PLYMOUTH’S hopes of moving up the A Division table were washed-out when their home game against North Devon was rained-off.
Had the city side beaten North Devon they could have moved into the top three as the teams above them were mostly playing among themselves and only one of them could win!
Only two games were actually played to a finish – Tavistock lost at Thorverton, Bridestowe won at Abbotskerswell – neither of which had much impact on Plymouth, who remain sixth in a table of 10.
Plymouth had reached 73 for four in the 23rd of their 50 overs when the rain swept in over Mount Wise.
Rahul Randev (19), Rob Bennett (17) and Ioan Phillips (12no) all got into double figures, although conditions meant it was slow going for all of them.
Teddy Haffenden, who took a ton off Torquay seven days earlier, was in and out again for a four-ball duck.
Roshan Lakmal, North Devon’s Sri Lankan professional, was the pick of the bowlers with two for 14 from six overs.
Josh King and Josh Atkinson had a wicket each.
ZIMBABWEAN professional Prince Masvaure has clearly taken note of his job description if his debut appearance for Plymstock is anything to go by.
James Nicholls, the Plymstock captain, wants Masvaure to be the batsman ‘Plymstock can build an innings around’ and he certainly looked like that in the truncated game against Torquay & Kingskerswell.
Masvaure, a former Test and one-day international, went out to bat two balls into the game after opener Tom Mitch was caught in the gully off T&K’s Somerset staffer Blaise Baker. By the time he was third out for 29 off 62 balls, the total was approaching 100.
Matt Whalley fell almost immediately for 36 off 55 balls and with scoreboard pressure generated by a late start and two stoppages wickets tumbled.
Plymstock’s last five wickets went for just six runs scored as they were dismissed for 122.
“We had set the innings up well before the delays and the rain,” said Nicholls.
Wickets were shared round with three for Aaron Hearn (3-14) and two each for Torquay captain Harry Passenger (2-26) and Vivek Kulkarni (2-2).
Torquay & Kingskerswell did not get the chance to bat as the weather deteriorated after tea.
Nicholls paid tribute to opposite number Passenger for getting his players involved in mopping-up operations.
“Credit to Torquay for that,” said Nicholls. “Let’s hope we get some dry weather soon.”
HATHERLEIGH did enough in their rain-ruined game against Kilmington to lift themselves out of the A Division bottom two.
Mark Lake’s side went past Plymstock, who missed out on batting bonus points by being bowled out for 122 before rain stopped play against Torquay & Kingskerswell.
Ryan Quick (38) and Shreyansh Ghosh (68) were Hatherleigh’s main scorers in a running total of 154 for two.
Kilmington hit back with four quick wickets as Hatherleigh slumped to 158 for six with Adam Quick just out for a two-ball duck. Not for the first time this season the damage was done by Kilmington’s Rob Crabb (5-30).
Paul Heard (21) and Charlie Presswell (24) staged a recovery that took Hatherleigh to four batting points and out of the drop spots.
