Regina Lilli signed off an outstanding Division One season with 109 as North Devon beat Paignton by 22 runs to secure third place in the final table.
North Devon made 239-8 from their 40 overs before restricting Paignton to 217-8, ending a campaign in which they had remained in the hunt for another top-two finish until the final weekend.
The hosts were in early trouble at 14-2, but Lilli and Rose Ball steadied the innings with an 84-run partnership.
Ball made 43 from 64 balls before Lilli took charge, going on to score 109 from 103 deliveries with 14 fours.
It was Lilli’s third century of the Division One season and North Devon’s second hundred in successive games after Kate Williams reached three figures against Cornwood the previous week.
The innings took Lilli to 644 runs for the season, leaving her second in the final Division One batting standings – just ten behind Plymouth’s Melissa Banks.
Issie Ollis added a useful 34 from 38 balls as North Devon recovered from their difficult start to post 239-8.
Paignton’s reply followed a similar pattern, with two early wickets leaving them 11-2 before they began to rebuild.
Jemima Vereker made 28 and Hollie Perkin struck 49 from 54 balls, while Emily Roberts kept the chase alive with 60 from 65.
North Devon continued to find wickets at important moments, though, and never allowed Paignton to take complete control.
Ball and Lilli both picked up two wickets to complete strong all-round performances.
Lilli’s two wickets took her to 16 for the season and fifth place in the final Division One bowling standings, rounding off an impressive year with both bat and ball.
Paignton eventually closed on 217-8, giving North Devon a 22-run victory and lifting them above their visitors into third place.
North Devon finished on 144 points, with Paignton fourth on 137.
It was a fitting end to North Devon’s season, with Lilli’s third century of the year providing the standout performance on an afternoon which capped an excellent individual campaign.
Chris Sleep Reporting
