BRAUNTON ran into two former Devon captains in their C East game against Exmouth 2nd XI, but still came away with a nine-wicket win in a rain-adjusted game.
Exmouth’s first team was hard-hit by absenteeism for their game at Barton, which meant calling in a few favours from semi-retired players like Nick Folland and Bob Dawson.
Dawson made 27 and was one of the batsmen out in a running total of 130 for four. The others were Harrison Folland (24), Codie Stydom (33) and Ed Maynard (37).
Once Dawson went no one reached double figures, including Folland. Devon’s all-time record run scorer with more than 10,000 to his name, only made two before Callum Mitchell (4-21) prised him out.
Braunton’s Dan Brierley has three wickets and there were two for Steve Moore, who also played for the county in his prime, as Exmouth were held to 156 for nine.
A rain break left Braunton a reduced target of 132 to win and 38 overs to get them. They did t in 22.3.
Rob Collier (45no) and Mitchell (65) broke the back of the chase by putting on 104 for the first wicket. Alfie Huxtable (12no) was in at the end with Collier.
ALPHINGTON & Countess Wear won for the first time in three starts when they scraped home by six runs in a soggy affair against Sidmouth.
Sidmouth’s bowlers made run-scoring tough for the A&CW batters, who between them posted a modest 160 all out in the 35th of their 45 overs.
Mark Halse (28), James Bovey (22) and Luan Liebenberg (24) had the best of the bits-and-pieces scores that made up the A&CW total. Halse and Bovey’s third-wicket stand of 54 was as good as it got.
Connor O’Shea (4-21) and Tom Hodgson (4-32) took the bowling spoils for Sidmouth.
Interruptions due to rain brought Sidmouth’s target down to 80 to win in 23 overs – and they very nearly got it!
At 48 for one Sidmouth appeared in control, but losing seven wickets for 11 runs scored put the game back in the balance. Liebenberg (4-19) caused the early damage, then Dylan Spicer and Bovey took two wickets each to pile-on the pressure.
Charlie Brock (30no) kept going, but could only get Sidmouth up to 73 for eight.
James Bogue, the Alphington & Countess Wear skipper, said he was relieved to bank a win even though it was not a performance out of the top draw.
“We did not bat very well but got a total that we could bowl at,” said Bogue.
“After a decent spell from Luan up top, JB (Bovey) and Dylan got stuck into the middle order.
“It was tight on run rate, but we probably deserved to win on balance. We have got to bat better from now on in.”
Anthony Griffiths, the Sidmouth skipper, said for his side with six under-16s in the experience would have been a learning gain.
“They learned you have to keep out the straight balls and can’t afford to miss them,” said Griffiths.
SANDFORD suffered the backlash as Uplyme & Lyme Regis bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a 92-run win.
The C East leaders, still smarting from their defeat at Braunton, stacked-up a total of 366 for four against Sandford with opener Anan Abhishek striking 132 before Harry Everett trapped him lbw.
Joe Elsworth, Abhishek’s partner in a stand of 98, made 67 – and Uplyme were just warming up them!
Tyler Wellman took 95 not out off the Sandford attack while he and Abhishek amassed 186 for the third wicket.
Four Sandford bowlers took a wicket each. None got through their stints at less than six an over.
Everett then hammered out a century of his own as Sandford responded with 274 for five before their overs ran out.
Jon James (50) had been and gone by the time Sandford reached 75 for two. Everett, batting first wicket down, finished undefeated on 123 and was involved in stands of 92 with Joe Hopkins (22) and 84 with Rob Stoyle (28).
Victory takes Uplyme back to the top of the table after a brief hiatus caused by losing to Barnstaple & Pilton that allowed Sandford to steal ahead of them.
Sam Farrow, the Uplyme captain, said he doubted the KGV ground had ever seen so many runs scored in one game.
Farrow added: “A day for a batsmen and nice to come out on top get back to the top of the league.
“Abhi, Joe and Tyler all played brilliantly and got us up to a massive score.
“Our bowling and fielding was disappointing and credit to Everitt for a brilliant knock.”
OTTERY St Mary rediscovered the winning habit after back-to-back losses with a run-rate victory over Upottery.
Upottery made 163 for eight in their full allocation of 45 overs thanks largely to three batters. Matt Broom (42) and James Mitcham (31) put on 85 for the third wicket then Ben Kidson topped-up the tally with an unbeaten 34.
Ottery’s bowlers were a miserly bunch, none more so than Jonathan Triner, whose seven overs only yielded 11 runs.
Wicket-taking duties were the bailiwick of Dan Alford (4-21) and Matt Jeacock (3-24).
Ottery’s target was trimmed down to 135 from 35 overs after a break for rain and they got there with five wickets in hand and more than eight overs to spare despite the best efforts of Kidson (3-16) and Mitcham (2-34) to derail the chase.
Triner was Ottery’s man of the moment with a well-paced 44 not out. At 59 for five in reply the chase was teetering on the brink of a collapse. Triner and Sam O’Nyons (23no) saw it through during an unbroken stand of 78.
HEATHCOAT 2nd XI hurtled to a seven-wicket win over Exeter 2nd XI that lifted them up to third in the C East table.
Exeter opener Navid Kaleem batted from start to finish for an unbeaten 133 in a total of 237 for five.
Along the way there were partnerships of 58 with Mohammed Thouffeeq and 97 with Tommy Stewart (51). After reaching his hundred Kaleem lofted the next ball from Lewis Fountain for six!
Heathcoat benefited from a rain-break that wiped out 16 of their 45 overs and brought the target down to 147 to win. Heathcoat were 80 for one after 10 overs at the stoppage and clubbed the required runs in a hurry to win in the 20th.
Mike Humphreys has been in and out for 38 before it rained. Dave Harris (41no) tied up the loose ends.
