Bradninch & Kentisbeare secured a second successive third-place finish in Division Three after another competitive campaign in 2026.
Having finished third with 83 points in 2025, they increased that total to 107 this time around and edged Exmouth 2s by a single point in the final standings.
They recorded four victories on the field, as well as receiving a concession from Chagford, with some of their best cricket coming during the opening months of the season.
One of the feature performances came in the opening game of the season against Holsworthy, when Bradninch & Kentisbeare piled up 232 for one from their 30 overs before going on to record a 95-run victory.
The innings was built around a superb century from Emma Farley, whose 101 helped set up a dominant start to the campaign.
They followed that with a seven-wicket success against Chagford, reaching a revised target of 119 with three wickets down.
Two of their four on-field victories came against Exmouth 2s.
The first meeting produced a tight finish as Bradninch & Kentisbeare successfully chased 147 to win by three wickets. They completed the double in the reverse fixture in August, reaching 168 for six after Exmouth had posted 164 for seven.
There were some competitive performances against the division’s leading sides too.
They came within five runs of Ottery St Mary in June, finishing on 97 for six in reply to 102 for nine, while they also produced an impressive batting display against champions Bovey Tracey later in the summer.
Bovey amassed 215 for two, but Bradninch & Kentisbeare responded with a creditable 177 for three from their 30 overs.
Yvonne Jackson led the club’s run-scoring with 207 runs and enjoyed a particularly consistent campaign.
Dismissed only four times in seven innings, she finished with an average of 51.75 and a highest score of 47.
Emma Farley was close behind with 191 runs and produced the club’s biggest individual innings of the season.
Her superb 101 came in the opening game against Holsworthy, helping Bradninch & Kentisbeare to 232 for one from their 30 overs and a 95-run victory. It was the only century scored by a Bradninch & Kentisbeare batter during the Division Three campaign.
Fi Moran completed the leading three with 169 runs. She passed fifty twice, recorded a season-best unbeaten 67 and averaged 33.80.
Jackson’s contribution with the ball was just as important as her batting.
She finished with 15 wickets, completing an outstanding season in which she topped both the club’s batting and bowling charts.
Her best figures were a superb six for 15 in the five-run defeat against Ottery St Mary. Despite the narrow loss, Jackson’s spell was one of the most notable individual bowling performances of Bradninch & Kentisbeare’s season.
Faye Ross provided strong support with 11 wickets, including best figures of three for 25, while Colette Bamber finished with nine wickets and a best of two for 21.
Bradninch & Kentisbeare also enjoyed success in the shorter format, recording two victories over Cullompton. One came by just two runs after successfully defending 124 for two, while the other was a 22-run win after posting 107 for three.
The final league position may have been the same as last year, but the season still contained plenty of positives, with four wins, a double over Exmouth 2s and several strong individual performances to build on next summer.
By Chris Sleep
