SPINNERS Keith Wakeham and Paul Bates bowled the Devon-Over 50s’ 2ndXI into the 50+ 2ndXI County Championship Plate semi-finals in a 125-run win over Staffordshire.
Both bowlers took four wickets in the sunshine at Stafford CC– Wakeham (4-31) and Bates (4-40) – as Devon dismissed the home side for 136 inside 30 overs.
Off-spinner Wakeham (Ipplpen) dismissed both openers and had four of the first five wickets. Left-armer Bates (Babbacombe) took care of the middle and late-order batters.
Devon batted first and, after a solid opening stand of 54 in 11 overs between Mike Wilkinson (39) and Yelverton’s Jon Pilgrim (26), James Blackmore (66) and Ian Hayter (58) put on 121 in 17 overs for the fourth wicket.
At that point a score of 300 looked to be on the cards, but 214 for three quickly became 217-six and the run rate inevitably slowed.
Babbacombe team-mates Steve Broad (31no) and Bates (9no) put on 44 in the last seven overs to take the total up to 261 for six.
Staffs were soon on the back foot, being reduced to 35 for four and, despite an entertaining cameo 30 from Denton Brock, were never in the game after the first 10 overs.
Keeper James Blackmore was kept busy with three stumpings as Wakeham and Bates out-thought the batters.
Devon will play Wiltshire at Malmesbury on August 17 (noon) on the last four.
