PLYMSTOCK 2nd XI moved 13 points clear at the top of the D Division West thanks to a 52-run win over Babbacombe in the top-of-the-table clash at Walls Hill.
The divisional leaders went into the game just five points ahead of Babbacombe in a congested top four.
This result dropped Babbacombe down to fourth in the table, where they are now 16 points in arrears, and allowed Plymouth CS&R and Ipplepen 2nd XI to clamber up to joint second place.
Mamum Chowdhury, batting first wicket down for Plymstock, made 58 off 88 balls in an all-out total of 188.
Chowdhury rescued Plymstock from a nervy 47 for five by putting on 66 with Levi Davies (30). Anthony Mustica made a handy 20 not out in the dying overs.
Best of the bowling for Babbacombe came from Harry Jack (4-40). Dave Stubbs (3-30) – 54 and still wheeling away – had three in a row during Plymstock’s collapse to 47 for five.
Babbacombe were in a similar position to Plymstock at 46 for four after running into trouble against Mustica and Syed Ali (3-69).
Steve Broad (32) hung around for a while and Stubbs whacked 30 in boundaries making 34 down the order.
Mustica picked-up three more wickets on top of the two taken earlier to finish with five for 47 as Babbacombe were bowled out for 128 in less than 21 overs.
CHRIS Needham scored his second century of the season to help Ipplepen 2nd XI to a crushing 199-run win over neighbours Abbotskerswell 2nd XI in the D West derby at Two Mile Oak.
Needham (pictured) took a ton off leaders Plymstock 2nd XI when the two sides met and did it again with 139 not out against Abbots in a total of 313 for six.
Along the way there was a stand between Needham and Noah Sutton (40) of 117 for the fourth wicket. Jeff Heath (17) was at the other end while 65 more was added for the fifth.
Abbots, who have only won once all season, were skittled out for 114 in reply. Harrison Vickery’s 33 batting at number nine was as good as it got.
Harry Lewis pressed his case for place in Pens’ first team with three wickets – and Warrick Green had three for 32.
Victory took Pens up to third in the table.
PLYMOUTH Civil Service & Roborough chased 210 to win away to Dartington & Totnes – and got them with more than three overs to go.
Opener Jono Lloyd (51) took D&T to 146 for two in stands with David Carter (23) and Lewis Starkie (27) before Paul Butson (2-43) got him out.
Alistair Selby made 30 and a sizeable helping of 55 extras – 45 of them wides – helped D&T reach 209 for eight in 45 overs.
Malik Wasim (2-41) was the other Civil bowler to take more than one wicket. Skipper Matt Trevorrow bowled at less than three an over.
Jonny Keiller (57) and Abraham Thomas (41) got Civil away to an 81-run start and there was little D&T could do to slow the chase, although Chris Cook (2-28) had a go.
Sid Koka (22) whittled down the deficit, Nuruz Zamal (27) got the target down to 24 and Trevorrow (32no) was in at the end.
LOWER-order heroics were not quite enough to save Hatherleigh 2nd XI from a 14-run defeat away at Kenn.
The D Division West encounter looked dead and buried in Kenn’s favour when Hatherleigh were 115 for nine chasing 172 to win. Only Sam Clark (28) and Adam Quick (21) had made much headway with the bat until then as Harry Gaydon (4-45) and Hugh Stronge (3-23) kept the pressure up with the ball.
Tom Carroll (17) and Carl Downes (22no), Hatherleigh’s last-wicket pair, clearly did not see it as a lost cause. Run by run they whittled down the arrears during a stand of 42.
Sixteen to win from the final over proved just a few too many and Carroll was bowled by Pete Chislett (2-28) three balls in to give Kenn the win.
Kenn’s all-out total of 171 owed much to knocks of 47 from Chris May and 48 by James Gosling. Skipper James Mason weighed-in with 22.
Charlie Bingham (4-45) was Hatherleigh’s main wicket taker. Carroll (3-25) was not far behind.
IVYBRIDGE 2nd XI got back to winning ways after a three-game losing streak when they defeated lowly Barton 2nd XI by 75 runs.
Skipper Sam Northmore (74) and Phil Warwick (58) were the men of the moment for the Bridge in their 45-over tally of 231 for six. They put on 105 for the third wicket.
Owen Howard made 39 to take the total up to 218 for five.
Harry Shelton took two wickets in his second spell for three for 39 in the match. Greg Shelton, Harry’s dad, had two more for 29.
Lewis Crocker, who opened for Barton, made a top score of 56 in a reply that did not go according to plan. By the time Crocker was seventh out on 114, no one at the other end had made more than a dozen.
Bishan Kuruppu (3-34) was the initial cause of Barton’s problems. Howard (2-22) and Chris Greenhouse (2-28) got into the middle and lower order.
