What a difference a year made for Bovey Tracey.
After finishing bottom of Division Two without a league win in 2025, Bovey responded in emphatic fashion by sweeping to the Division Three title in 2026.
Nine wins from 10 matches brought them 170 points, 28 clear of runners-up Ottery St Mary, completing an impressive turnaround from the previous summer.
Bovey set the tone early, bowling Chagford out for just 44 before knocking off the target without losing a wicket, while Holsworthy were beaten by 86 runs after Bovey posted 166 for six.
One of their biggest displays came against Chagford in June, when Bovey amassed 318 for two from their 30 overs before winning by 144 runs.
There were plenty of other strong performances. Bradninch & Kentisbeare were beaten twice, including a high-scoring contest in which Bovey made 215 for two before restricting their opponents to 177 for three.
They also completed the double over nearest challengers Ottery St Mary, winning by 47 runs in June before chasing 143 to secure a five-wicket victory in the return fixture.
Bovey showed they could win the tight games too, squeezing home by two wickets against Holsworthy in July.
Their only league defeat came on the final weekend, when Exmouth 2s chased 143 to win by four wickets, but by then the Division Three title had already been secured.
Olive McCauley enjoyed an exceptional season, finishing as Division Three’s leading run-scorer with 488 runs from nine innings.
Her tally included four half-centuries and a century, with a highest score of 121 not out, while she averaged 81.33.
Amelie Webber was next with 245 runs, including a best of 80 not out, while Emily Martin scored 234 from only six innings, averaging 58.50 with two fifties and a highest score of 95 not out.
McCauley also topped Bovey’s bowling charts, taking 13 wickets with best figures of four for 11 while conceding just 3.08 runs an over.
Isabelle Bradley took nine wickets, including the club’s best figures of five for 17, while Imogen Du Toit finished with eight wickets and a best of three for 20.
There was more success in the shorter formats, with Bovey Tracey 2s winning the 8-a-side T20 competition and also reaching the semi-finals of the T20 Plate.
The progress at the club is continuing too. Bovey will enter a second team into the Devon Women’s Cricket League in 2027, with that side joining Division Four.
From a winless Division Two campaign in 2025 to nine victories, a Division Three title and further T20 success a year later, Bovey’s turnaround has been striking.
With strong performances throughout the side and the club continuing to grow, 2026 proved to be a season to remember.
