D Division West reports and reactions - week one

GARY Day hit a half-century and Dan Woolnough just missed out on one as Shaldon Optimists cruised to a five-wicket win over Exwick.

Howard Rose top scored for Exwick with 63 in a total of 193 for nine, sharing stands of 80 with ray Grunsell (37) and 41 with veteran tail-ender Rehann Caryll. Greg Newcombe chipped in with 30 early on.

Pick of the bowlers with three for 40 was Ross Abraham. Skipper Mark Couch had two for 30 from nine miserly overs.

Openers Woolnough (46) and Todd Ballman (32) got Shaldon off to a 76-run start.

There was a blip as Shaldon slipped from 91 for one to 105 for four – Carryll (2-30) and Ross Pascoe (2-19) doing the damage – but Day (55) and Andy Lockyer (27) saw Shaldon to victory with five overs tospare.

Promotion is skipper Couch’s target this season after relegation in 2015.

 “It was a good, all-round performance with Ross Aitchison making his first -team debut opening the bowling with Ross Abraham.

“It was a shame we didn't get the 10 wickets but stuck at it on good batting track.

“Then batted well, pacing our innings knowing what the target was.

Young Dan Woolnough opened the batting and a good flurry of runs from Gary Day and Andy Lockyer took us over the line.”

Shaldon will hope to make it two wins in two starts when they visit Buckland Monachorum this Saturday.

STOKEINTEIGNHEAD go into the game against league new boys South Brent still smarting from a 163-run defeat at Newton St Cyres on the opening day of the season.

Opener Usman Manazir, a student at the University of Exeter, caned the Stoke bowling for 138 off 117 balls as St Cyres amassed 255 for six.

Manazir, who hit three sixes and 19 fours, put on 51 with Dave Church (21), 61 with Shenan Grossberg and batted through to the fall of the sixth wicket at 226 when Paul Russell(2-55) got him out.

Stoke were all out in reply for 92 – opener Chris Prestt top scoring on 32.

The last six wickets went for just 14 runs as Jo Moretta (3-5) and Tom Dowle (3-33) mopped up the tail.

ASHBURTON will make their stay in the D Division West a brief one if they keep playing the way they have started the season.

A nine-wicket won over  Buckland Monachorum got  proceedings under way at Varwell Field and sent out a signal to their divisional rivals.

Only two Buckland batsmen reached double figures in an all-out total of 62 in just 18.3 overs.

Simon Hoad made 19, Paul Daymond had 17 and there were 14 extras.

Dominic Durman did the damage up front – he bagged five for24 in nine overs, then Matt Coon (3-27) and brother Will (1-0) finished things off.

Ashes needed just 9.2 overs to win the game – Martin Causey (16) the only casualty.

New signing Lloyd White – he started last season as captain of A Division side Budleigh Salterton – top scored on 33 not out.

The entire match lasted fewer than 28 overs from start to finish.

Ashburton can expect Topsham St James to be tougher opponents this Saturday.

HAVING been relegated by a single point last season, Yelverton Bohemian’s were looking to make an immediate return to C division, and the first match of the season saw them face South Brent CC, playing their first league match.

On an unexpectedly bright day, but with rain forecast later, South Brent won the toss and elected to field.

Captain Richard West quickly set about some slightly wayward South Brent bowling, reaching 44 including seven 4’s in 16 overs before being caught at square leg off the bowling of Pete Glen.

His fellow opener Luke Julyan was more circumspect, and joined by Richard Townsend, the run rate remained at 5 per over.

Having reached drinks well set at 107-1, Yelverton accelerated further, Townsend despatching 2 sixes and 10 fours.

He eventually fell for 76, being bowled trying to launch Dave Lewis for another maximum.

15 year old Julyan was approaching his maiden 1st team half century, which he bought up with a well run 2 through the off side.

He fell shortly after, caught for 57 off the bowling of Adam Cook.

Anis Zubair (36) was playing a typically elegant innings including three 4’s and two 6’s, before being adjudged LBW to give Lewis his second wicket.

Sam Parker and Australian Pete Lojszczyk continued to attack the bowling before Yelverton, with one eye on the weather, declared having used 38 of their maximum 45 over at 260-4.

In reply, South Brent started cautiously against the strong Yelverton pace attack.

Lojszczyk and Sam Crompton (0-7) took the new ball, managed to keep the South Brent openers quiet, conceding 15 runs off the opening 9 overs.

On a pitch offering assistance to the spinners, all-rounder West bought himself on to bowl his off spin, and there was almost immediate reward when Yelverton thought they had Pete Glenn caught behind, only for the decision to go in the favour of the batsman.

Their luck was not to continue; however, as the next over saw Pat Hobbs (2-13) take his first wicket, having John Cranch bowled off his pads.

The next over saw West pick up Glenn, caught at short mid wicket by Hadleigh Scott-Kirk.

The pressure on the South Brent bowlers was now being applied by the Yelverton bowlers, backed up by some sharp fielding saw 23 consecutive dot balls, which eventually led to the second wicket for Hobbs, a second catch for Scott-Kirk.

The returning Lojszczyk (1-13) picked up his first wicket of the season, having Dave Lewis caught by wicketkeeper Zubair and the score at 46-4.

A period of South Brent resistance followed, and reached drinks only 4 down.

However, after drinks the wickets became more frequent with Dan Keylock (2-26) and Steve Colmer (3-19) bowling sharp to have the South Brent middle order failing, the wickets including one sharp catch low at short mid on by captain West.

The win was complete with Parker taking a catch running back from 1st slip off the bowling of West, the final score at 85 all out.

Shortly after the final wicket, the expected rain arrived to validate the decision to declare earlier by Yelverton, allowing them to pick up the maximum 20 points.