Chris Ferro - chipped in with runs for Clyst St George

HEATHCOAT went solo ay the top of the D Division East, but not by much, thanks to a 92-run win at Uplyme.

Heathcoat and Exmouth were joint top going into round 12, but the Seasiders dropped a point beating North Devon and are now one behind Heathcoat.

Dan Lord smacked 83 and Simon Sobcjak 41 in Heathcoat’s 239 all out.

Matt Hodson then performed the hat-trick – his first in league cricket – as Heathcoat dismissed Uplyme for 147.

Hodson took wickets with his first three balls – all bowled – and went on to finish with four for 23.

EXMOUTH II were given a scare by North Devon II before scraping a 19-run win on the Maer Ground.

Exmouth, who were joint top with Heathcoat before dropping a batting point before tea, made 190 all out. Sean Day (48) top scored and there were chip-ins from Luke Davies (25) and Ryan Schaufler (22).

Rob Gear, playing is first league game for North Devon since 2014, took four wickets for 32 runs. And there were four more wickets for David Hartley (4-27).

North Devon were behind the clock at 74 for five with Mark Ansell (23) and Jay Rothery (26) already in and out.

Gear (25) and Jonny Green (34) put on 59 to make a game of it and as long as Green survived it was game on.

Patrick Hall (4-22) got Green at 156 for eight and it was downhill to 171 all out pretty quickly.

COUNTESS Wear remain deep in the relegation mire in the D Division East after losing by 37 runs at Upottery.

The Wear had Upottery under the cosh at 68 for five with Kav Dias, Oli Byles and Kam Singh all among the wickets.

Skipper Mark Joyce (61) and Ryan Pulman (27) started a fightback and with Andrew Pulman (20) joining his captain in a stand of 84 a total of 208 all out was posted.

Wear captain Jon Heaver will want to know how his side managed to lose after reaching 161 for six in reply.

Dias (44), Dave Jarvis (26) and Mark Davey (52) had put the Wear in a strong position.

The Wear’s last four wickets went for just 10 runs as they crashed to 171 all out.

Pulman took four for 27 and James Mitcham three for 40.

The Wear are 38 points adrift of safety now with promotion-chasers Exmouth II to play next.

Winning skipper Joyce said: “At 116-7 we were in a spot of bother, but we like to think we bat down the order and Andrew [Pulman] and I managed to dig us out of the hole we were in and push us up to the 200 figure I felt would win us the game.”

The Upottery skipper continued: “To be fair, in the second half of the game all the bowlers did their job well and what was very pleasing was the ground and support fielding. That was of the highest quality and certainly helped us to seal the victory.”

Upottery sit fifth in the table, but with the top two looking ‘out of sight’ it means there’s just the one other promotion spot. Joyce is certainly targeting that. 

He says: “We have six to play and need to be looking at winning them all and that ought to be sufficient to see us finish third. We would like to go up. The 2ndXI are looking well set to gain promotion and both teams climbing a division would represent a great season.”

SANDFORD’S six-wicket defeat in the basement battle with Clyst St George dropped them into the bottom three.

Shaun Hawkins (53) and Dan Uren (36) were the main scorers for Sandford in a total of 153 all out.

Bertie Creer took thee for 29 and there were two wickets each for Sam Read (2-26) and Chris Ferro (2-0) as Sandford lost their last five batsmen for 12 runs.

Clyst had the runs knocked off inside 31 overs with Freddie Creer carrying his bat for an unbeaten 56. Ferro (34) chipped in to an opening stand of 71. Andrew Donovan (20no) was in at the end with Freer.

BARNSTAPLE & Pilton lost their top-three place in the D Division East to Chardstock, who beat them by 82 runs to take the spot for themselves.

The significance of third place is it is a promotion spot and, after last season’s near miss, B&P are keen to get up this time.

Chardstock were all out for 184 in the final over, no one making more than opener Steve Allsopp (44).

Steve Moore, the B&P skipper, took four Chardstock wickets for 29 runs and there were three for James Lake and two for George McEndoo.

Rob Hutchings (2-5) and James Pyman (3-28) were largely responsible for reducing B&P’s reply to 39 for four

Jack Moore (24) stopped the rot for a while, but with no one else making more than 13 the chase was a non-starter.

Richard Pyman, the former Dorset seamer, had two for 24 and Gary Larcombe two for 11 to kill off B&P in the 32ndover.