Exmouth 2s (pictured after their win) brought Bovey Tracey's unbeaten Division Three campaign to an end with a four-wicket victory over the champions at The Maer.

Bovey arrived in Exmouth with nine wins from nine and the title already secured, but the hosts produced the result they needed to round off their own much-improved second season in the Tolchards Devon Women's Cricket League with a fourth victory.

Olive McCauley did everything she could to preserve Bovey's unbeaten record, making 56 before returning outstanding figures of four for seven, but Exmouth chased down the target to finish on 145 for six.

The result reversed the outcome of the sides' previous meeting, when Bovey won by 22 runs after making 186 for four. It also showed the progress Exmouth have made since winning only once in their first league season in 2025.

Bovey won the toss and chose to bat, but after dominating much of Division Three throughout the summer they found runs harder to come by at The Maer.

McCauley again led the way.

Isabelle Bradley was bowled by Sharon Dawkins for four and Evie Lockett made two before falling to Sarah Antonio, but McCauley continued the form that had already secured her the Division Three batting award. 

She reached her fourth half-century of the league season and made 56 from 51 balls, striking nine fours.

It took a "magic" ball from Eloise Escott to finally end her stay, bowling McCauley after an innings which had once again provided the backbone of the Bovey total.

Bovey struggled to build another substantial partnership around her. Beth Topping made 10, Lily Driver added 13 and Ava Cowper finished unbeaten on six as the champions closed on 142 for seven from their 30 overs.

Exmouth shared the wickets around, with Dawkins taking two for 19 from six overs, Escott two for 23 and Antonio two for 34. Tory Bloom claimed the other wicket.

Exmouth needed 143 for victory and McCauley quickly made sure there would be no straightforward chase.

Jasmine Strode was bowled by Cowper for 11 before McCauley took over.

Sarah Strode had made 21 when McCauley bowled her, then Sarah Antonio went without scoring. Anna Higgins was trapped lbw for nine and Escott was bowled for five as McCauley ripped through the middle order.

Her five-over spell produced exceptional figures of four for seven, including a maiden, and gave Bovey every chance of completing their tenth successive league victory.

Exmouth, though, found the innings they needed from Sasha Gerrick.

With wickets falling around her, Gerrick (pictured) kept the chase together and finished unbeaten on 34 from 33 balls, including five fours.

Bloom added 10 before being caught by McCauley off Lockett, but Gerrick and Dawkins, who finished unbeaten on eight, saw Exmouth home.

For Bovey, defeat denied them a perfect ten wins from ten, but it takes nothing away from an excellent league season. They finish as Division Three champions with nine victories from ten matches and 170 points.

McCauley (pictured with her Division 3 batting award) also ends the season as the division's leading run-scorer and batting award winner. Her 56 at Exmouth took her final league tally to 488 runs at an average of 81.33, with four half-centuries and an unbeaten 121 among her nine innings.

Her season was not confined to runs either. Four wickets at The Maer took her league tally to 13 at an average of 8.69 and an economy rate of just 2.97.

For Exmouth, meanwhile, there could hardly have been a better way to sign off.

Having gone into the final weekend looking for a fourth victory after recording only one in their debut season, they achieved exactly that - and became the only side in Division Three to beat the champions in 2026.

 

By Chris Sleep