for 35 runs was as good as Thorverton’s bowling got.
Thors’ skipper Andy Pitt opened for his side and played a similar anchorman role to Hewer’s
Pitt -10 fours and two sixes in his 76 – was fourth out at 127. By then a rain break meant the target was 219 to win in 41 overs. Thors couldn’t have cut it much finer.
Ben Slaviero (19), Ben Coe (16) and Barton (14) chiselled away at the deficit, reaching the last over with two wickets in hand and six runs needed.
Coe and Adrian Gray scored two runs between them and got down to four to win from two balls.
Then Coe fell to Kersley Sutton, which meant last man Jake Broom had to hit the final ball for four. He did.
Winning captain Andy Pitt said he always felt it was a chaseable target as Seaton didn’t have enough runs.
“Seaton didn’t really get away from us until the last couple of overs, but we still thought it was below par considering the wickets they had in hand,” said Pitt.
“We gave ourselves a decent platform on the chase to allow the lower order to play their shots and get us to the target.
“Needing four to win off the last ball and out number 11 getting it was pretty special.”
FILLEIGH made light work of Ipplepen in a one-sided affair at Deer Park.
Ipplepen were bowled out for 108 in the 38th of their 45 overs, no one making more than Adam Peters (29). Next best were the 19 wides bowled by Filleigh.
Jon Hickman (3-29) took the first three wickets, Ryan Bowden (2-29) got stuck into the middle order and from 104 for six it was downhill all the way to 108 all out as James Marsh (3-9) polished off the stragglers.
Justin Saker thumped 77 not out from 44 balls – seven fours, three sixes – as Filleigh knocked off the runs in 12.3 overs for the loss of just two wickets.
Filleigh are third in the B Division table going into this Saturday’s date with Thoverton at Station Road.
TAVISTOCK have dropped into the B Division bottom three after losing by 105 runs to previously winless Cullompton.
An opening stand of 131 between Jason Parr (55) and Kenton Vos (63) was just the start of the problems for Tavistock’s bowlers. Worse, far worse, was yet to come.
Brendon Parr went in at 148 for two and promptly clubbed 107 in a hurry.
Parr smashed nine sixes and eight fours – that’s 94 in boundaries – on his way to 107 off 62 balls.
Along the way there were stands of 52 with Tom Mortiboys and 53 with Darren Paul (25) in Cullompton’s 45-over total of 315 for nine.
Shaun Daymond (1-31 off nine) and Dom Snyman (2-43) escaped the worst of the run-bashing. Charlie Barriball (1-83) and Billy Barriball (2-68) were not so lucky.
Tavvy opener Bill Barriball was bowled by Jason Parr (3-56) straight after tea.
Bits and pieces got Tavvy up to 72 for two and while Dave Manning (67) and Will Scott-Munden were together the Moorlanders got to 151 for five.,
After that only Ben Russell (22) made much impression as James Vincent (4-29) hastened Tavvy’s demise to 210 all out.
SHOBROOKE Park remain second in the B Division table after eeking out a two-wicket win over visiting Babbacombe.
Babbacombe, who have yet to win a game since being promoted into the B Division, made 180 all out in the 42nd of their 45 overs.
Opener Steve Lewis made 25, but wickets fell at the other end in a running total of 47 for four.
Dean Peall (51) and Steve Broad (17) got the score up to 108 for five then Andrew McVeigh (25) marshalled the bottom half.
Ben Trenaman (3-26) picked off a couple of tail enders to complement earlier work done by Craig James (2-32), Andrew Codling (2-45) and the miserly Tom Youngman (2-21).
It was far from plain sailing for Shobrooke as Janrich Viljoen (3-36) and Damon Calland (2-26) kept chipping away at them.
James (26) and Codling (38) provided some mid-innings impetus but when James was fourth out at 88 there was a long way to go, even with a reduced target of 169 in 42 overs due to a rain break.
Codling kept going for 67 balls and by the time he was out the target was 11 to win.
