BOTTOM side Sandford handed out a nine-wicket hiding to Bovey Tracey that sets them up nicely for a do-or-die meeting with fellow strugglers Hatherleigh this Saturday.
Sandford are still 19 points away from safety at the bottom of the table with five games to go and 100 points to play for.
Win this Saturday and they will move above Hatherleigh and closer to safety. Lose and they will be no better off with only four games to save themselves. Two wins would be the absolute minimum – and even then not enough.
And for a side that has only won twice all season, two wins in four games is a big ask.
Ashley Causey (33) and Peter Bradley (29) had the best of a modest set of scores in Bovey’s 135 for eight of 32 in 32 rain-reduced overs.
Bovey found the Sandford seamers hard to get away, in particular Matt Theedom and Jamie Palmer, whose two for 16 included the second-ball dismissal of dangerman Min Jalill.
After Sandford openers Richard Foan (61) and Freddie Filor (40no) put on 107, it was game over.
Charles Fitzroy (19no) joined skipper Foan in the dash to victory.
For Foan it was a long-over due win. The only other one this season was in round two when Bradninch were beaten by four runs.
Said Foan: “Conditions helped our bowlers early on, we bowled great areas and managed to get the ball moving around.
“I asked the lads to be aggressive and start believing in themselves and this win couldn't have come at a better time. Bring on this weekend.”
Bovey captain Toby Cadd was understandably subdued in the wake of the result.
"We simply weren't good enough and will put it behind us and move on to Heathcoat this week," said Codd.
