D Division East round-up – week nine: Two-ton Franks bats way into record books | Whopping stand of 296 with Ross Acton buries Budleigh
BRADNINCH & Kentibeare 2nd XI crushed Budleigh Salterton 2nd XI by a hefty 161 runs in the top-of-the-table clash at Kensham Park.
Skipper Sam Franks joined the DCL’s most exclusive batting cohort – the Double Hundred Club – with a knock of 209 not out in Bradninch & Kentisbeare’s total of 393 for four.
Franks teamed-up with Ross Acton with the score on 53 for two at the start of a stand worth 296 for the third wicket. Acton's own contributrion was 105!
Budleigh’s bowling figures are largely X-rated viewing, although Joel Murphy’s three for 51 against his former club bucked the trend.
Budleigh replied with 232 for six which, under normal circumstances, would be seen as a respectable total.
Cohen Naidoo top scored with 63 and Ryan Harris-Cotton made 30. Lee Russell (25), Marc Troman (23) and Steve Booth (22) all contributed towards Budleigh earning maximum batting points.
Of the eight bowlers used by Franks, which included three overs from wicketkeeper Harvey Sanders, only Jed Findlay and Andrew Buzza took more than one wicket.
If Devon League records can be relied on, and that is not a scientific fact, Franks owns the 34th double ton scored in the competition’s 65-year history. Only Alex Rockett (Kilmington) and Lloyd White (Budleigh Salterton and Ashburton) own two.
The stand between Franks and Acton is the greatest for the third wicket in the D Division since it was created in 1984. Only Tim Greenslade and James Kavanagh, who opened for Woodbury with 308 against Cullompton in 2007 have put on more for any wicket.
Bradninch & Kentisbeare remain top of the table, where they are eight points clear of Barnstaple & Pilton. Budleigh have dropped from second to fourth.
ALPHINGTON & Countess Wear defeated Culmstock by one wicket in a game that was never settled until it was!
Paul Oliver went in first wicket down for Culmstock and was still there at the end on 90 not out in a total of 202 for seven. His stand of 119 with Luke Dopson (64) formed the backbone of the innings.
Tynan Hill and James Bovey had two wickets each for A&CW. Ben Pinkney (3.11) was the cheapest bowler on show.
The Alphas looked in good shape at 106 for two with skipper Lawrence Marsh on top of the bowling.
Wickets started falling regularly to Sid Berry (3-37) and Paul Hardy (3-44), whose figures included Marsh for 78.
When Hardy added Jamie Withers to his collection, A&CW were 190 for nine and staring down the barrel of defeat.
Neither Hardy or Berry had been able to shift Matt Garner, who went on to make a match-winning 41 not out while last man Jake Pond blocked-out the other end.
WHIMPLE’S revival continued with a second successive win, this time over Woodbury & Newton St Cyres, that hoisted them out of the bottom two.
Woodbury & NSC, who dropped into the bottom two in the wake of losing this game by five wickets, were bowled out for 147.
Matt Moretta (42) and Nalin Chouhan (29) ground out runs against pinpoint bowling from Whimple newcomer David Schierhout (9-5-8-2) and Matt Brown (9-0-26-1).
Spencer Wilcock cashed in by taking five for 49 as Woodbury & NSC tried to make up for lost time.
A Whimple win was no formality when they sat at 57 for five in reply. Matt Pearce and Ahmad Nawabi had two wickets each.
The game was won and lost by an unbroken stand of 91 between Charlie Gordon-Lennox (64no) and David Drury (21no).
BARNSTAPLE & Pilton stay right behind Bradninch & Kentisbeare 2nd XI in the D East promotion race after walloping Braunton by 113 runs in the North Devon derby.
Defeat sent Braunton to the bottom of the table as Whimple’s five-wicket win at Woodbury & Newton St Cyres moved them one place up the ladder.
Openers Justin Saker (56) and James Poole (24) gave B&P a 98-run start, then went one after the other in the space of six runs.
James Roe (84) and Ben Dales (44) kept the runs coming during a third-wicket stand worth 118. Matt Newton (24) and Colin Simpson (26no) ticked the score along to 287 for five at the close.
Andy Paddison (1-14) was the only Braunton bowler not whacked around Raleigh Meadow.
Braunton were handicapped by losing injured opener Steve Aston in the first over.
Mark Thomas (32) and Paddison (21) effected a recovery act and at 85 for three Braunton were back in the game. They weren’t at 92 for seven.
Nigel Cross (38) and Andy Jones (18) delayed the inevitable until the former was last man out on 174.
Saker took three for 24 and Jimmer Thomas went one better with four for 25.
NORTH Devon 2nd XI got over their defeat at Whimple with a seven-wicket win over Topsham St James.
The Shells were skittled for 113 with Jim Dennis (36) and Jacob Taylor (23) booking the best of a sorry set of scores. When 30 extras are factored out, there was not a lot from the rest!
Skipper Steve Moore (3-9) led the bowling effort for North Devon. Noah Tovell, Jools Hughes and Dylan Evans had two wickets each.
North Devon lost wickets at 29, 60 and 96 on the way to a routine win. Opener Navindu Vanderbona batted from start to finish for 77 not out.
