D West round-up – week nine: Chagford open-up 24-point lead at top | Hopwood hammers a ton against Plymstock
PLYMSTOCK tumbled to a 157-run defeat in their top-of-the-table meeting with unbeaten D West leaders Chagford.
Richard Hopwood, a former MCC Young cricketer who played 2nd XI cricket for Durham in his youth, belted the Plymstock bowling all around the ground on his way to 128.
Contributions from Chris Jelley (25) and James Fulner (43no) in stands of 70 and 129 respectively with Hopwood, took the tally close to its eventual total of 245 for five.
Bowling success was thin on the ground for Plymstock, although Matt White’s two for 39 off nine stood out.
Plymstock were turned over for a paltry 88 by Jake Griffiths (3-9) and then Ted Gossett (5-14). Dean Jeffrey’s 25 was the only double-figure score apart from 21 extras.
Chagford have a 24-point lead over Torquay & Kingskerswell 2nd XI, whose nine-wicket win over Tavistock moved them into second place at Plymstock’s expense. Plymstock have dropped down to fourth.
IVYBRIDGE 2nd XI were ln the wrong end of a five-wicket scoreline when they tangled with their Ipplepen counterparts in Filham Park.
The Bridge got to 209 for eight in a 45-over game via a route that included just one stand greater than 30. Tom Worth (48no) and Owen Howard (39) put on 78 for the seventh wicket to move the score along from 102 for six.
Jack Edworthy (3-56) and Sam Hennessy (3-31) were Pens’ main wicket-taking bowlers. Josh Perry (2-31) took the others.
Veteran opener Jeff Heath spearheaded the Ipplepen run chase with 67 at the top of the order. He went at 134 for four to Harvey Johnson (2-24). Hennessy had already been and gone for 22 by then.
Skipper Adam Peters (19) and Alberto Courtice (54no) got Ipplepen within two runs of victory with a stand of 74 for the fifth wicket.
SPIN bowling proved Tavistock’s undoing when they ran into Torquay & Kingskerswell 2nd XI at the Ring.
New Zealander Tobias Delahunty booked impressive figures of five for seven from nine overs on his left-arm way through Tavistock’s middle order.
There were three wickets more for spinner Ethan Kulkarni (3-12) as Tavistock folded to 63 all out. Ryan Burke (15) and Jon Proctor (13) posted the best of a sorry set of scores.
Opener Tim Western was T&K’s only casualty on the way to winning the game inside 10 overs.
Man-of-the match Delahunty thwacked eight fours and two sixes in the time it took him to make 48 not out. Bobby Western (10no) ensured there were no dramas 22 yards away.
JAMIE Lee and Alex Troake took three wickets each to propel Abbotskerswell 2nd XI to a 59-run win over visiting Barton 2nd XI.
It was Abbots first league win of the season and lifted them off the foot of the D West table, but not out of the bottom two.
Barton (73pts) are the new tenants in the cellar. They and Abbots (74) need to get past Tavistock (87) and Ipplepen 2nd XI (93) on the way to safety.
An opening stand of 108 between Simon Harrison (58) and Nick Guest (78) pointed Abbots towards 228 for nine in 45 overs. Erik Gregersen (26) and 46 extras helped.
Chris Stubbs 94-47) and Vishalkumar Patel (2-24) took the bowling pats on the back for Barton.
Dave Cadwallader – nine over for 18 runs – conceded just two boundaries in his spell.
Barton were in the hunt as long as Arunkrishina Radhakrishnan (70) then Tom Porter (30) hung around.
Porter’s demise on 142 for six was the beginning of the end for Barton. Two wickets for the returning Lee (3-38) and one each for Troake (3-3-28) and Chris Meikle (2-24) consigned Barton to 169 all out.
MALIK Wasim claimed four wickets and Saqib Hasan three more to point Plymouth Civil Service towards a four-wicket win over near neighbours Yelverton.
Yelverton suffered a full-scale collapse from 51 for one to 68 for seven once Wasim (4-24) and Hasan (3-21) got to work. Teddy Ridley (24) was the first of Wasim’s poles.
Mike Lemmings (48) and South African Mike Marais (18) restored some sense of order that took the Moorlanders to 138 all out.
Marais and Matt Smale (2-25) took a wicket each for Yelverton as Civil made an edgy start.
Hasan (31) and Wasim (25) – who else? – put the home side back on course. Although Marais (3-37) took two more wickets Paul Butson (25no) and Hasnain Khan (11no) saw the chase to the end.
