Sam's the man with a ton as Bovey 'Russell' up seven-wicket win over Plymouth CS&R

Alex Dunlavey hits out for Plymouth CS&R against Bovey Tracey

E DIVISION WEST

LEWDOWN lost for the second game in a row when E West leaders Ivybridge crushed them by 144 runs at Filham Park.

Phil Warwick was the only one of the Ivybridge top six to fail with the bat as the team amassed 265 for seven.

Andy Johnson (22), Sam Northmore (45) and Sam Kidd (65) got the score up to 200 for four then Simon Kidd (34) and Callum King (47) gave the innings its second wind.

Two wickets each for Keith Maynard (2-53), Jack Williams (2-73) and Adam Creasey (2-34) were some consolation for Lewdown.

There were more extras (25) than individual runs off the bat for Lewdown, who were hustled out for 121 with more than seven overs to go.

Opener Ollie Brown made 21, Charlie Hughes chipped in with 22 and no one else got above 14.

Three wickets each for Sam Kidd (3-34), Dan Smith (3-9) and Lewis Clarke (3-18) completed a 20-point win for the table-toppers.

BOVEY Tracey inched closer to safety in the E Division West thanks to a seven-wicket win over Plymouth Civil Service & Roborough.

Two go down from the division and if things stay as they are after the last two rounds of fixtures Bovey won’t be one of them.

Shawna Ball bowling for Bovey Tracey against Plymouth CS&RThere is little or no room for error though as the teams are stacked closely together. Cornwood (7.67pts) are bottom with Plymouth (8.60) then Bovey (8.92) ahead of them.

In-form batter Rob Gaylard (66) and Alex Dunlavey (45) were largely responsible for getting PCS&R to 165 for five.

Bovey’s bowlers gave little away with Ben Kay, Shawna Ball, Dan Boteler and Jack Ansley all operating at less than four runs an over.

The story of the chase was an unbeaten century from Sam Russell, who hit nine fours and seven sixes on the way to 114 not out. He went in at eight for one and was still there when the game was won in the 42nd over.

LUSTLEIGH warmed-up for the Tidball Cup finals day at Hatherleigh CC this Sunday with a 59-run win over Kenn.

Chris Mason flogged 23 fours and eight sixes on the way to 174 for Lustleigh in their 45-over total of 284 for five.

James Fulner – six fours, no sixes in his 42 – was positively pedestrian in comparison.

Kenn had a go at chasing down the total with James Gosling (58) and Harry Graydon (46) leading the way.

Graydon was the last man out as Kenn were dismissed for 225 with 11 balls to go.

There were three wickets each for Matt Partridge and James Fulner.

Lustleigh, still chasing second spot behind promotion favourites Ivybridge 2nd XI, are away to Tavistock this Saturday.

In Sunday’s Tidball Cup final Lustleigh are due to face Hatherleigh 3rd XI at 1pm. The other semi-final is a 10am start between Ivybridge 2nd XI and Teignmouth & Shaldon 2nd XI.

F DIVISION WEST

SOUTH Devon 2nd XI lacked the bowling firepower to beat their Babbacombe counterparts in an F Division West clash.

Reliable run getter Ryan Maunder top scored for South Devon with 43 in a modest total of 117 for nine in 40 overs. Skipper Matt Kitto batting at 10 was next best on 13.

There were three wickets for Babbacombe bowlers Dom Passmore (3-15) and Paul Lightowlers (3-15).

Babbacombe went on to win by three wickets, but it was by no means a formality.

Billy Allcock (24) and Seb Loram (30) made careful runs for Babbacombe in the face of tidy bowling from Mike Smith (2-19) and David Lear (3-31).

Wickets eluded South Devon and Babbacombe crept over the line with eight overs in hand.

South Devon Skipper Kitto said: “We weren't quite good enough with bat or ball.

“Ryan got our innings off to a good start, but nobody else could stay in long enough to carry it on.”

ASHBURTON second team entertained Chudleigh seconds and, after losing the toss, were invited to bat first. They reached 160 for 7 in their 40-over allocation lead by skipper Phil Pascoe who made 55. Jack Warren (33), Luke Pascoe (17) and Toby Pascoe (12) all chipped in with useful runs.

Chudleigh paced their reply well reaching the target for the loss of six wickets in the final over. Harrison Windsor-Horne top scoed with 52 for Chudleigh. Jake Bartram (3 for 29) was the pick of the Ashburton bowlers and there were also wickets for Robin Lambert (8 overs, 1 for 7), Niall Kemp (1 for 22) and Ashton West (1 for 22).

G DIVISION EAST

TOPSHAM St James 2nd XI put up a much better performance than the last time they met Shobrooke Park 2ndXI, but still went down heavily to a very strong visiting side.

Stand-in captain James Smart inadvertently set the tone for the day when he lost the toss, and Topsham were asked to bat first. Veteran Mike Davison (11) and youngster Charlie Ferraro got them off to a good start, and Charlie ended up top-scorer with 34, before being carelessly run out – there was some disagreement as to who was to blame! 

Paul Robins contributed a patient and sensible 25, but the only other batsman in double figures was Morgan Maynard (14), who yet again displayed real ability, and played the shot of the match, a back-foot cover drive which whistled to the boundary. 

Topsham were all out for 122, which is not many, but nearly double their total in the season's previous game between these two sides. 

The Shobrooke bowlers were as efficient as usual. The only one not to take a wicket was Lucas Richards, but he went for only 20 runs off his full quota of eight overs. The leading wicket-taker was John Slater with 3-16, supported by Pete Turner (2-17), Ethan Chalk (2-29), Bruce Kerry (1-8) and Steve Grimney (1-26). 

It is a measure of Shobrooke's strength that not one over was bowled by Pete Rose, who opens the bowling for Devon – admittedly at over-70 level, but he is still a very capable performer.

Shobrooke had little difficulty in knocking off the modest target, although all the Topsham bowlers tried hard, and top-scorer Kerry had his fair share of luck in reaching 46 not out. He was well supported by Richards (28), Guy Hoskins (27), Turner (11) and skipper Andy Bridgeman with 7no. The Topsham wicket-takers were Billy Knightley (1-15), Gary Salter (1-17) and Ferraro (1-25).

Special mention should be made of Topsham's assistant scorer, 11-year-old Lucy Curran, who made a confident and competent debut at this level, and showed great promise for the future.

Shobrooke took twenty points to Topsham's four.

Rob Gaylard on the way to 66 for PCS&R against Bovey Tracey