Powell plunders quick fire 80 as Sidmouth close gap on leaders to one point | Warmbrunn responds with unbeaten ton for Shobrooke
SHOBROOKE Park just did enough in a 96-run defeat by title rivals Sidmouth 2nd XI to remain top of the D East table.
Sidmouth and Shobrooke, whose back-and-forth antics between first and second have resembled a ‘Chuckle Brothers’ sketch at times, are now separated by just one point at the top.
Sidmouth set their stall out during a 159-run stand between openers Charlie Brock (72) and Will Goodall (82). After a brief lull in proceedings, during which Chris Ford (2-41) picked up a couple of wickets, Robbie Powell belted 80 not out from 51 balls.
Sidmouth were 312 for seven after Powell had butchered Jonty Brett for 21 runs in his final over.
Shobrooke’s reply was a far more sedate affair that got as far as 216 for five in 45 overs.
Highlights were an unbeaten century for Xavier Warmbrunn (119no) and 53 from Ford. They put on 158 for the fifth wicket.
BUDLEIGH Salterton 2nd XI’s winning run ended after four matches when Whimple ground-out a one-wicket win at the Holt.
Budleigh’s 45-over total of 234 for eight was hung on two key batting partnerships. Opener Marc Troman (65) and Lee Russell (32) put on 59 for the second wicket.
Lloyd Murrin (61), last season’s 1st XI captain, then dominated a fourth-wicket stand of 60 with Nick Bolt (15). No one else got past 10, although there were 36 extras.
Whimple’s Matt Brown (2-34) knocked over Troman and Russell. Mike Searle’s (4-23) prize capture was Murrin.
Opener and former captain Luke Phillips played anchorman for Whimple with 67 as they got to 132 for three in reply.
The chase looked peachy at 180 for four with Mitch Brooker jogging along nicely at 48 not out. Then it got tense.
Wickets started falling to Will Down (4-35) as Whimple deteriorated from 215 for six to 229 for nine.
Last man Ben Stone hung around long enough for Brooker (75no) to hit the match-winning boundary with two balls to go.
TOPSHAM St James ended a four-game losing streak with a 55-run win away to Ottery St Mary 2nd XI.
Although TSJ openers Dan Croxall and Matt Williams both missed out, a stand of 111 between Ross Treleaven (103) and Jim Dennis put the Shells on an even keel.
Treleaven and Harry Sharp (35) added another 60 runs – and 50 in a rush from Richard Milton took Topsham to 299 for seven.
Charlie Mitchell (3-44) was OSM’s leading wicket taker. Kevin Brandom (0-39) was the most economical of the nine-over bowlers.
Ottery found runs far harder to come by. New-ball bowler Nibu Thomas (2-23) ensured a slow start.
Matt Brewster (69) and George Mutter (52) did put on 92 for the second wicket, but when Rohan Anthony (2-51) separated them the asking rate was hovering around eight-an-over.
James Randall (36) and Alex Newman (22) batted out the overs to take Ottery to 244 for eight. There were 42 extras.
BRAUNTON 2nd XI defeated Cullompton 2nd XI by 44 runs to shunt them over the relegation precipice.
With just two games to go, and 40 points up for grabs, Cullompton are now 46 points adrift at the bottom of the table.
Braunton are officially out of danger now as they are 42 points clear of Ottery, who occupy the second relegation place.
Opener Julian Lambert gave Braunton a 47-run start, which was topped up by Simon Murfet (68), Steve Hunt (39) and James Marsh (31) on the way to 253 for seven.
Noah Cann (3-35) was the most proficient of Cully’s nine-over bowlers.
James Blackmore, in at 13 for one for Cully, made 90 in the anchorman role. He put on 55 with Lee Hooper (25) and 69 with Harry Gillam (32) taking the reply to 185 for seven with three overs to go.
Sixty-nine to win in the time left after Blackmore’s demise was always too many for Cully, who closed on 209 for eight.
Andy Paddison – a survivor or Braunton’s Premier Division days nearly two decades ago – kept the lid on Cully with two wickets for 18 runs from nine overs. Murfet had two for 45.
NORTH Devon 2nd XI are back in relegation jeopardy at the wrong end of the D Division East after a 68-run derby defeat by Barnstaple & Pilton.
Barnstaple & Pilton’s own form has not been great recently – four straight defeats since they won at Cullompton on July 12 – while North Devon had won three of their previous four games on the way up the table.
Although Barnstaple & Pilton have nothing to worry about, North Devon are only a point ahead of second-bottom Ottery St Mary.
Losing opener James Roe to the first ball down from Jools Hughes was not the start B&P wanted, but half-centuries from James Poole (51) and Colin Simpson (77) featured prominently in a 45-over total of 228 for seven. Matt Newton (21) and Jimmer Thomas (29no) both played their parts.
North Devon had the perfect anchorman in opener Navindu Vanderbona, who grafted away or 85 off 95 balls. He was sixth out on 133 – and within 10 overs North Devon were all out. Oscar Meech (16), who put on 50 with Vanderbona, made the next-best score.
Lee Cole, the B&P captain bowled Meech to break the his stand with Vanderbona – and got him too on the way to a four-for-26 bag. Tom Poole (2-25) was the best of the rest.
