Cornwood aiming to clinch title on final day now promotion is safety stashed + ‘We will still be trying to secure top spot, but it means guys can go out and just enjoy the final game’ – Matt Skeemer

Dinesh Raheja - close to 600 league runs for Ivybridge this season

CORNWOOD are guaranteed promotion from the A Division thanks to an eight-wicket win in the derby clash at Ivybridge.

While Cornwood are preparing for a return to the Premier Division after three summers in the A Division, Ivybridge are effectively resigned to going in the opposite direction.

Saturday’s defeat means Ivybridge are 19 points adrift with 20 to play for. A return to the B Division, three seasons after they were promoted as runners-up behind Plymstock, looks inevitable.

Ivybridge were 84 for three with Dinesh Raheja (38) still there then collapsed to 90 all out.

Seven wickets went for six runs scored as Ben Beaumont (4-12) and Matt Tamsett (3-1) ran though the lower order. Beaumont took three of his wickets in the final five balls he bowled.

“Everybody bowled really well,” said Cornwood skipper Matt Skeemer. 

“We constantly built pressure from the start of Ivybridge's innings and that eventually told when Ben and Matt came on and ran through their lower order.”

Exeter-based Raheja, with five 50s among the 556 league runs scored, will finish well ahead of Zimbabwean Dudu Zondo (379) when the end-of-season stats are calculated.

Cornwood lost Aaron Richards at eight and Mark Roca at 57 on the way to victory. Man of the match Beaumont was unbeaten on 53 when he hit Jacob Kopparambil for four to win the game.

With one game to go Cornwood can only be caught by Hatherleigh, who are just four points behind and also assured of promotion.

Who goes up as champions will depend on the final round of fixtures when Cornwood face arch-rivals Plympton and Hatherleigh are at home to Ivybridge.

Skeemer said promotion was the priority this season after two near misses. The title would be a bonus.

“It's great to have promotion secured already as it makes this Saturday a lot more stress free, “ said Skeemer

“We will still be trying to secure top spot, but it means guys can go out and just enjoy the final game.”