Tolchards DWCL 2025 Round Up | Week 14

The British weather once again had the say in the winner of Division Two. Rain poured down on Sunday, making the pitch unplayable for the Plympton vs Bovey Tracey game and impossible for Plympton to gain the points they needed to gain the division title.

After the game was confirmed cancelled, it established Exmouth as Division Two Champions!

Exmouth wrapped up their season on 112 points, with five wins from eight games, securing the Division Two trophy and promotion to Division One next year. Remarkably, the club only joined the league last year and has already expanded to two teams.

Sasha Gerrick topped the league batting charts with 349 runs, while Lucy Humphreys made her mark across the batting, bowling, and fielding leaderboards.

Captain Sharon Dawkins reflects on their season: "We're absolutely thrilled to win the division. Exmouth Women's Cricket reformed in 2021 after a three-year hiatus, and some of our team have only been playing hardball cricket for a couple of years.

"This result is a credit to everyone working incredibly hard, both individually and collectively, throughout the season, as well as to the consistency and commitment of the whole team and the support of the club.

"We're already excited for next season. We know it's going to be tough, but we've also learnt so much this year about managing our own game, recognising our depth as a team, and understanding our individual strengths and weaknesses."

Clyst St George claimed the Division Three crown in dominant fashion, finishing on 131 points, 24 clear of second place, after winning all five of their matches. They’ll now look to carry that momentum into Division Two next season.

On the individual front, Charlie Thorpe and Esme Brooks finished joint-second on the bowling leaderboard with 13 wickets apiece, while Thorpe also featured ninth on the fielding leaderboard with a catch and a run out.

Captain Ali West comments on their season: "Last year was our first season in the league, and it was all about testing the waters as we were a new, young team. This year, we’ve been focusing on building confidence, refining our match plan, and strengthening team bonds.

"We're so excited that our hard work paid off and that we won the division! We can't wait to see what next year's cricket brings: more cricket, more fun, and hopefully a few more wins along the way!"

Plymouth secured the Division One title in style, finishing on 158 points, 10 clear of second place. The champions won six of their ten matches, losing just once all season.

Melissa Banks dominated the league charts, finishing top of the run scorers with 434 and second in the fielding rankings with five catches and two runouts. Claire Varcoe also shone, topping the bowling leaderboard with 14 wickets and placing fifth in batting with 191 runs. Keira De Villiers rounded out Plymouth’s strong showing, claiming tenth spot with 136 runs.

Captain Jemima Johnson commented on their league win: "I'm incredibly proud of our Women's Squad and all they have achieved. From playing in Division Two in 2023 to getting to where we are today has been quite a journey. It's not been easy. The standard across Division One is high, and quite a challenge for our very young side (whose average age is under 18).

"Like many other teams, we had our fair share of obstacles and disappointments to deal with, e.g. cancelled or abandoned matches (mainly due to rain), and player availability issues (mainly due to GCSEs). Fortunately, many of our Under 15s stepped up when needed, so we were always able to have a competitive team ready for every single challenging fixture.

"Also, for the first time in our club's history, we too have a Women’s overseas player/coach. Her contribution, alongside that of other senior players, has been outstanding. Most importantly, these senior players set a fantastic example to our young players both on and off the field. They have been, and are, a big part of our young team’s development and success. Year-on-year, I have watched this team grow in ability, maturity and spirit. Most of all, they are a joy to spend time with, and I’m very proud to be one of them."

"What a season it has been this year!" summed up Tolchards Devon Women's Cricket League Chair, Susannah Maxa. "To see yet more teams join the league in 2025, resulting in an expansion to three divisions, just shows how strong the women's game is across Devon. We are already counting down the days until the 2026 season starts!"