Hatherleigh skipper lays down law to senior players after defeat by Paignton | 'It was a game we completely chucked away... stupid mistakes cost us dear and we cannot afford to be doing that' – Mark Lake
By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE
HATHERLEIGH captain Mark Lake could not hide his frustrations after getting into a winning position against Paignton – then seeing victory snatched away.
Three wickets for Tino Mutombodzi, and two each for Lake, Eddie Jones and Sean Letheren, all contrived to dismiss title-chasing Paignton for 136.
Luke Medlock top scored for Paignton with 31 and there were chip-ins from Harry Ward (27) and Sehan Weerasinghe (20).
Paignton’s last four wickets went for just 13 runs scored as Lake and Mutombodzi spun away.
Hatherleigh found themselves four for two at the start but recovered while Mutombodzi (28) and Gareth Tidball (31) went about the business of accumulating a few runs.
A stand between Tidball and Paul Heard had reached 40 when the former got out, which left Hatherleigh 113 for seven with all the time in the world to make the 24 runs needed to win.
Two run-outs – Niall Leahy then Heard for 22 – changed the destiny of the game and Hatherleigh subsided to 123 all out and a 13-run defeat. Medlock and Weerasinghe had two wickets each.
It was Hatherleigh’s chance to clamber out of the bottom two, not that skipper Lake needed anyone to tell him that.
“It was a game we completely chucked away,” said Lake.
“We bowled exceptionally well on a wicket which was did offer a lot of help to the bowlers.
"At 113 for five we should of walked it home, but some stupid mistakes cost us dear and we cannot afford to be doing that.
“I will be looking towards our experienced players to put that right on Saturday when we play Sidmouth.”
George Benton, the Paignton captain, saw the game from a different perspective.
“In my eyes Hatherleigh crumbled and could not handle the pressure we piled on them,” said Benton. “I backed the lads to show some courage and they did exactly that.”
Benton said the Paignton bowlers did well to defend a sub-par score.
“Hatherleigh bowled well and didn't give us much,” added Benton.
“We started slowly and lost crucial wickets. Luke Medlock and Harry Ward batted really well. I thought 180 would have been a par score on the day. “