SPIN bowler Rory Medlock played a key role in delivering Paignton’s first Premier Division title in more than 20 years.
Medlock had more wickets than any other Premier Division bowler – 37 of them – at a average cost of 13.27 runs each. Next best numbers-wise were Sidmouth’s Matt Fourie (33) and Tavistock’s Tom Clarke, whose 30 wickets were priced at 14.17 each.
Aya Gqamana added another 30 wickets to the 54 he took last season when Paignton were runners-up behind Bradninch & Kentisbeare.
The last time Paignton won top prize in 2005 the leading wicket takers were the then skipper Neil Hancock (50) and Alston Bobb (28). Hancock also made 529 runs.
No Paignton batter made it into the division’s top ten, or passed 400 runs for the season. When you bowl out sides for 86 and 121 (Tavistock), 114 (Plymouth), 126 (Hatherleigh), 130 (Exmouth) and 115 (Sidmouth), run-scoring isn’t a priority.
Runs, when needed, generally came from Gqamana (385), Ollie Woodcock (376) or Luke Medlock (353).
Paignton finished the season with three trophies safely stashed, albeit it one of them due to the rule book.
Although Exeter defeated Paignton in the Tiflex Devon Cup final, it transpired the winners had fielded an ineligible player. For that reason the result was reversed.
Paignton also carried off the inaugural VX3 Torbay T20 Cup by beating Bovey Tracey by 59 runs in the final.
Tim Ward, the Paignton chairman who played in the 2005 title-winning side, said the current squad had come a long way in a short time.
“Only three years ago the team was fighting relegation from the Premier Division, which makes the turnaround even more remarkable,” said Ward.
Paignton were due to play Exmouth on the final day of the season before wet weather struck! Instead, it was back to Queen’s Park to receive the Premier Division trophy from old boy Chris Read.
Read, who played more than 50 times for England in all three formats of the game, started his cricket career with Paignton before going into the professional ranks. He scored more than 16,000 First Class runs for England and Notts, whom he captained to the County Championship in 2010, a Yorkshire Bank 40 cup final win over Glamorgan at Lord’s in 2013 and Lord’s win over Surrey in the 2017 Royal London Cup final.
