D Division East round-up – week 13: North Devon put pressure on leaders Shobrooke with win over Feniton

Fred King – three wickets for North Devon in the win over Feniton

LEADERS Shobrooke Park can feel North Devon breathing down their necks in the D East promotion race after the Instow outfit cruised to a six-wicket win over Feniton in the Sandhills.

While Shobrooke Park were in the process of losing to Sampford Peverell & Tiverton by eight wickets, North Devon were bowling-out Feniton for 227.

Jonny Pyle made 99 for Feniton, and Jack Tucker finished with 42 during a stand of 68 with Pyle, that rescued them from a wobbly 47 for five.

Stuart Bright (13) shored-up one end while Pyle got on with it at the other in a stand of 70 for the eighth wicket.

The King brothers – Fred (3-41) and Josh (2-32) – dominated the North Devon bowling stats. 

North Devon bowler Jedd Foster had an afternoon to forget in a hurry with the ball. His first over sent for 10 runs and his second a whopping 32! That was a 12-ball over due to wides and no-balls.

James Starkey made 99 not out at the top of the order as North Devon coasted to victory with more than 13 overs unused.

Reuben Windley fired 64 in a stand of 121 with Starkey that left little for the rest of the batting to do.

SHOBROOKE are now just a point clear of second-placed North Devon with five games to go after losing to SP&T. Third-placed Budleigh are a further 14 points behind as the promotion race enters the last lap.

Neil Branton top scored for Shobrooke with 54 in a total of 186 for eight that always seemed well below par. Chris Simpson (24) and Guy Hoskins (25) made the only other scores above 11.

Wickets were shared around in the SP&T attack with three for Josh Kallway (3-52), two for Robbie Broomhead (2-47) and one each for Dan Pugsley, Joe Parkinson and Harry Pryce, all three of whom bowled nine overs each for just 18 runs conceded.

Lee Hooper (17) and Tom Lock got SP&T’s chase under way and by the time Lock was out for 47 the total had reached 155 for two.

Tim Hill (74no) and skipper Lewis Hough (22 not out off nine balls) concluded the chase with exactly 10 overs to spare.

CLYST Hydon moved further away from the danger end of the D East table thanks to a two-wicket win over Budleigh Salterton 2ndXI.

Tight stints from all five Hydon bowlers kept Budleigh to 204 for nine in 45 overs.

Pick of the bowlers were Alex Newman with three for 43 and Jeff Sanders with two for 34. Clinton Lewis had one for 30 from nine miserly overs.

Nick Bolt (73) top scored for Budleigh. He went in at 78 for two and was eighth out on 197. 

Marc Troman (23), Donovan Robinson (24) and Dan Messom (30) all weighed in.

Opener Ian Sutton played the anchorman role for Hydon in knocking off the runs. By the time he was seventh out for 79 the total had reached 185.

Chris Holmes (38) and Louis Marks (25) were among the supporting acts while Sutton was out there. Bits and pieces – including some of the 23 wides – saw the chase through. Sanders and James Billington were the not-out batters.

Sean Butler (2-35) and Adam Jones (2-39) were the only Budleigh bowlers with more than one wicket.

HALF-centuries from Henry Gordon-Lennox (66) and David Culshaw guided Whimple to a five-wicket win over Clyst St George 2ndXI.

Opener Nathan Wells (74) took St George to 123 for four then Ed Lister (43) kept the score going towards the eventual total of 218 all out.

Luke Witton, Nathan Bright, Freddie Fenner and Gordon-Lennox all had two wickets each for Whimple.

Gordon-Lennox and Luke Phillips (23) got the chase started, but it was the stand of 105 between the former and Culshaw that took the game away from Clyst. Fifty two extras did Clyst few favours.

By the time Culshaw was dismissed the target was six to win with five wickets left. Game over.

BARNSTAPLE & Pilton made it two wins on the trot as they moved up to fifth in the D East table with a seven-wicket win at Chardstock.

Chardstock have had a torrid time at the foot of the table this season and that continued as B&P skittle them out for just 98.

Stuart Parris made 29 for Chardstock. No one else got as far as 20.

Giles Bashford led the B&P bowling effort with remarkable figures of three wickets for six runs from nine overs! Freddie Norton, Lee Cole and Charlie Holm had two wickets each.

Openers James Poole (30) and Matt Newton put on 85 for the first wicket as Barnstaple & Pilton chased down the runs in a hurry. Newton was still there on 54 not out – eight fours, three sixes – when the winning runs were scored in the 15thover.