Hatherleigh completed a memorable league-and-cup double by brushing aside Clyst St George by ten wickets to secure the Tolchards Devon Women’s Cricket League Division Two title.
Needing 12 points from the final game of the DWCL season to overhaul Taunton Deane at the top of the table, Hatherleigh left nothing to chance.
Clyst were bowled out for just 35 in 19.2 overs before Chloe Rose and Chloe Dennis knocked off the target without loss in only 5.3 overs, chasing down their modest target and securing a maximum 20 points.
The victory took Hatherleigh beyond Taunton’s final total of 79 points and completed an excellent end to the season, coming just a week after they lifted the Tolchards T20 Plate with victory over the same Taunton side.
It was also an emphatic reversal of the previous meeting between Hatherleigh and Clyst, when Clyst won by 62 runs after making 170 for nine and bowling Hatherleigh out for 108.
This time, Hatherleigh took control from the start.
Olivia Cooper led the way with the ball, removing Clare Pym for five before dismissing Alyssia Hayes and Iona Murrin without scoring.
Clyst were quickly in trouble at 11 for three and never really recovered.
Cooper finished with excellent figures of three for eight from five overs, including a maiden, while the wickets were shared around the rest of the Hatherleigh attack.
Amalie Brock took one for 10, Jessica Dennis returned one for three from four overs – including two maidens – and Chloe Dennis (pictured) took one for six.
Sophie Evans and Abigail Dennis also claimed a wicket apiece, while two run-outs added to Clyst’s problems.
Charlotte Taylor offered the most resistance with 11 from 42 balls, but she was the only Clyst batter to reach double figures.
From 28 for four, the final six wickets fell for just seven runs as Clyst were dismissed for 35.
There was never any real drama in the chase.
Rose and Dennis put on an unbroken 38 for the first wicket to wrap up victory inside six overs, with Dennis finishing with an unbeaten 19 from just 14 balls, including three fours, and Rose making an unbeaten 18.
For Dennis in particular, it was a fitting way to complete a superb individual season.
She ends the Division Two campaign as the leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets, including best figures of five for seven, while also finishing second in the batting standings with 241 runs at an average of 40.17. Her unbeaten 19 in the title decider capped an excellent all-round season in which she was one of Hatherleigh’s most consistent performers.
Brock also finished inside the division’s top ten bowlers with eight wickets, while Jessica Dennis ended the season with seven.
Chloe Rose enjoyed a productive campaign with the bat too, finishing fourth in the divisional standings with 179 runs, while Cooper ended with 123 runs to go alongside her match-winning spell in the title decider.
Clyst also had players feature prominently in the end-of-season statistics.
Ali West finished fifth in the Division Two batting standings with 144 runs, Charlotte Taylor was just behind with 143, while Alyssia Hayes made 125.
With the ball, Bella Wells finished inside the division’s top ten after taking six wickets, including two for eight in Clyst’s victory over Hatherleigh earlier in the season.
The title also capped a memorable first season in charge for Hatherleigh captain Jess Rose, who took over from her older sister Chloe at the start of the campaign.
Rose said: “What an amazing way to finish the season with two trophies. Everyone has played their part in what has been a really successful season and we’re already looking forward to the challenge of Division One next year.
“And a special shout-out to my mum (Angie Rose, wicketkeeper), who gave us all something to laugh about on Sunday!”
For Hatherleigh, it was the perfect finish.
Seven days after lifting the T20 Plate, they added the Division Two title, with a ten-wicket win sealing a league-and-cup double and bringing an excellent 2026 season to a close.
By Chris Sleep
