SIDMOUTH skipper Luke Bess had no complaints about his side’s eight-wicket defeat in the Premier Division battle on the Country Ground.

Sidmouth were bowled out for 180, which Exeter knocked-off with more than 16 overs to spare. Opener Charles Clist led the way with an unbeaten 102.

Said Bess: “Exeter outplayed us in all three departments and deserved to win. 

“We have a tendency to blow hot and cold this season, which is probably a fair reflection of where we are at.”

Bess said opting to bat first may have been a mistake, although you could make an argument for it being the right decision too,

“In hindsight it was probably the wrong decision wrong at the toss but, having said, that we were going well at 93 for three with two batters set, then collapsed.”

Bess said whatever the rights and wrongs of batting first may have been, Sidmouth did not help themselves.

“On a tricky deck we should have made a better fist of it,” said Bess.

“Dropping both openers on nought in the first two overs, then missing a number of other chances was something we couldn't afford defending a below-par score,” said Bess.

“One to forget and move on from…”

Sidmouth’s innings was a patchy affair that meandered from 111 for three to 131 for seven before a tail-end revival got the total up to 180.

Charlie Gaywood made 26, Luke Beaufort passed 400 league runs for the season with 56 and Cameron Grainger (25) wrung some runs out of the tail.

Fin Hill (4-38) was supported in Exeter’s bowling department by Joe Gore (2-46) and Freddie Cockram (2-15).

Exeter opener Clist made the most of his early life by taking the team to victory. He reached his ton with a boundary hit off Tom Hodgson that won the game at the same time.

Cockram (25) and Hill (27) were Clist’s companions after Eddie Steele (16) was with him for the first 80 of the chase.

Joe Gore, the Exeter captain, said: Charlie Clist’s awesome hundred was one of the great individual performances in a fantastic team effort.

“There is lots of momentum for us now.”