CORNWOOD 2nd XI scraped home by one wicket in the South Hams derby at Kingsbridge regain top spot in the C Division West.
Ashburton were in pole position going into round seven of 18, but their 97-run drubbing by Teignmouth & Shaldon allowed the Wood to re-take it after a week down in second.
It’s tight at the top through with just three points between the top two – and South Devon only 145 points further behind in third place.
Kingsbridge got to 116 for three thanks to runs from James Westlake (42), former Cornwood player Jack Brown (31) and James Fletcher (28), then hit a brick wall.
Wickets fell to Alex Robinson (3-35), James Richardson (2-38) and Jacob Caunter (2-27) before Alex Browne (31) helped the score towards a final tally of 187.
The Wood lagged behind early on – they were 31 for three – and had Craig Harris (39) and Sam Griffiths (27) to thank for getting back on an even keel.
A second stumble to 118 for six with Harris just out, had alarm bells tinkling in the Cornwood camp. Bhanu De Silva (3-31) spun them out.
Harry Woolway (31) and Matt Puttock (23) appeared to put Cornwood back on course, but there was another twist to come as 181 for seven became 185 for nine after a double strike by Brown (3-58).
The Caunter brothers – Jacob and Josiah – took needed just four balls between them to close-out the game.
Robin Dart, the Cornwood captain, said he was ‘very relieved’ to get over the line.
Dart added: “We showed our strength in depth again with the tail getting it done.
“A few dropped catches, and some sloppy fielding, meant we were probably chasing 30-40 than we needed to
“Ultimately, we got it done – and credit to everyone for digging deep. Going to need plenty more of it before the season is out.”
MOHAMMAD Arsul Sheikh helped himself to a century as Brixham thumped Plymstock 2nd XI by 96 runs.
Seven defeats on the reel since winning promotion at the end of last season have left Plymstock 47 points adrift at the bottom table.
After Brixham piled-up 241 for five against Plymstock, that record never looked like changing.
Sheikh, Brixham’s Islamabad all-rounder, cracked six sixes and the same number of fours on the way to an unbeaten 116. He was particularly brutal on Plymstock’s Tom Baker, whom he belted for five successive sixes in one over. Ball one was a dot!
Sheikh put on 116 with Tom Hopper (55), 45 with Dalton Sanders (9) and 42 with Matt Parsons, who managed three not out from the four balls he faced.
Jamie Palfreyman (2-46) was the lone Plymstock bowler with more than one wicket. Billy Gibson (1-31), Simon Light (0-40) and Syed Ali (1-39) got through nine overs each without too many dramas.
Plymstock were soon under the cosh at 33 for three, then recovered to 94 for four thanks to runs from Palfreyman (22) and Mike Blackmore (28). Lee Upham (3-41) picked-off Palfreyman then Blackmore, starting a steady decline to 145 all out.
Matt Parsons (3-28) assisted the clearing-out operation at the end.
ASHBURTON were bumped off the top of the C Division West by at 97-run defeat at the hands of Teignmouth & Shaldon.
Cornwood 2nd XI regained pole position thanks to their win at Kingsbridge, but with only three points between them the situation remains fluid.
Todd Ballman (52) and Seamus McKenna (53) were T&S’s principal run makers in an all-out total of 188. Their fourth-wicket stand of 57 was the only one above 30. Josh Couch (24) and Carl Woolnough (21) both chipped in.
Ashes’ Jack Warren (3-25) had wickets when the ball was new. Chris Yeo (3-38) prospered when the shine had faded.
Ashburton’s batting was picked apart by T&S skipper Ryan Bougourd (3-14) and Woolnough (3-33), who were mostly responsible for a running total of 54 for six.
Yeo made 24 down the order, but the damage was done by then as Ashburton slithered to 91 all out.
SOUTH Devon’s four-game winning streak in the C Division West ended at the hands of Ipplepen 2ndXI, who defeated them by one-wicket in a derby nail-biter.
Runs from opener Aaron Hammett (34) and Mali Marshall (45) helped South Devon reach 144 for four without too many problems.
Marshall’s demise, bowled by Tobias Alsop (2-8), started a slide towards South Devon’s all-out total of 176. Only skipper Jon Martin (20) stayed long.
Andy Bligh (3-26) returned for a second spell to help South Devon their way out. Steve Bowden (2-25) also got involved.
South Devon got just the start they wanted when Martin bowled Pens’ opener Jeff Heath two balls into their reply.
Alsop (38), Freddie Harvey (21) and ex-regular Luke Tuckett had all chipped away at the deficit in a running total of 154 for five. It looked like game over. Then Jack Allen (3-31) dismissed Benedict Forsey for 18
Tuckett, back in the UK from his home Australia for a family funeral, carried on at one end while wickets fell at the other. He had just reached 50 when Martin (3-24) dismissed him with 11 needed to win
Eighth-wicket pair Harry Lewis and Adam Peters got the scores level as the tension mounted. Paul Thomas was in at the end with Peters when the winning single was scampered.
CHUDLEIGH’S challenging times in the C Division West continued with an embarrassing 155-run home defeat Paignton 2nd XI.
Had Chudleigh beaten fellow strugglers Paignton it would have propelled them out of the bottom two.
Instead, Chudleigh are still in the bottom two and now lag 12 points behind Paignton. The prospect of a second successive relegation will become a real worry the longer they say there.
Cole McFarlane rattled off 101 for Paignton, and Max Pedley made 49 more, in a total of 232 for eight.
Will Heather (3-43) and Mark Russell (2-35) were Chudleigh’s most successful bowlers.
Veteran seamer Steve George (5-4) and spinner Arthur Ray (3-24) then skittled Chudleigh for a paltry 77. Skipper Mark Solway (27) stuck around down the order.
