CULMSTOCK routed Sidbury by 144 runs to put one hand on the E Division East champions’ trophy

With one game to go – just down the road at Thorverton this Saturday – Culmstock are 16 points clear of second-placed Woodbury and already assured of promotion.

Ross Stickland (79) and Zac Salter (66) both made half-centuries and more for Culm in a total of 223 all out. Simon Rowe (4-43) and Soren Hall (3-48) were Sidbury’s bowling success stories.

Luke Dopson (3-30) and Adam Rimell (3-19) send Sidbury spiralling to 45 for six. Lucas Bell had two more wickets as the visitors collapsed to 79 all out.

CHARDSTOCK skipper Rob Hutchings clouted his second ‘big ton’ of the season when he made 164 not out in the three-wicket win over Honiton.

One more run would have equalled the 165 not out Hutchings made against Feniton four rounds earlier.

Hutchings has a remarkable record in league cricket this season: eight half-centuries and two unbeaten tons in a grand total of 970 runs. Don’ bet against him reaching the thousand in the game against Sidbury this Saturday.

Nathan Copp and Steve Allsopp both chipped in as Chardstock knocked-off 300 to win with 14 balls to spare – not a bad effort considering they had been 18 for four at one stage!

Hutchings’ ton took the attention away from Honiton’s Adam Holmes, who top scored with 101 in their total of 296 for nine. He was the last man out.

CLYST Hydon’s hopes of dodging the drop in the E Division East ended when they lost by five-wickets to Feniton.

Hydon needed to beat Feniton and for Honiton to lose as well to have even a slender chance of staying up.

Although Honiton obliged by losing to Chardstock, losing to Feniton was the end of the line.

Several Hydon batters got started against Feniton; only Graham Trude (22), Grant Johnston (37) and Neil Collins (27) contributed significantly to an all-out total of 155.

Feniton bowlers Francis Perryman (2-29) and Nigel Blackmore (2-34) got into Hydon’s top order. Dan Mortimer (5-24) finished them off. The last four wickets fell for just one run.

Perryman (20) was third out for Feniton on 74 as the chase took its inevitable course.

Matt Davies (43no) and Adam Gibbins (21no) saw it through to a conclusion.

NEWTON Tracey condemned Heathcoat 3rd XI to relegation when they defeated them by 29 runs.

Defeat at the Lawn, coupled with fellow strugglers Feniton’s win over Clyst Hydon, ended a four-game winning run and opened up a 20-point gap between Heathcoat and safety, 

Rob Gear, the former Devon CCC and North Devon CC batter, top scored for Newton Tracey with 86 in their tally of 290 for seven.

Andy Hart (25) and Simon Jennings (34) laid the foundations for Gear and Aaron Holland (69) to push-on. They put on 119 for the seventh wicket.

James Pugsley (3-55) was Heathcoat’s leading wicket taker. Ed Baxter (2-28) kept it tight.

Heathcoat were going along nicely at 166 for two with 19 overs to go and batters Archie Bougourd and Tom Holley settled in. Then Gear (3-24) got Bougourd out for 63.

Three wickets fell for four runs – Holley among them for 68 – but it wasn’t over yet.

Nathan White (24) and skipper Baxter (38) kept going until Dominic Robson (3-47) bowled Heathcoat out for 261.

THORVERTON 2nd XI’s end-of-season slump continued with an eight-wicket drubbing at the hands of Woodbury & Newton St Cyres.

One win in the last five starts – a Dave Baldock-inspired victory over Clyst Hydon – is the reason Thorverton have faded from promotion contenders to mid-table also rans.

Baldock was in the runs once more against Woodbury – a top score of 95 taking him to 493 for the season in the 2nd XI – in a team total of 222 for nine. Along the way there was a stand of 113 with Imogen Daldorph (40).

Woodbury bowlers Nalin Chouhan (4-41) and Will Spackman (3-33) both picked-up wickets in the dash for runs at the end.

Woodbury lost wickets at 149 and 1598 as they cruised home with more than five overs to spare. The men out were Riordan Deehan-Jackson (52) and Chris Collyer (2).

Surviving opener Steve Boundy (94) and Ross Jarvis (47) were the not-outers when the winning runs were scored.