Harry Everett reports from the F Division East where Sidbury now lead Newton Tracey at the top of the table by one point having beaten Bideford 2nd XI last time out.
BIDEFORD made the long trip down the North Devon Link Road hoping to puncture Sidbury's promotion ambitions and edge their own season's prospects above mid-table. With skipper Alex Paget unavailable it was as good a time as any to play the plucky band of river-bank lurkers. Senior pro Ed Chester stepped in to marshal the match-day troops.
The outfield was lush on a fine day for cricket; but sadly the wicket was not playing quite as the weather should have had it do. Put into bat Sidbury's top order hacked it about to some effect but wickets fell regularly. Then, at 64-4, De Moubray was joined by Steve Howe for a partnership of 68, the former hitting three mighty sixes en-route to a top-score of 39. With a name like De Moubray it's easy to imagine an afternoon of elegant drives through the covers, and with no spectators present no one can say it was not so. Electric late-innings cameos from Chester and Soren Hall took Sidbury to a total of 181, enough of a cushion to sit comfortably while tucking into thrice-barbecued pork belly in pineapple chimichurri.
One man missing out on his usual plunder of runs was Sidbury's ‘Mr Cricket’, Damien Armes. The all-rounder charged in angrily to make amends, duly cleaning up both openers with unplayable inswingers and finishing with 4-18 (and a formidable league average of 11.47). Devon Seniors and Bideford's Ian Hayter hit a pugnacious 42 at number six to briefly threaten the total before Olly Paget and the pitch took two crucial wickets in two balls. Sam Sanders did the rest, and Bideford were eventually all out for 121.
With five league games of the season remaining Sidbury sit top of the table, with fixtures against the second- and third-placed teams still to play.
Bideford sit comfortably in mid-table (5th) currently, and host Exeter 3rd XI this Saturday.
