HATHERLEIGH’S Paul Heard turned in a career-best bowling performance of six for 27 to send Cullompton crashing to a 125-run defeat.

Cully were 80 or two chasing 268 to win Heard added Jason Parr to a clutch bag that already contained Dan King (25) and Deshan Dias (23).

Heard went on to claim two more wickets for as Cully collapsed to 97 for eight – and he hadn’t quite finished!

Akshay Bharadwaj  clubbed three sixes in a defiant 34 while wickets fell at the other end. He was the last man out in a Cully total of 142.

Heard finished finished with six of the best by removing Dan Reynaldo, bettering his five-for-15 haul against Exeter in 2021.

“Paul Heard was exceptional with the ball, considering he was playing with a bad back,” said Hatherleigh skipper Rob Cockwill.

“Sean Letheren was very disciplined early on, building pressure.”

Hatherleigh’s total of 267 for seven was set-up by a second-wicket stand of 85 between skipper Rob Cockwill (55) and Shrey Ghosh (69).

Ryan Davies (35) and newcomer Emmerson Wood (44) took the tally beyond 200.

Parr (3-44)  and Bharadwaj (2-40) were the most consistent of the Cullompton bowlers.

“It was a tough pitch to bat on, so to get 267 was well above par,” said Cockwill.

Hatherleigh remain third in the A Division table with promotion the prize if they can get ahead of Thorverton, who are three points ahead.

Dan King, the Cullompton vice-captain described it as ‘a tough day at the office’.

King added: “Hatherleigh did well to get to 260. Their spinners were able to make it difficult for us to rotate the strike, and we sometimes allowed the pressure to get to us.

“Some late hitting saved our blushes a little bit in the end. “