TAVISTOCK 2nd XI stayed on course for promotion from the E Division West with a 13-run win over champions-elect Abbotskerswell 2nd XI.
Going into the game, Abbots had won nine on the trot since Cornwood 3rd XI beat them back in mid-June.
Abbots were already assured of top spot going into the meeting at the Ring, but there was a three-way fight behind them between Tavistock, Cornwood 3rd XI and Stokeinteignhead for the runners-up spot.
Stoke’s 77-run defeat by Cornwood effectively rules them out and leaves the Wood (240pts) and Tavistock (248) battling it out for second place.
Tavistock are away to Paignton 3rd XI in the final batch of fixtures. Cornwood are at home to relegation worriers Whitchurch Wayfarers.
Openers Steve Luffman (38) and Ryan Burke (58) gave Tavvy an 83-run start. Middle-order runs from Wayne Downham (38) and Marc Webber (43) helped the tally along to 226 for seven.
Chris Brown (4-62) and Jamie Lee (2-26) took the bulk of the wickets for Abbotskerswell.
Abbots’ batter Eri Gregersen went through 600 league runs for the season with 54 more as the visitors went off in hot pursuit. Jamie Lee (43) chipped in towards reaching 163 for four with 10 overs to go.
Gregersen’s demise at the hands of Ben Evans (3-40) signalled a change of fortunes for Abbots. They slowed to 202 for eight with 13 balls to go.
Will Small finished on 24 not out for Abbots in their reply of 213 for eight.
PLYMPTON batsmen Isaac Rowsell and Jake Agnew flogged Teignmouth & Shaldon’s bowling all around Harewood Park on the way to a whopping 275-run win.
The Seasiders’ bowlers probably hoped for some respite after breaking a first-wicket stand of 117 between Luke Oxenham (28) and Umashankar Gangatkar in the 15th over.
Gangatkar went on to reach 95 from 58 deliveries when he was second out on 140. Surely it would slow down now.
There was more pain to come as Rowsell went on to make 148 off 87 balls – 15 fours, five sixes – as he and Agnew added 230 for the third wicket.
Agnew, who strained ‘something’ in the 30s going for a big hit, got as far as 98 and was looking to reach three figures with a six hit in the last over.
“Unfortunately, Jake aggravated the earlier injury and went down while being run-out at the same time,” said skipper Adam Sellick.
“Jake had to be helped off the pitch and took no further part in the game.”
Agnew had signalled his intent by hitting Gerard Starling for three fours on arrival in the middle.
At the height of the carnage T&S bowlers Gerard Gillen went for 21 and Louie Brown 22 in successive overs.
The partnership between Rowsell and Agnew is the second highest in the E Division West record books. Civil Service pair Nuruz Zamal and Alan Smith’s 327 against Plympton in 2023 remains a long way ahead!
None of the T&S bowlers managed to bowl a maiden, or cos less than seven runs an over.
Teignmouth & Shaldon were all out for 112 in reply. Dan O’Connell made 45. Next best were 26 extras.
Plympton skipper Sellick bagged four for 19. Jack Sellick and Matt Duckworth had two wickets each.
CORNWOOD 3rd XI kept their promotion hopes alive with a 77-run over Stokeinteignhead.
The Wood recovered from a patchy start – they were 30 for four then 52 for five after a going-over from Anuj Tiwari (3-32) and S K Kuriakose (2-42) – to reach 212 for nine.
Charlie Farmer (45) anchored the Cornwood recovery, Mike Hodge helped it along and Jack Lane made 48 not out down the order at number nine.
Stokeinteignhead were there or thereabouts at half way – they were 86 for three after 23 overs – with opener Hugo Longrigg (44) well settled.
Longrigg’s departure to Jack Lane (4-10) prompted a rapid decline to 105 for seven then 120 for nine and on to 135 all out.
Ethan Carlisle (3-33) and Adam Whiting (2-19) both picked-up wickets as Stoke collapsed.
WHITCHURCH Wayfarers scrambled out of the E West bottom two courtesy of a four-wicket win over Bridestowe & Belstone 2nd XI.
Teignmouth & Shaldon 2nd XI were ahead of Whitchurch going into round 17 of 18, but the their 275-run defeat by Plympton meant they traded places with the Moorlanders.
But with just three points between Whitchurch and Teignmouth & Shaldon, nothing will be decided until the final round of fixtures. Whitchurch go to Cornwood; Teignmouth & Shaldon are at home to relegated Dartington & Totnes.
Openers Phil Woods (34) and Andrew Brimacombe (23) gave B&B a 70-run start that Paul Penberthy (45) pushed up to 150 for five. Noah Metherall (23) and veteran Chris Lavis (34no) helped achieve a total of 240 for nine.
There were two wickets each for Marc Kerswill (2-38) and Darren Sambells (2-69).
Wayfarers looked a little wobbly at 103 for five in reply with Richard Potts long gone for 34.
A stand of 83 between Ben Hodge (45) and Ed Roberts swung it their way.
Roberts (78) and Kerswill (18) were the not out batters when the winning post was passed with an over to go. Lavis (2-29) and Harry Bushin (2-38) made Whitchurch work for their runs.
DARTINGTON & Totnes’ fourth successive relegation was confirmed by a 159-run defeat at the hands of Paignton 3rdXI.
Another Relegation has looked inevitable for D&T since the midway point of the season. There has only been one table in which they have not been on the bottom since week one, when champs-to-be Abbotskerswell defeated them by 69 runs.
Paignton, now clear of relegation danger after flirting with it briefly, made 279 for six around a rapid century from Kevin Francis. He made 137 of 80 balls with 110 of his runs coming in boundaries.
Francis shared a stand of 66 for the fourth wicket with Mark Bennett (13), and 80 for the fifth with Harry Knight (20). Opener Andy Singh made 43 of the first 59 in the book.
Mick Rusling’s figures of one for 39 from nine overs stood out in the D&T side of the scorebook.
Other than a partnership worth 48 between Justin Osborne (37) and Stuart Featham )16), topped-up[ by Liam Cotton (21), there was little progress made by the D&T batters.
From 97 for five when Osborne was removed they declined to 120 all out.
Ethan Hancock, Callum Knight and Jon Roberts all too two D&T wickets each.
