PLYMOUTH’S winning streak came to halt in dramatic fashion when they went down by just four runs to visiting Bovey Tracey.
The city side were in a good place at 180 for six chasing Bovey’s all-out total of 195. Surely it couldn’t go wrong from there.
Two wickets for Josh Mailling (3-57), the former Ivybridge and Plympton all-rounder, and one each for Toby Codd (4-34) and Peter Bradley sent Plymouth sliding to 195 all out with more than eight overs to go.
Plymouth lost four wickets for 15 runs in the space of 21 balls.
It was Plymouth’s first defeat in six starts and stalled their progress up the table. They remain fifth in the table of ten, but much closer (-18) to the top two than the bottom two (+63) relegation places.
Plymouth’s collapse was almost a carbon copy of Bovey Tracey’s innings.
Abraham Kopparambil another Ivybridge youth graduate who has moved on, top scored for Bovey with 39 and put on 58 with Minhaj Jalill (36) for the third wicket. Both fell to Faizan Riaz (2-25).
Bradley (21) and Sam Taylor (35) got the score up to 183 for five and at that point everything in the Bovey garden looked rosey.
Plymouth skipper Jon Varcoe brought Devon paceman Dan Goodey back into the attack and the results were instant.
Goodey took a wicket with is third ball and went on to take three more on his way to five-for-30 haul. It was his first Premier Division ‘five-fer’ in the 1st XI.
Plymouth’s reply went in fits and starts to 73 for four with Riaz in and out for 27 along the way.
Joe Hagan-Burt (18) and Hal Kerton put on 39 then, after Goodey made a brief entrance and exit, Kerton and Varcoe set about what looked like a match-winning partnership of 66 for the seventh wicket.
Varcoe’s demise, trapped lbw by Codd, was the first of the wickets to fall in the terminal collapse. Kerton was the last man out for 61.
Plymouth skipper Varcoe said extras given away were a problem, but not the only one.
“Batting second was difficult and we did well to get close,” said Varcoe.
“It was gutting not to finish the job, but we go again this Saturday.”
Winning captain Codd said: “It was a great game of cricket,” then added: “Our spirit and belief was incredible against a strong Plymouth side.”
