HEATHCOAT 2nd XI lost for the first time this season in the C Division East when Sandford 2nd XI defeated them by 113 runs in the derby clash at Knightshayes.
Losing was not enough to cost Heathcoat top spot, but the distance between them and second-placed Seaton has been trimmed to eight points.
And with just one promotion place out of the division, there is no consolation prize for finishing second, there is plenty riding on the final four games of the season. Seaton host Heathcoat this Saturday in a game neither side can afford to lose.
Sandford batsman Tom Gidney returned to form after a modest set of scores with 148 in a team total of 295 for four.
Skipper Shaun Hawkins (58) put on 139 with Gidney, Byron Knowles whacked 33 not out off 20 balls in the latter stages. Matt Hodgson (3-53) was the most successful Heathcoat bowler.
Heathcoat lost prolific opener Tom Lock for a four-ball duck to Knowles and without their anchorman laboured to 72 for five. Dan Butler (40) made the bulk of the runs.
Losing four wickets for12 runs collapsing to 87 for eight seemed to signal an early finish. Not quite. Jack Tucker (63no) kept Heathcoat out there long enough to reach 182 all out. He and last man Luke Thomas (28) put on 72.
Alfie Butterfield (3-27) was the pick of Sandford’s bowlers.
SEATON cruised to a 135-run win over relegation-haunted Bradninch & Kentisbeare.
Tristan Wakeley (52) and Kai Croft (52) both made half-centuries as Seaton advanced to 279 for eight.
Matt Hewer opened with 38, Tom Doulton added 32 and Jack Dormer made 30 as the scoreline mounted.
Wicket-taking was a hard ask for Bradninch & Kentisbeare – Seaton were 197 for three at one point – although Josh Stewart (3-61) had wickets up to and Billy Wakeley (3-36) did make inroads eventually.
Bradninch & Kentisbeare were all out fort 147 with only three batters making it into double figures: Sam Franks (41), skipper Eliot Acton (25) and Darren Paul (32).
Ben Morgan (3-15) and Kai Croft (3-32) took the bowling honours for Seaton, aided and abetted by Archie Trott (2-25).
ALPHINGTON & Countess Wear’s survival hopes in the C Division East took a turn for the worse when they lost by 63 runs to visiting Ottery St Mary.
Three games without a win, and just one in the last five starts, have anchored A&CW to the foot of the league table. They have four games left to erase the 22-point gap between them and safety.
Alex Clements top scored for Ottery with a patient 38 in their all-out total of 161. There was no greater stand than the second-wicket one of 53 between Clements and Rhys Norman (24).
Tom Jeacock (28no) moved things along mid-innings for Ottery before they collapsed from 140 for five to 161 all-out. A combination of Lawrence Marsh (3-7) and Wessel Oosthuizen (3-7) proved Ottery’s undoing.
Alphington & Countess Wear’s batting suffered a collective off-day with Jack Mills (27) contributing more than anyone else to a total of 98 all out.
There were three wickets each for Joe Birch (3-15) and John Buckland (3-8) and a couple for Hayden Johnston (2-32).
UPOTTERY moved away from the wrong end of the C East table thanks to a four-wicket win over Exeter 2nd XI.
Exeter’s total of 177 all out owed plenty to opener Max Cockram, who was seventh out on 164 with 74 next to his name. A stand of 51 with Harry Williams (32) was as good as it got for the County Grounders.
Ben Kidson (3-21) got into Exeter’s top order, Matt Frost (4-40) dealt with the middle men and Andrew Pulman (3-44) accounted for the rest.
Matt Broom (51) and James Mitcham (50) appeared to have taken Upottery to the brink of victory before they were parted on 135 for three by Marcus Neary (4-32).
There was a brief stumble to 157 for six before Ryan Botley (9no) and Kidson (13no) finished the task.
Victory took Upottery 21 points away from the danger area.
EXMOUTH 2nd XI put some distance between themselves and the C East drop zone with a 96-run win over Uplyme & Lyme Regis.
Victory moved Exmouth 21 points clear of the bottom two and left Uplyme hovering in their former position just above the relegation low-water mark.
Exmouth’s full-strength batting power was on display with runs from Richard Baggs (75), Bob Dawson (39), Tom Rintoul (28) and Matt Moretta (26) in a running total of 180 for four.
Matt Edworthy (46no) and Ollie Dawe (30no) put on 59 unbroken at the end to reach 263 for seven.
Andy Harrison (4-29) and Steve Batey (3-61) were the most successful of Uplyme’s bowlers.
Uplyme’s reply was going nowhere at 49 for four. Bailey Lavin (38) and Dan Magee (43) pushed on to 109 for five before James Edworthy (2-39) split them up.
Only Nimoda Bandara (29) lasted long after that as U&LR subsided to 167 all out.
Edworthy, Ethan Brenton (2-39) and Andrew Murray (2-19) all finished with two wickets each for Exmouth.
