Exmouth v Cornwood

Sunday, September 6 – 1pm | The Maer

While the title will be decided elsewhere, there will be an equally important contest at the other end of the table as Exmouth and Cornwood battle for Division One survival.

Exmouth came out on top by four wickets when they made the trip to Cornwood earlier in the season.

Outstanding bowling displays from Bethany Holmes, who took five for 15, and Laila Escott, with four for 35, helped put Exmouth in control before Laila’s older and wiser (?) sister Eloise (pictured)  finished unbeaten on 34 to guide them home.

Exmouth go into the final afternoon 17 points clear of Cornwood, but the visitors have one important advantage – if the two sides finish level on points, Cornwood will stay up.

That means Cornwood need to take 17 more points than Exmouth from Sunday’s game. For Exmouth, the target is much simpler: four points will guarantee their Division One survival, regardless of what Cornwood do.

Exmouth took 19 points away from the corresponding fixture earlier in the season and will also welcome captain Jasmyne Watson back at the helm for their final game. Watson missed the previous meeting between the sides but returns as Exmouth’s leading league wicket-taker with 15, with Holmes close behind on 13.

Watson said:

“I’ve been particularly impressed with how far we’ve come as a team from game one of the season to game 10. We’ve got a predominantly young side, everyone has stuck together and I feel we’re in a much better place than we were at the start of the season.

“We know we only need four points to mathematically stay up, but we won’t be going into the game thinking about that. We want to finish the season on a high and end with a victory.”

There could also be an individual milestone to celebrate for Exmouth, with Lucy Humphreys bidding to become the seventh player to reach 300 league runs this season. She heads into the final game on 283, leaving her just 17 short of the landmark.

Cornwood, meanwhile, will look to Helly Simpson and Gemma Lancaster (pictured) to lead from the front with the bat.

Simpson comes into the game in form after making a league-best unbeaten 85 against North Devon last week, and both she and Lancaster are within touching distance of 200 league runs for the season.

With the ball, Kiera De Villiers is the only Cornwood player to have reached double figures for wickets in the league this season.

It leaves the final afternoon finely balanced. Exmouth know four points will settle the matter in their favour, while Cornwood must produce their biggest points swing of the season if they are to stay up.

 

Chris Sleep Reporting