STOKE Gabriel are out on their own at the top of the D Division West following a nine-wicket win at Barton II.
Paignton were neck and neck with Stoke going into round four, but dropped 11 points in arrears after losing to Plymouth.
Barton were all out for 103 long before the end of their 45 overs. Will Biddles made 25 and Adrian Lipton 22.
Jack Tolley (3-30) and Jake Robinson (2-11) did early damage, leaving Nick Gwynne (3-8) to mop up.
Tolley (72) and Gwynne (27no) knocked off the runs with the minimum of fuss.
Winless Barton are at home to South Devon 1stXI this Saturday. Stoke are away to Plymouth II.
Paignton dropped back in the D West promotion race when they lost to visiting Plymouth by 44 runs.
Steve Luffman top scored for Plymouth with 66 in their total of 181 all out.
Spinners Charlie Ward (2-12) and Sam Woodcock (3-27) thrived for Paignton.
Paignton lacked one big knock to hang a chase on, Luke Medlock’s 28 was as good as it go.
There were two wickets each for Jack Hughes, Dan Farnham and Richard Goldsby-West as Paignton were dismissed for 137
Torquay lost for the second week running when Kenn beat them by a whopping 101-run margin.
Kenn cracked along to 254 for seven in their 45 overs – James Mason (49) and Pat Boot (38) posting the best of a consistent set of scores.
Torquay opener and captain Tim Western was last man out for 99 in the visitors’ reply of 153 all out.
The gods of cricket clearly aren’t smiling on Western at the moment. Two rounds ago he was out for 97 against Plymouth Civil Service.
James Gosing took six Torquay wickets for 21 runs.
Plymouth CS&R’s long losing streak finally came to and end when they defeated Whitchurch by seven wickets in the D Division West derby.
You have to go right back to the first game of the 2017 season for the last Civil win, which was against Stoke Gabriel.
A win always looked on the cards after Jack Dent (3-16), Dan Windsor (2-18) and Alex Yates (2-16) combined to shoot out Whitchurch for 118 in 36 overs.
Windsor (56) and skipper Nick Read (29) got Civil over the line in the 17thover.
“Now we have won on I hope we can go on and win some more,” said Read.
“I am just so pleased for the team as it has been tough at times but our team spirit has remained good.”
Yelverton skipper Sam Crompton was able to breathe again after his side’s three-run win over South Devon.
The tension was almost unbearable at Langton Park as South Devon chipped away at Yelverton’s total of 233 for eight.
With two overs to go – one each for Dan Cooper and Crompton – the target was 18 to win. Cooper only conceded three, which left 15 from a set of six to win it.
“My last over went four, four, two, one, dot, which meant they needed a six to win off the last ball,” said Crompton.
‘I took a wicket with the last ball, which meant we had won a great game of cricket.
“I hope I don’t have to captain too many more games like that, although it is preferable to the alternative.
“Last season we had so many games that were non-events. This year we have already had some real crackers.”
Cooper (66) and Giles Beauchamp (60) were the main contributors to Yelverton’s total with a third-wicket stand of 111. Tom Richards (24) chipped in.
South Devon used eight bowlers, none more successful than sixth change Richard Beaumont (4-39).
After Harry Senior had been in and out for 34 of the first 45 on the board, South Devon skipper James Allen took charge of the chase.
Allen batted through for an unbeaten 89 and in stands of 63 with Beaumont (33) and 68 with Aaron Hammett (26) set up the nerve-tingling finale.
