C Division West round-up – week ten: Kerton guides Plymstock to comfortable win over South Devon | 'Hal was class and built two good partnerships with Josh and Ali, who supported him really well to make a tricky chase look routine' – James Nicholls

Plymstock

By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

HAL Kerton hit an undefeated 60 to see table-topping Plymstock to a six-wicket win away to bottom side South Devon.

South Devon are engaged in a second successive relegation fight and made life as hard as possible for Plymstock in search of points.

Makeshift opener Dillip Salinda top scored for South Devon with 36 from 96 balls faced in a total of 153 all out on a searingly hot day in Newton Abbot.

Salinda, who normally bats long after the shine has gone off the ball, was third out on 115 for three to Plymstock skipper James Nicholls.

Nicholls (3-16) also accounted for Matt Beasant (31) and Jack Allen, which exposed the bottom half of the order to Kerton (2-29) and Rob Cunningham (2-27), who did not hang around getting through them.Plymstock's Alex Karvelas bowling against South Devon

South Devon accounted for Plymstock openers Josh Sumner and Nicholls for single-figure scores, which brought Kerton in sooner than expected.

With Josh Hocken (28) and Alex Karvelas (27) providing the back-up, Plymstock went on to win with more than five overs to spare.

For Nicholls it was another game ticked-off in the win column on the way to what he hopes is promotion back to the B Division at the first attempt.

Nicholls added: “We could and should have been chasing 200 -plus so to keep South Devon to 150 was a real good effort in those conditions.

“As a bowling and fielding unit we stuck at it really well and everyone had useful figures.

“Batting-wise, Hal was class and built two good partnerships with Josh and Ali, who supported him really well to make a tricky chase look routine.”

CORNWOOD 2nd XI warmed-up for a crack at C West leaders Plymstock with a crushing eight-wicket win over Kingsbridge.

That’s four wins on the reel now for Cornwood (154pts), who are up to third behind Teignmouth & Shaldon (155) and Plymstock (187).

Kingsbridge were all out for 172 in the 43rd of their 50 overs. They were 154 for six at one stage but fell apart when James Richardson came back for a second spell and took four wickets for nine runs in three overs for match figures of four for 26.

Ricky Carr (36), Joe Carey (34) and Adi Maxwell (26) made the only scores of note for Kingsbridge. Cornwood generously gifted them 53 in extras!

Cornwood’s run chase was a formality once openers Ben Griffiths (66) and Jack Brown (34) put on 81 for the first wicket. Harry Woolway (35no) and skipper Robin Dart (31no) wrapped things up with more than nine overs to spare.

Dart was pleased with the way the chase panned out but less impressed by the bowling effort.

“For once this season our batting saved our bowling,” said Dart.

“Bowling 50 extras is not good enough, although spinners Matt Tamsett and Jack Brown bowled superbly to get us back into it. Probably the best catch I've ever seen, by Ben Griffiths to remove Adriaan Maxwell, helped.
“We knocked off the total with relative ease thanks to a mature and sensible chase by the four involved. 

“Now on to the title favourites!”

YELVERTON and Ashburton fought out that cricketing curiosity the tie in their C West meeting Langton Park.

Yelverton were all out for 156 in the 40th of their 45 overs. Skipper Rob Grove was run-out for a top score of 37 having seen the team over the hump after they slid from 64 for one to 95 for five.

Dave Ackford (25) and Andy Birkett (25) gave Yelverton a decent start, but only Grove and Mike Lemmings (21) made much headway after that.

Plymstock's Billy Gibson operating from the Kingsteignton Road End at South DevonLeft-arm spinner Aditya More (5-8 off 8.1 overs) finished off the job started by Steve Edmonds (2-37) and George Yabsley (2-35).

Ashburton were in dire straights in response at 109 for seven with nothing better than Ashley Berry’s 17 in the book. Wickets were shared with Lemmings (2-11) the most efficient.

More, Ashburton’s Indian match pro, was still there though and did his best to shepherd the lower order towards the target.

At 147 for nine the game was in the balance as More and last man Luke Pascoe crept towards 157 to win.

The scores were level when Birkett bowled More for 39. Birkett finished with three for 21.

PLYMOUTH stay fourth in the C West table thanks to a 90-run win at Stoke Gabriel.

Harry Stephenson (58) and Alex Hill (50) both made half-centuries for Plymouth in a 45-over total of 214 for nine.

After Stephenson and Hill put on 85 for the third wicket, Tom Hughes (35) kept the board flicking over.

Stoke’s Jack Smith had Stephenson and Hill in his bowling return of three for 37. Jack Tolley and Kyle Lardner had two wickets each.Rob Cunningham during his lively opening spell at South Devon

Stoke were making steady progress thanks to opener Tolley (45) before it all went wrong. Plymouth skipper Dave Burke took four wickets in a row as Stoke wobbled from 66 for one to 98 for four and 108 for seven.

Burke took one more wicket to finish with match figures of five for eight from nine overs – good shooting by anyone’s standards – and there were two more wickets for Fahad Ali (3-32) as Stoke bowed out for 124.

TEIGNMOUTH & Shaldon were glad of a half-century from Karl Blackburn for keeping them on course for a four-wicket win over Paignton 2nd XI.

Chasing low totals can be trick as Teignmouth & Shaldon skip Charlie Woolnough would have been well aware when his side were 25 in reply to Paignton’s 136 all out.

All three wickets to fall had been bagged by Jack Harman (3-13).

Blackburn was the main contributor to a stand of 38 with Andrew Espley (4) that got T&S up to 63 for four.

Blackburn (52) and Daniel O’Connell (29) took T&S to the brink of victory, which was sealed with more than 20 overs to go when Woolnough hit the only ball he faced for six.

Paignton had run into all sorts of trouble when they batted against Josh Couch (3-23) and Seamus McKenna (4-23), who gave them little to hit when they were not taking wickets.

Paignton had slumped to 69 for seven when they lost captain Steven George and in danger of an early finish.

Rio Koyikkara (23) and George Woodcock (27) put on 51 for the eighth wicket to give Paignton’s bowlers something to defend.

Safety first from Dillip Salinda during his knock of 39 against Plymstock