ASHBURTON look in good nick for Saturday’s long predicted promotion decider with Cornwood 2nd XI after warming-up with a 110-run win over Teignmouth & Shaldon.
It was Ashes third successive win by a hundred runs or more and their eight on the trot since they last lost.. by three-wickets to Cornwood in the first half of the season.
Only four points separate Cornwood from Ashburton in the league table. With only one promotion place on offer, finishing second isn’t worth a thing.
Lloyd White, the Ashburton captain, can hardly wait for Saturday's game against Cornwood to come around.
"Looking forward to what should be a good day," said White. "We've played some superb cricket this summer and we'll look to continue that theme. May the best team win!"
No one made a half-century or more for the Ashes in their 45-over total of 256 for nine. Steve Edmonds (46) got closest, followed by Aditya More (36), Ashley Berry (35), Jack Warren (33) and Harry Bannister (24).
Liam Gardner’s five-wicket haul (5-44) stood out in Teignmouth & Shaldon’s bowling figures.
Teignmouth & Shaldon ran into trouble during the period when they slowed from 58 for one to 89 for five with Ross Jameson (34) among the casualties. Edmonds (3-25) was largely responsible.
Seamus McKenna (29) soldiered on until he went at 131 for seven to Matt Churchill (4-28). Teignmouth & Shaldon faded away after that to 146 all out.
SOUTH Devon were glad of a helping hand from veteran duo Jonny Martin and Richard Beaumont for earning them a three-wicket win in the derby date with Ipplepen 2nd XI.
Ipplepen only got as far as 192 all out thanks to an eighth-wicket stand of 72 between Harry Lewis (38no) and Andrew Bligh (30).
Other than 44 from Gareth Penrice at first wicket down, Pens had laboured for runs against Mali Marshall (3-19) and Jack Allen (4-23).
Marshall, in at 29 for one for South Devon, hit eight fours and three sixes in a knock of 54 that took the reply to 118 for four.
In the space of three overs South Devon collapsed to 123 for seven as Warrick Green (2-46) and Steve Bowden (4-23) got to work.
Not for the first time this season Beaumont and skipper Martin baled-out South Devon when they were in danger of being swamped. Beaumont led the way with a steady 29 not out; Martin played a few more shots getting to 36 not out.
Victory puts South Devon on course for a top-five finish this season. Ipplepen 2nd XI are in limbo as their future depends on where their first team finishes this season.
League rules don’t allow two teams from the same club to operate in the same division. If Ipplepen are relegated from the B Division – and they are in a drop spot at the moment – the 2nd XI would have to drop down as well to accommodate them.
And as the Pens are heading for a mid-table finish, that would be hard to take.
CHUDLEIGH eased their C West relegation worries considerably with a 12-run win over fellow strugglers Paignton 2nd XI on Queen’s Park.
The 23-point gap between Chudleigh and Paignton, who occupy the second drop spot, is massive at this stage of the season. If Chudleigh can beat Kingsbridge this Saturday they will be out of sight.
Chudleigh batting depth was illustrated by 40 up top for skipper Mark Solway, 20s in the middle for Harrison Windsor-Horne and Rajlumar Neeiam, and 52 not out from 50 at number eight for Yogi Yogesh. Thirty-seven wides were useful.
Mark Orchard, who opened the bowling for Devon in his salad days, took three Chudleigh wickets for 32 runs. Mark Gilmour (2-31) and George Woodcock (1-35) gave little away.
Paignton fought all the way – they had to in their position – with chip-ins from Sam Simcox (37), Arthur Ray (35) and Carl McFarlane (29) getting them to 171 for five.
Momentum was lost during a stumble to 187 for eight. Orchard (33) kept going, but when he was ninth out on 208 the end was only five balls away.
Mark Russell (2-34) knocked over both Paignton openers, Sam Haywood (4-21) did the business in the middle order, and Will Heather (2-34) and Rob Clarke (2-44) swept up.
PLYMSTOCK 2nd XI were on the receiving end of a 177-run hiding away to Brixham.
Tom Hopper’s (115) second successive league ton – he made one against Kingsbridge seven days earlier – helped Brixham amass 278 for nine.
Mohammed Shaikh made 56 – he and Hopper put on 143 for the third wicket – and Tim Robinson made 33.
Fraser Cowen, left out of Plymstock’s first team, responded by taking four for 27. Dave Ling’s two for 39 included Hopper and Shaikh.
Cowen made a further point with the bat with a top score of 51 in an otherwise unimpressive set of scores. The bottom six batters managed just two runs between them.
Shaikh (2-13) bottled up the Plymstock middle order. Fergus Rees (4-10) finished them off.
