BIDEFORD beat Bovey Tracey 2nd XI by 33 runs to clinch the B Division title ahead of Stoke Gabriel.
Stoke Gabriel and Bideford were dead level at the top of the table on 255 points each going into the final round of fixtures. Both had already earned promotion.
As Stoke’s home game against Barton fell foul of the weather, Bideford were left needing nine-points to finish ahead of Stoke, who got eight for a cancellation. They got them.
“From seeing the forecast and a picture of the rain at Bovey Tracey at 10am Saturday morning, I certainly didn’t think by the late afternoon that we’d be B Division champions,” said Jack Ford, the Bideford skipper. “A massive thank you to Bovey Tracey for being keen to get the game on and making the ground playable!”
Bideford made 122 for nine in a game trimmed down to 20 overs each, which looked sub-prime when Bovey were 29 without loss three overs into their reply.
Ford kept Bovey from settling with repeated bowling changes. Five wickets fell getting to 55 and from then on the only doubt was the margin of victory. Bovey got as far as 89 for nine before time ran out.
Ford said although there were two standout players in the title-clinching team, there was more to winning the division than them.
“Josh King with 45 wickets, and Ollie Hannam with more than 600 runs have both been outstanding and a captain’s dream,” said Ford.
“The whole team have been superb. We’ve really stuck together as we’re simply just a bunch of very good mates who play cricket together on the weekends.”
Josh King (23) and Hannam (16) got Bideford’s innings up and running after opener Fred King drove the third ball he faced straight to Freddie Harvey at cover.
Ford (17), James Hayter (20), Tom Brend and last man Steve Bond (10) all made the modest contributions that can have a major impact in low-scoring games.
Dan Green with four for 19 – three and four just four balls apart – was Bovey’s most effective bowler.
Bovey openers Sam Harvey (15) and Ryan Jones (16) had both been and gone in a running total of 40 for two. Two wickets for Josh King – Green caught on the boundary the second –and one for Julian Hayter slowed the chase to 55 for five.
The terminal decline was from 72 for five to 75 for eight, leading to the chase fizzling out on 89.
“Our bowling and fielding on the most part was brilliant,” said Ford.
“Josh King, Fawaaz and Alex Hannam all bowled seriously good sets of four. Alex in particular, not having bowled for the last half of the season, now bowling off spin and coming on in a pressure situation like that and producing two for five off his four was remarkable and a great sign for next season.”
