E Division East round-up – week 15: Heathcoat win again as Houdini act gathers momentum | 56 out of 60 cut safety gap to seven points

THERE were no surprises in the top-against-bottom meeting in the E Division East between leaders Culmstock and tail-enders Clyst Hydon.

Culmstock rattled-up 263 for nine in 45 overs then bowled-out Hydon for 144 to claim a 119-run win.

Skipper Matt Summerfield (66) and Lucas Bell (55) were Culmstock’s main run getters. They put on 77 together. Zac Salter (28) and Ross Stickland (27) chipped in. Hydon’s Jeff Sanders (3-34) was the pick of his side’s bowlers.

Haris Reshi (44), Graham Trude (48) and Josh Holmes were the only Hydon batters to make more than six. Six more made one or less!

Sam Harvey-Knight (4-12) hastened Hydon’s demise with bottom-half wickets.

HEATHCOAT 3^rd XI’s hopes of producing a Houdini act in the E Division East gathered pace with a 123-run win over Feniton.

Three wins on the spin – and 56 points out of 60 on offer – have lifted Heathcoat off the bottom and within seven points of safety. Beating Feniton was effectively a double-pointer as they are the team Heathcoat have to overtake to get out of the bottom two.

Opener Richard Pugsley hit an unbeaten 141 for Heathcoat – 20 fours, one six – as they clattered along to 276 for six.

Along the way for Pugsley there were stands of 86 with Barney Cronkshaw (31) and 78 with Nathan White (37).

Feniton were in all sorts of trouble at 46 for four, limped to 89 for seven and finally scraped together 153 all out thanks to Joe Blackmore (39) nursing the lower-order along.

James Pugsley (4-29) topped the Heathcoat bowling stats.

THORVERTON 2^nd XI’s promotion prospects probably suffered a terminal setback when Chardstock defeated them by five runs.

It looked like the hard work had been done when Chardstock were bowled out for 136 in the 30^th over.

Imogen Daldorph (2-23) and Shak Rahmani (2-25) took the early wickets; Dave Baldock (3-19) and Henry Squire (3-16) dealt with the rest.

Alex Watson top scored with 64 for Chardstock. Rob Hutchings, who made 165 not out against Feniton seven days earlier, was out first ball to Rahmani!

Thorverton were all out for 131 with 14 overs unused. Andy Daldorph (21), Squire (22) and Imogen Daldorph (30) all made inroads into the deficit, despite interruptions from Sam Reynolds (4-38) and Watson (3-28).

A target of 17 to win with three wickets in hand – including Imogen Daldorph – looked on. James Hayden dismissed Daldorph, caught Chris Winzer and removed last man Craig Risdon at the end of a 10-ball over to win it.

SIDBURY’S middle-order batting fell apart against Newton Tracey, who bowled their way to a 22-run win at Millfield.

Jon Whitfield (34) and Simon Rowe (27) were the main run getters for Sidbury as they reached 142 for five chasing 196 to win.

The next five wickets fell for just 31 runs scored – three of them getting from 152 to 158 – as Sidbury collapsed to 173 all out. Martin Gear (3-17) and Domi Moore (2-27) were the bowlers who caused the damage.

Tracey’s total of 195 for eight was largely the work of opener Andy Hart, who hit 117. Forty extras were next best in the scorebook.

ELSEWHERE in the E Division East there was a three-wicket win for Honiton over second-placed Woodbury & Newton St Cyres. Honiton chased down 264 to win with three balls of the final over remaining.

Steve Boundy plundered his second league ton of the season – this time 135 – and Ross Jarvis made 48 for W&NSC, who were all out for 26.

Dave Haysom (65) and Andy Canniford (75) gave Honiton a 140-run start, Andrew Lapping (29) kept it going and Rob Ingram (36) was out going into the home straight.