Ella Gill – performed the hat-trick for Paignton 2nd XI against Plymouth 2nd XI<br>credit: Conrad Sutcliffe - no re-use without copyright owner's consent

PLYMOUTH 2nd XI were on the receiving end of two impressive performances on the way to a 62-run defeat away to C West leaders Paignton 2nd XI.

Neil Hancock, the former Devon captain who was a white-ball cricketer with Somerset in the early days of Twenty 20 cricket, clubbed Plymouth’s bowling for 156 not out in a Paignton total of 258 for six. He hit 17 fours and seven sixes.

Billy Criddle (20), son Ethan (19) and captain Carl McFarlane (17) jogged along with Hancock as the tally mounted.

Bowling successes were few and far between for Plymouth. Sam Knapman (3.56) and Stephen Skews (3.20) avoided the worst of the brutal treatment handed out by Hancock.

What was even more impressive from Paignton’s point of view was the hat-trick performed by 15-year-old Ella Gill that helped limit Plymouth to 196 for nine in reply.

Women cricketers are a regular feature of Devon League matches – and have been since Jackie Hawker played for Plympton 20-odd years ago – but there is only a single occassion when one as taken a hat-trick before. That was Cait O'Keefe for Cornwood against Ottery St Mary back in 2011.

Gill’s first victim was Plymouth opener Pete Evans (66) who had been anchoring the chase. He was bowled at 120 for six. Wakman Oyarkhill was stumped first ball. And the hat-trick was completed by the lbw dismissal of Jamie Henwood.

James Hulbert (57no) put on 72 for the ninth wicket with Skews, but it was too late to save the game.

Gill’s full figures were three for 28, Sean Kirk took three for 26 and there were two wickets for Max Pedley.

Defeat leaves Plymouth bottom of the table for another week.

YELVERTON fell apart at the seams against visiting South Devon, who skittled them out for 49 and needed fewer than 14 overs to complete a seven-wicket win.

Ben Grove (24) was the lone Yelverton batter to make more than five on a grim day at Langton Park. Four batters did not manage a run between them.

Yelverton’s batters had no answer to the pace of Mali Marshall (3-29) or the nagging seam bowling of Jonny Martin (4-12) as the processed in and out.

South Devon lost wickets at 27 30 and 38 on the way to victory. Kevin Treweeks (2-13) took two of them.

Mark Andrews (21) got the chase up and running. Kalen Warne (13no) was in at the end.

Yelverton have dropped within four points of the relegation zone as a consequence of this loss.

SECOND-placed Ivybridge were comfortable 77-run winners when they visited relegation worriers Sandford 2nd XI.

Abraham Kopparambil (50), Cebo Tshiki (62) and Adam Huxtable (53) all made half-centuries in Ivybridge’s 252 all out.

Tshiki and Huxtable put on 76 for the fifth wicket. There were top-up runs from Jake Dunn (38) in the later overs.

Praison Alias (3-33) and Ollie Knight (3-51) were Sandford’s most successful bowlers. There were two each for Ellie Bishop and former Devon paceman Matt Theedom.

Dunn (3-28) and Huxtable (3-40) were Ivybridge’s star turns with three wickets as Sandford were removed for 175.

The chase was already in trouble when Theedom was sixth out on 73, but it wasn’t over just yet.

Archie Osborne (29) and Jason Matten (46) between them took Sandford to 158 for eight, which garnered two batting points.

A third batting point had been gained by the time Dunn flushed out the tail enders.

CORNWOOD 2nd XI won by seven wickets at Brixham in a game reduced to 35 overs each due to bad weather.

Tom Hopper (47) and Dalton Sanders (45) put on 70 for Brixham’s second wicket towards a total of 146 for seven when ran stopped play. No one else made more than 14.

Miserly bowling from Harry Woolway (2-34), Lee Baker (2-20) and Jacob Caunter (2-29) prevented Brixham generating momentum.

Although skipper Robin Dart and Stanley Baker both missed out, the Cornwood run chase was a routine affair.

Josh Goodliffe made 30 then Noah Carlisle (60no) and Sam Griffiths (36no) took the Wood the rest of the way during an unbroken stand of 66.

Robin Dart, the Cornwood captain, described it as: “A top win against the weather.”

Dart added: “After a slow start and not a lot of luck, the spinners slowed the momentum of Brixham’s innings before the rain came in. 

“The forecast showed we had an hour to chase the revised total, so we tried to get ahead of the 20-over par score. The rain never came and Noah and Sammy saw us home with a few-coming-of-age knocks.”

Dart accepts that Cornwood (173pts) are lagging behind Paignton (206) and Ivybridge (197) in the promotion scuffle, but is not losing sleep over it.

“We are enjoying our cricket and we've just got to keep winning and hope to take advantage of any slips from the teams above,” said Dart.

“We play Ivybridge this Saturday, which is a good chance to improve our situation.”

ASHBURTON’S topsy-turvy season continued when Kingsbridge hammered them by 143 runs at the Butts.

The Ashes’ highs have included topping 250 against Kingsbridge first time round, and South Devon, while the lows are all-out scores of 54 against Ivybridge – and now 70 against Kingsbridge.

Opener Jack Brown played the anchorman role for Kingsbridge with 103 in a total of 213 for eight.

Brown put on 167 for the first wicket with James Fletcher (41) and was on 99not out when the first wicket fell. 

Neil Edmonds, a former Kingsbridge player, dismissed Brown at 171 and went on to claim three for 32. Alex Browne finished unbeaten on 22.

Matt Coon (3-16) and Chris Yeo (2-32) were Ashburton’s other wicket takers.

Lloyd White (26), 21 extras and Ryan May (10) were the only double-figure contributions to Ashburton’s meagre total. Five batters did not manage a run between them!

The bulk of the damage was done by Bhanu De Silva (4-16) and Neal Peach (4-22) as the last six wickets fell for just six runs.

White, the Ashburton captain, said conditions were challenging for batsmen, but Kingsbridge’s top order mastered them.

“Brown and Fletcher showed everyone how to bat on that wicket – and credit to them both,” said White.

“Brown in particular who took risks, but they paid off. 

“I was proud of the way we fought back. Turning 167 for none to 211 for eight was some effort and showed how tricky batting was.
“We never got going with the bat and need to take more individual responsibility to get scores on the board, me included.”