BRADNINCH & Kentisbeare 2nd XI are now joint leaders in the Tolchards D Division East following a six-wicket win over Barnstaple & Pilton at Kensham Park.
Upottery, who were top, came unstuck at North Devon and now share double-billing with Bradninch & Kentisbeare. And Whimple’s defeat at Shobrooke Park means B&K went past them as well on the way to the top.
But it remains tighter than a tic at the top as just 12 points separate the top four of B&K (203pts), Upottery (203), Whimple (193) and Shobrooke Park (191).
Barnstaple & Pilton got as far as 180 for nine against Bradninch & Kentisbeare before their overs expired.
Jimmer Thomas (39) and Matt Newton (27) were the main run scorers with a bat in their hands. Forty extras – 35 of them wides – further boosted the total.
Josh Stuart (3-30) just pipped Joe Gillett (2-28) in the nine-over bowling category. Todd Scrace (2-24) gave little away.
Opener Morgan Lamey kick-started the B&K reply with 66 off 72 balls. His stand of 56 with Connor Carthew got the chase up to 110 for four.
Gillett (30no) was at the other end from Carthew (44no) when the tape was broken in the 37th over.
Joe Hastie (2-30) booked B&P’s best bowling return. George Elnaugh (2.83) offered little to score off.
NORTH Devon made light work of defeating Upottery by nine wickets in a one-sided affair at Instow.
Upottery limped along to 133 all out with Matt Broom (46) and James Mitcham (37) the only batters to make much headway.
North Devon took Upottery’s last seven wickets for just 27 runs as their batting crumbled. Regina Lilli (3-6) and Archie Popham (3-21) had three wickets each and there were two more for Jools Hughes (2-18).
North Devon opener Jay Rothery tucked into the Upottery bowling with relish with a rapid 87 not out from 48 balls faced to win the game at a gallop. Ben Kidson went for 28 in three overs.
Rothery smacked 13 fours and two sixes during his 48-ball knock. A stand of 101 with Navindu Vanderbona (23) made the result academic. Reuben Windley (17no) was in at the end with Rothery.
SKIPPER Chris Ford claimed four wickets and there were three more for Howell Brandwood in Shobrooke Park’s eight-run win over visiting Whimple.
Whimple were 67 for four chasing 120 win and at 67 for four seemed well placed to win. Luke Phillips (22) then Will Bardot (19) departed to Ford as the game swivelled in a different directon.
Matt Brown (27) hung around while wickets fell at the other end. Ford got him to finish with four for 23. Brandwood’s three for 24 accounted for the rest.
Fergus Campey (33) and Lucas Richards (20) were the two best run scores in Shobrooke’s 119 all out. Modest contributions matter in low-scoring games, underlined by Joe Harris (13) and Phil Anning (17) chipping in usefully.
Andrew Codling (3-21) took wickets against the club he played for last season and there were three wickets for Brown in the bottom half of the order.
TOPSHAM St James crept closer to safety in the D Division East when they defeated Thorverton by 24 runs.
The two sides have been in the relegation places since the first few weeks of the season with Thorverton always lagging behind.
This was Thorverton’s opportunity to do something about the 14-point gap between them. And they fluffed it. The gap has widened to 27 points and Topsham SJ have closed within three points of Clyst Hydon, the team they have to get past to reach safety.
Dan Croxall (30) and Declan Wardell (43) got TSJ away to a 92-run start, which was built on Ross Treleaven and others to reach a total of 245 for five. Harry Sharp (32) and Treleaven (76no) put on 80 for the fourth wicket.
Jonny Baker (1-40) was the only Thorverton bowler to operate below five an over. No one took more than one wicket.
Baker (39) and Andy Daldorph (35) opened-up with 57 for Thorverton. David Baldock (26) and Paul Stirling (55) kept the runs coming for a while.
Wardell (3-17) and Mustavi Emdad (5-24) had the happy knack of taking wickets at the right times for TSJ. The last four, starting with Stirling, went for just 16 runs as 205 for six became 221 all out.
OTTERY St Mary 2nd XI moved out of immediate danger in the D Division East thanks to a two-wicket run-rate win over Clyst Hydon.
Hydon, who had the full 45-over allocation, made 240 for seven with Callum Scott top scoring on 63.
A rain break meant an over lost and a reduced target of 235 to win for Ottery. They got across the line with five overs to spare.
Defeat means Hydon (123pts) can now feel Topsham St James (120) looking over their shoulder as the season enters the last lap.
Ian Sutton (49) and Graham Trude (43) added exactly a hundred for Hydon’s second wicket. Scott and Keith Herselman (20) helped add another 100 to the final total.
Albert Southall-Brown (3-23) was Ottery’s most effective bowler in both respects.
Ottery’s reply started in a similar fashion with second-wicket pair Matt Brewster (46) and Brendan Coles (44) reaching 94 for two.
The match-winning partnership was one of 97 between Coles and Dave Weeks (57) that left 44 to win.
Although Sutton (3-63) and Scott (1-35) had Ottery nerves jangling for a while, bits and pieces got Ottery over the line.
