Harriet Kelly (pictured) struck the first century of her career and Megan Clark added an unbeaten 79 as Taunton Deane 2s completed their Division Two programme with a 145-run victory over Clyst St George at The Convent Field.
Kelly’s unbeaten 116 also made her the 14th different player to score a century across the Devon Women’s League this season.
The win moved Taunton to 79 points at the top of the table, but they must wait until September 20 to discover whether that will be enough to secure the Division Two title, with Hatherleigh still to play Clyst St George.
Taunton won the toss and chose to bat, with Kelly providing the backbone of an imposing 332-5 from their 35 overs.
She carried her bat for 116 from 118 balls, hitting 13 fours, while Pippa Stephens made 15 and Emily Ward struck a brisk 24 from 18 deliveries.
Clyst continued to find wickets during the first half of the innings and had Taunton 162-5 when Holly Beattie was dismissed in the 19th over.
It proved to be their final breakthrough.
Kelly was joined by Clark and the pair dominated the remainder of the innings, putting on an unbeaten 170 for the sixth wicket.
Clark supplied much of the late acceleration with 79 from just 57 balls, including ten fours, while Kelly went through to her landmark hundred and remained unbeaten at the close.
Clyst were not helped by 91 extras, including 65 wides and 21 no-balls. Bella Wells finished with 2-48, with Iona Murrin, Charlotte Taylor and Violet Stephens taking one wicket each.
Faced with a huge chase, Clyst slipped to 13-2 before Clare Pym and Daisy Bishop began to rebuild.
Pym made 15 and Bishop 16, but wickets continued to fall around captain Ali West, who provided the main resistance with 55 from 86 balls.
Martha Wilkes led Taunton’s attack with 3-54, while Clark completed an excellent all-round afternoon with 2-18 from seven overs.
Beatrice How and Holly Beattie also took two wickets each as Clyst finished on 187-9 from their 35 overs.
The 145-run victory leaves Taunton top on 79 points having completed all six of their games.
Hatherleigh, on 68, host Clyst at Winslade Park on September 20. They need at least 12 points from the game to move beyond Taunton and claim the title outright, while an 11-point return would leave the sides level on 79.
Taunton can now only wait, having done everything they could in their final league game – with Kelly’s first career century and her 170-run partnership with Clark ensuring they finished their programme with a convincing victory.
Chris Sleep Reporting
