HATHERLEIGH took another step closer to dodging the relegation reaper when they defeated Plymouth by 42 runs in the basement battle at Mount Wise.
The game was Plymouth’s chance to put some distance between themselves and Hatherleigh in the bottom two – and maybe even get ahead of Paignton and out of the relegation places.
It did not work out that way as the only change in the bottom three is that all the teams have been concertinaed together. Hatherleigh (117pts) are still bottom, Plymouth (126) remain directly above them and Paignton (130) are only four points clear of the danger zone.
Hatherleigh’s overseas all-rounder Jonty Rapulana opened the batting and proceeded to flog Plymouth’s bowling for an unbeaten 146 in their total of 267 for seven.
Along the way Rapulana hit 20 four and two sixes and shared in stand of 79 with Gareth Tidball (22), 37 with Charlie Presswell (12) and 53 at the end with Charlie Nielson (14no).
Peter Lojszcyk (2-52) and Teddy Haffenden (2-50) were the only Plymouth bowlers to take more than one wicket.
Plymouth opener Joe Hagan-Burt made 79 of the first 120 on the board in the city side’s reply and when he went Jerome Bossr got his head down to make 73 off 94 balls.
For a time when Bossr remained Plymouth had a chance of winning the game, even though no one other than Jon Varcoe (14) made a double-figure contribution to the chase.
But by the time Bossr was ninth out on 210 the result was never in doubt and Plymouth were all out soon after for 226 with more than three overs to go.
Rapulana capped a man-of-the-match performance with a four-for-26 haul and, on a good day for Hatherleigh’s spinners, skipper Mark Lake took three for 35.
Hatherleigh still have plenty to do to avoid relegation. But after two wins on the spin the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train!
Said Lake: “With six games to go we have given ourselves a chance of survival.
“Jonty was in a class of his own and guided us to a great score on a pitch where I feel we had the worst of the conditions.
“Credit to Plymouth for giving it a good go, but it was a massive and deserved win for us.”
“I am sure there will be a few teams looking over their shoulders now as two weeks ago we looked dead and buried.”
