Thorverton move past Kilmington into B Division top spot | Pitt top scores in six-wicket win

DRIVE TIME: Andy Pitt, who top scored for Thorverton in the win over Ivybridge

THORVERTON are the new leaders in the B Division after they defeated Ivybridge by six wickets.

Kilmington had been the long-time leaders in the B Division going into round 10, but were toppled by a 63-run defeat at the hands of Bovey Tracey.

Thorverton (141pts) have a nine-point lead over Kilmington (132) with Bideford four points in arrears in third place.

Take away the contributions of 51 from Dinesh Raheja, and Zack Dunn’s 25, and there as nothing in double figures from the rest of the top seven in a total of 148 for nine.

Tail-ender Jerry Clough showed some stickability with 19 not out from 46 balls as he and last man Jacob Kopparambil (6no) put on 34 to keep Thors in the field for the full 45 overs

Ben Slaviero had Thors’ best bowling return of three for 28. No one went for more than for an over. Spinners Alex Jopling and Andy Pitt operated below three.

Thorverton’s top three of Pitt (40), Ali Chillcott (21) and Ben Coe (24) got the chase away to a 104-run start.

Assisted by 31 extras – 26 of them wides – and Tom Diamond’s 19 not out, Thorverton had victory wrapped up with more than nine overs to go.

Harry Solomon (3-23) bowled Ivybridge to a couple of bonus points.

PLYMSTOCK tossed the formbook out of the window to beat visiting Bideford by five runs in a rain-affected game.

Jason Williams made 58 for bottom side Plymstock, who were all-out for 180 in the 44th over.Billy Gibson – key wickets for Plymstock

After seven overs were lost to rain the run-rate calculation left promotion hopefuls Bideford 38 overs to score 153.

In a nail-gnawing finish Bideford got down to the last two overs needing 13 to win with three wickets in hand. Billy Gibson took two of those wickets for six runs scored in the first over and Rob Cunningham wrapped things up with three balls to go.

Plymstock are still at the foot of the table, but results elsewhere mean they are just two points away from safety.

James Nicholls, the Plymstock captain, said he was proud of his team for the steel they showed in a pressure situation.

“I could not be prouder of the lads for a brilliant result against a good side,” said Nicholls. “We should easily have scored 200-plus but other than that we were superb.

“Jason batted really well and all the bowlers were great... energy and fight in the field got us over the line in a rain affected game which kept moving the goalposts in their direction... brilliant result against a good side.”

Williams had support from Scott Mansfield (30) and skipper Nicholls (18) getting Plymstock up to 135 for four. Bits and pieces from Gibson (10) and Max Thomas (11) helped in a low-scoring game.

Ben Gifford and James Ford took three wickets each for Bideford.

Opener Tom Brend dug in for 67 on the chase that took Bideford to 135 for six in reply. Tom Mitch (3-34) stopped Bideford running away with the reply.

Gibson (3-40) accounted for Brend and with him out of the way the visitors’ task became that much tougher.

KILMINGTON were bundled off the top of the B Division table when they lost by 63 runs in a rain-affected encounter to Bovey Tracey 2nd XI.

Thorverton are the new table toppers thanks to a six-wicket win at Ivybridge, which has given them a nine-point lead.

After Freddie Ford had opened up with a patient 23 for Bovey Tracey, Tom Andrew (57) and Seb Ansley (31) were the main contributors to a total of 172 for nine in 37 overs.

Matt Reed (4-35) and Tom Gooding (3-36) gave Bovey’s batters plenty to think about during their spells.

Kilmington got to 51 for two courtesy of Matt Pile’s 24 and some bits and pieces. Losing four wickets wickets getting from 51 for two to 53 for six was the realistic end of Kilmington’s prospects.

Will Christophers went on to finish with four wickets for 30 runs and with Ollie Clifford-Bourne taking two more Kilmington were all out for 109 with 10 overs to go.

IPPLEPEN completed their first double of the season when they beat Dartington & Totnes in the derby rematch on the Foxhole Ground.

It wasn’t quite as straightforward as the nine-wicket win handed out when the sides met back in April as D&T’s batting had a bit more steel about it second time around.

Ash Harvey – four wickets for IpplepenJosh Orrell, who went in at 11 for one after the early demise of Jono Colegate, was involved in stands worth 109 before he was D&T’s fifth man out for a top score of 46.

Oliver Holroyd (3-25) accounted for Orrell and if he didn’t get them there was a good chance skipper Ash Harvey (4-26) would.

Rain during the tea interval meant reduced overs and a lower target of 132 and 41 overs to get them in.

Veteran spinner Chris Cook (3-37) posed a few issues for Pens’ batters, but with time on their side and a low asking rate it needed more than Cook to swing it D&T’s way.

Marcus Gadie (25) and Neil Hancock (30) had the best of the bits-and-pieces scores that got the game won with more than 12 overs to go.

Winning skipper Harvey said: “It was essential for us to get 20 points as we've missed so much cricket that we are playing catch-up. 

“It was good to see the bowling unit coming together so well and even if we spluttered a bit in the chase we were always in control once Hancock and Gadie had broken the back of it.”

HEATHCOAT 2ndXI had an unwanted day off as their match against Chudleigh was a Covid-19 victim.

Chudleigh reported three potential Covid cases after playing a midweek game against Abbotskerswell.

The knock-on effect of the positive tests was Abbotskerswell had to pull out of their A Division game against Torquay due to Track-and-Trace regulations.