PLYMOUTH Civil Service & Roborough did not hang around on the way to a nine-wicket win away to relegation certainties Abbotskerswell 2nd XI.
Abbots were bowled out for 124 in the 40th of their 45 overs, which Civil knocked off with more than 20 overs to spare.
Victory took Civil up to third in the table where they are one of four clubs chasing the runners-up spot behind champs presumptive Plymstock 2nd XI.
Abbots, 34 points adrift in the basement, are potentially one more defeat away from relegation.
Abbots had veteran batter Gary Caunter (20) and youngster Alfie Harrison (25no) for getting them from 68 for five to 99 for six. Matt Trevorrow and Paul Butson had two wickets each.
Dan Winsor’s left-arm spin brought him a three-for-22 haul at the end.
Jonny Keiller (46no) and Alan Smith (35) took the chase to 81 for one. Malik Wasim (27no) was in at the end with Keiller.
Smith, a former Plymouth CS&R captain, was making a guest appearance while home on leave from his current job in the Middle East.
IPPLEPEN 2nd XI beat Babbacombe by five runs to snatch second place off them as the D West promotion race heats up.
It was a close-run thing as Babbacombe reached the final over from Tobias Alsop (2-32) needing 11 to win with six wickets intact. They lost two of those wickets and did not get the runs!
It remains a close-run thing in the promotion race too. Leaders Plymstock 2nd XI (225pts) appear to have one foot in the C Division already. Second-place is wide open between Pens (205), Plymouth CS&R (204), Kenn (199) and Babbacombe (197).
Adam Peters (23) and the venerable Jeff Heath (27) contributed top-order runs for the Pens, which were well topped up by Alsop (50) and Harry Lewis with an entertaining 33 not out at the end.
Marcus Thompson (69) and son Josh (41) hoisted a 77-run opening stand for Babbacombe against their old Ipplepen team-mates.
It looked like skipper Rob Redding (52) would lead Babbacombe to victory until he was dispatched by Chris Needham (2-40) in the penultimate over. They didn’t quite get there.
DARTINGTON & Totnes are in real danger of suffering a third successive relegation after losing the basement battle with Barton 2nd XI by a whopping nine-wicket margin.
After dropping out of the B Division then the C Division West one after the other, D&T were hoping to regroup in the D West this season. It has not worked out that way.
Dartington & Totnes are just one-point clear of the second relegation place, still occupied by Barton 2nd XI, who are breathing heavily down their necks after back-to-back wins over Hatherleigh and now D&T.
Jono Lloyd top scored for D&T with 55 in their 45-over tally of 237 for six. Justin Osborne made a next best of 42 before he was forced to retire with an injury.
Ali Selby chipped in 24 batting at four and there were useful contributions in the final few overs from Joe Martin (21no) and Chris O’Reilly (22no).
Harry Shelton (1-35) was the only Barton bowler to use his full allocation of nine overs. Spinner Louis Hargreaves (2-34) and skipper Chris Stubbs (2-36) shared the wicket-taking honours.
Opener Adam Last cracked an unbeaten 121 for Barton as they raced to victory with more than six overs to go.
Stubbs (24) and Last got the chase going. Matt Needham (64no) took it the rest of the way with Last.
PLYMSTOCK 2nd XI moved another step closer to promotion by returning home from Hatherleigh with a 132-run victory that puts them 20 points clear at the top.
Anthony Mustica belted 131 not out – 17 fours, two sixes – as Plymstock galloped along to 311 for four in 45 overs.
Along the way for Mustica, an Australian working in the UK, were stands of 142 with Mike Blackmore (85) and 113 with Jordan Spencer (48).
Seven bowlers had a trundle for Hatherleigh: none took more than one wicket and Luke Westacott was the only one to operate below five an over.
Hatherleigh only got as far as 179 before running out of batters! They needed more than their own best stand of 40 to threaten Plymstock’s total.
Danny Forrester made a run-a-ball 34 and Zak Spears chipped in 20. Basil Crosswaite-Eyre, in at 103 for four, was the last man out for a top score of 47.
Pick of the bowlers for Plymstock with five for 38 was Syed Ali. The Whalleys – dad Ian and son Ben – took two wickets each.
IVYBRIDGE 2nd XI lost by 115 runs at Kenn to stay just below halfway in the D West table.
Ben Chaloner – in and out for a single – was the only one of Kenn’s top six to fail as a total of 232 all out was achieved.
Openers Evan Conway (23) and Chris May (31) put on 68, Alfie Mason (48) and Ollie Walter (22) put on 67 and chip-ins from Alex Cox (16) and Tom Mason (27) kept the scoreboard moving.
Sam Kidd (3-54) had three of the first four Kenn batters out. Owen Howard (4-35) had three at the end.
Ivybridge were all out for 117 with no one making more than Phil Warwick (25). Next best was Kidd (20).
Hugh Stronge (4-24) led Kenn’s bowling effort. Conway (2-20) and Pete Chislett (2-12 off 9) did their bit too.
