Point proved - Sidmouth's Elliott Rice, who took a ton off Alphington

ALPHINGTON’s six-game winning streak came to an emphatic end when they crashed to a 107-run defeat away to leaders Sidmouth II.

Sidmouth had a point to prove after slumping to defeat against bottom side Clyst Hydon seven days earlier – and made it by rattling up 299 for seven.

Batsman Elliott Rice had a point to prove after being dropped from the 1stXI – and he made it with a run-a-ball knock of 101.

Nick Gingell (60) and veteran skipper Anthony Griffiths (51) both made half centuries.

Mark Halse (0-24) bowled the cheapest nine-over spell. D J van Vuuren had three for 65.

Alphington were all-out for 192, no one making more than Will Pring (27). Four more batters got past 20, but none went any further.

Sidmouth’s bowling figures were dominated by Byron Knowles (4-49) and Daley Holmes (3-21).

WHIMPLE bowled out Budleigh Salterton II for 116 to register a 102-run win at Ottermouth.

Skipper Ben Silk (45) and Will Bardot (32), got Whimple going after they had slowed to 91 for five. The final tally was 218 all out.

Matt Murphy had another good game with the ball for Budleigh, taking five for 42. Left-armer Sid Fereday had three for 55.

Budleigh were in the cart at 79 for five with Donovan Robinson out for a top score of 39.

Next best was skipper Nick Boult (27), who was one of the last five wickets to fall for 35 runs.

Cam Kidd had three for 38 and there were two wickets each for Sam Jefferson and Devon Nightingale.

Whimple skipper Silk was delighted with the success, one he felt they certainly needed to secure.

He said: “We were in a spot of bother early in our innings but much of that was down to a damp – actually wet in places – wicket at Budleigh. They had not been able to cover it and so it was hit by that Friday night early Saturday morning rain.”

He continued: “But we managed to dig in and its nice for middle and lower order to contribute with the bat at times and that’s what happened. I was very pleased with 218 on the board at tea and felt very confident that we’d go on and win the game and so it turned out.”

Silk had high praise for one of his bowlers. He said: “Sam Jefferson is only 15, and he is a small lad, but he packs a punch with his seam bowling and I was really pleased for him that he was able to turn in such a polished show.”

FENITON gave Exeter 2ndXI a real run for their money before going down to a three-wicket defeat on the County Ground.

Feniton recovered from a shaky 64 for five to make 221 for eight. Stars of the show were Alex Frankpitt (62) and Jack Tucker (85) who put on 133 for the sixth wicket.

Exeter, who lost in a last-over finish to Braunton last time out, got home with four balls to spare.

Skipper Shaun Langford make 79 at the top of the order, Jamie Telford weighed in with 44 and Luke Unsworth (15) and Callum Hogan (8) were the not-outers at the end.

BRAUNTON’S batting proved a let down in the 98-run defeat at Ottery St Mary.

Ottery made 238 for nine in the full 45 overs with runs all the way down the order.

Opener Ollie West top scored with 39 and tail-ender Joe Birch had 29 not out. In between there were chip-ins of 25 from Alex Clements, 38 from Jody Clements and 27 for Rick Jackson.

The stand-out bowlers for Braunton were Mike Taylor (4-52) and skipper Dan Brierley (3-38).

The Braunton innings seldom got out of a low gear for long as the reply meandered to 140 for seven in 45 overs. Three run-outs didn’t help the cause.

Opener Phil James made 32 and Mark Russell added 28 going in at 90 for six. Next best with 14 was Rob Paterson.

Braunton face a toughie this Saturday when runaway leaders Sidmouth visit Kelsey.

CLYST Hydon were brought down to earth with a bump by a 238-run defeat at the hands of Kilmington.

Seven days earlier Hydon enjoyed a rare highlight in a season of defeats when they trumped previously unbeaten leaders Sidmouth.

Kilmington, the only side likely to catch Sidmouth in the race for one promotion place, rocked Hydon back by piling up a new record score for the division of 462 for nine.

Sidmouth set the previous record earlier in the season with their 443 for one against Budleigh II.

Tom Gooding (93) and Josh Short (136) put on 218 for the first Kilmington wicket.

Matt Rockett (65) and Short heaped on another 55 and there was still time for Billy Reed (50) and Rockett to help themselves to 97 for the third wicket.

Hydon’s bowling figures do not make pleasant reading.

Hydon made a respectable 224 for nine in reply, skipper Ian Sutton compiling 128 not out. There were stands of 68 with Sean Devine (28) and 54 with Kevin Sercombe.

Kilmington skipper Brett Garner said after the game: “It was brutal stuff from Josh [Short]. When he was really motoring there was talk of possibly reaching 500, which would have been stupendous.

That said, we have to be happy that this current XI have now chalked up a record score for the Alfred Hitchcock Memorial Ground – certainly some of the old timers who take in our games say they’d not seen anything like it!”

As for the form of Tom Gooding, Garner says: “He’s now up into the 700s and he did not play last week! 

"With six to play, if he can play in them all I am sure he will reach 1,000 league runs for the season and that really would be some achievement.”

Kilmington are second in the C Division East table, 13 points adrift of leaders Sidmouth and the sides meet next month at Kilmington.

Garner says: “All we can do is keep winning our games and then hope that we can really apply some pressure when they [Sidmouth II] come to us on August 11.”