D Division East round-up – week 10: Brooker belts another ton as Whimple knock Shobrooke off the top
WHIMPLE thrashed Shobrooke Park by 150 runs to knock them off the top of the D East table.
The new leaders are Sidmouth, whose 196-run hammering of North Devon pushed them 13 points clear in the rankings.
Mitch Brooker belted his second league ton of the season – 103 not out from 94 balls faced – as Whimple advanced to 231 for seven in a 45-over game.
After opener Luke Phillips had been and gone for 38, Brooker put on 45 with skipper Mike Searle as a warm-up, then 105 for the sixth wicket with Andrew Codling (43).
Chris Simpson (4-32) was Shobrooke’s leading bowler. Xavier Warmbrunn (3.89) gave little away.
Shobrooke’s batting performed a vanishing act any illusionist would be proud off as they disappeared in quick succession from 58 for one to 81 all out.
Andy Steer (24) and Simpson (23) opened with a stand of 57. No one else made more than six after that. Five batters failed to make a run between them!
Brooker (2-12) accounted for both openers. Matt Brown dealt with most of the rest on his way to a match-bag of seven for 12.
LOWLY North Devon were outplayed in almost every department by new leaders Sidmouth 2nd XI.
Opener Jack Rattenbury (82) with substantial back-up from David Watkins (65) got Sidmouth up to 154 for two.
Watkins kept going all the way to 230 for five, helped along the way by Isaac Thomas (33). Matt Huntley was 21 not out in a final product of 281 all out.
Noah Tovell (4-41) did the bowling business for North Devon, Regina Lilli and David Hartley spun their way to two wickets each.
North Devon were skittled for a meagre 85 with no one making more than Ed Wilson (33).
Huntley (3-31) got among the wickets when the ball was new, Cameron Neame (3-9) prospered when the shine had gone and Ben Fisher (3-2) pried out the stragglers.
CULLOMPTON 2nd XI slipped further adrift at the bottom of the D East following a five-wicket defeat in the basement tussle with Ottery St Mary 2nd XI.
As the table stands at the moment it’s Ottery whom Cully have to catch to get out of the bottom two – and they now trail them by 38 points.
Lee Hooper (32) was Cullompton’s main run-maker in their all-out total of 135. A handful of batters got in, got settled and got out again without getting as far as 20. Extras (25) contributed more than any of them.
Two Ottery bowlers had stand-out figures: Will Harrison (4-24) and Sophie Brandom (4-38).
Richard Jackson (51) went in at 25 for one for Ottery and took the chase to 115 for three. Dave Weeks (11no) and Charlie Mitchell (4no) were there at the end.
Best of the bowling for Cullompton came from Sineth Asantha (2-23) and Harry Gillam (2-10).
NICK Boult biffed a maiden century for Budleigh Salterton 2nd XI in their 75-run win over local rivals Topsham St James.
Boult went past his previous career best of 95 not out, scored against Clyst Hydon in 2023, to reach 112. He was the last man out in a final total of 221 for nine. Alex James (27) propped up the other end during a stand of 101 for the seventh wicket.
Jack Miell and Ross Treleaven claimed three wickets each for the Shells. Declan Wardell (3.22) was the most frugal bowler.
Topsham had it all to do after slumping to 41 for five in reply with James (3-27) doing most of the damage.
Harry Sharp (21), Jamie Gilley (19) and Rohan Antony (23) showed commendable resistance in the bottom half of the order, but the ask was too great and TSJ were all out for 146.
Joe Marley, Joel Murphy and Shekhar Modhavadiya had two wickets each in the final totting up.
