Hancock's (pictured) five-wicket salvo puts Heathcoat on course for first win | 'Joe's spell was one of the best a lot of us have seen at Knightshayes' – Dylan Penberthy-Hutchings

HEATHCOAT are off the mark and off the bottom of the Tolchards DCL Premier Division thanks to a 136-run win over visiting Exmouth.

Rob Holman and Peter Randerson both made half-centuries or more in Heathcoat’s total of 245 for eight.

Exmouth slumped to 38 for five in response, largely under pressure from Heathcoat's five-wicket paceman Joe Hancock, and despite a modest revival were bowled out for 109.

Victory took Heathcoat past North Devon down in the basement, but they remain in the bottom two with eight points needed to get past Cornwood and out of it.

With Plymouth (5th), Sandford (8th) and North Devon (10th) on the horizon, Heathcoat are aiming to play their way up the table.

“There are a few big weeks coming up for us and we are looking to take this momentum into them,” said Dylan Penberthy-Hutchings, the Heathcoat captain.

Tom Hatton (22) and Penberthy-Hutchings (26) gave Heathcoat a decent start, which was taken to the next level by the left-and-right combination of Holman (71) and Randerson (54).

 The Greenway brothers – George (3-46) and Lawrence (3-36) – got into Heathcoat’s middle order. Aided by two more wickets for the returning Lachlan Fisher (3-43), Exmouth took the last seven poles for 39 runs.

“Rob Holman and Pete Randerson set the game up beautifully, taking us to 191 for three, and we were set for a big one with a strong middle and lower order,” said Penberthy-Hutchings.

“Unfortunately, we lost wickets in clusters and had to settle for 245.”

Hancock tore the guts out of Exmouth’s top order during a 10-over stint that returned figures of five for 26. When Fisher and Sam Radford were removed in the same over, he had five wickets for just 13 runs.

Malcolm Cloete (0-22) bottled up the opposite end, adding scoreboard pressure.

Fin Marks (32) and George Greenway (34) put on 49 to avoid a total collapse, but once Hatton (3-19) broke the stand it was downhill all the way to 109 all out.

Penberthy-Hutchings felt it was a workmanlike performance that did not deviate from the business plan.

“The game was in the balance at halfway but we came out and executed everything we had spoken about.

“Malcolm Cloete and Joe Hancock were class. Joe's spell was one of the best a lot of us have seen at Knightshayes and I would be surprised if the Devon management aren't on the phone to him very soon. 

“Tom Hatton and Jamie Drew (2-41) finished the job off.”

Marks, the losing captain, said there were highs as well as lows to take away from the game.

“To keep Heathcoat to 245 after they had been 190 for two was a great effort by us,” said Marks.

“I felt 250 was probably par so thought we were in with a chance to chase it.

“The pitch and the ball started doing all things but, fair play to Hancock and Cloete for one of the best opening spells I have seen with a pink ball. 

“After that we were always behind the game with the bat.”

Victory took Heathcoat past North Devon down in the basement, but they remain in the bottom two with eight points needed to get past Cornwood and out of it.