Ivybridge move away from bottom of A Division table with four-wicket win over leaders Cornwood

Ivybridge

IVYBRIDGE pulled off the shock of the day in the A Division when they beat table-topping Cornwood by four wickets.

Going into the derby clash at Oak Park the teams could not have been further apart. Cornwood were unbeaten at the top of the table and Ivybridge winless at the bottom.

It may have appeared that Ivybridge were the proverbial lambs to the slaughter, at least that’s how one or two well-circulated comments on social media pre-judged the game.

Any pre-match preconceptions were quickly put to one side after James Sharp (5-29) reduced Cornwood to 35 for five. Elliott Staddon (20) led a rearguard action, but the damage was done and the Corns were all out for 82.

Chris Greenhouse (2-9) and acting captain Adam Huxtable (2-5) knocked over the stragglers.

Ivybridge raced to 57 without loss in reply and at that stage the result seemed a certainty. Huxtable (36) and Harvey Johnson (16) had led the way.

The spin of Staddon (4-27) and Matt Tamsett (2-7 off 10) reduced Ivybridge to 73 for six in reply.

Losing Dave Eadie and Greenhouse in successive balls from Staddon did nothing to help Ivybridge’s cause.

Sharp fended off the hat-trick ball and batted through for nine not out as he and Dinesh Raheja (7no) got Ivybridge over the line.

Winning captain Adam Huxtable said the players knew nothing about the social media jibes until after the game.

“To be honest that had no bearing on our performance, but #upthelambs,” said Huxtable.

On the game, Huxtable said: “All the lads put in 100 per cent and it showed in the result.

“We bowled and fielded as well as we have all season.

“James Sharp used the slope to his advantage and bowled as well as we've seen him.”

Matt Skeemer, the Cornwood captain, has been counselling his team all season against thinking they are better than they are. His views were fully vindicated by this result.

“A result like this has been coming for a little while with the way we have been batting,” said Skeemer.

“Ivybridge were better than us in all three departments so all we can do is try and bounce back this week.”

Cornwood are still top of the table and with second-placed Bradninch losing at Tavistock they hold a seven-point lead approaching the half way stage.