Plymouth CC stayed up after a win on the final day of the season.

Harry Everett reports on a Sunday of deciding matches in the Tolchards Devon Women's Cricket League.

Exeter CC 1s topped Division 1, while Taunton Deane finished top of Division 2 with a game to spare. At the other end of the Division 1 table, Plymouth had to either beat Hatherleigh or secure maximum batting and bowling points to avoid relegation.

Therefore, that is where we should start at the business end of the season at the business end of the table.

Hatherleigh elected to field, and both opening bowlers Eloise Maxa and Hester Presswell earnt two-fers, but none of these four wickets coming in their opening spells. The Plymouth bottom five scored just one run off all of their bats combined, it was the top six who did their job. Freyja Malin scored 70 off 64 balls from number four to get them up to 187-9 off 35 overs.

In reply Hatherleigh skipper Chloe Rose again top scored from the top with 59 before falling as the first of Poppy Tucker-Hart's 2-20. The Tucker-Harts accounted for four of the wickets as Siri mopped up the middle-order with 2-8 off five overs too. Hatherleigh 143-7 when their overs were up meaning they lost by 44 runs and Plymouth stay with them in Division 1 next season.

Plympton won by 10 runs v North Devon but still go down. Captain Stephanie Hutchins was the highest scorer with 51*, Regina Lilii again taking 2-fer, as did Rebecca Savory, 175-6 the first innings total.

Lilii top scored in the North Devon innings again with 86, pushing her higher atop the top runscorers for the whole league, but noone else could support her with more than 23. Plympton’s first three bowlers did all the damage; Emily Geach (3-22), Bella Greenwood (4-19) and Hutchins (2-24) had North Devon 165-9 for Plympton to win by 10 runs.

Cornwood inserted Paignton who worked hard for their 142-8 off 35 overs, Ella Gill and skipper Charlotte Massey making 39 and 41 respectively. Olivia Gibson’s 3-10 off six overs the bowling best.

In reply only Gemma Lancaster and Kat Frost made double figures, 2-fers for Gill, Nancy Gilpin and Isabel Smith seeing Paignton 100 all out to lose by 42 runs.

Division Two

Taunton Deane CC have secured promotion to Division 1.

Exmouth chose to bat but ball dominated as they made only 149 all out as Charlotte Taylor took 3-19 off her four overs. Ali West earnt the top score in the match with 36 in Clyst St George’s reply, but none of their batters could score at even a strike-rate of more than 71, so they ran out of balls, all out for 120 off the last to lose by 29 runs. Sharon Dawkins had 3-31 with ball in hand.

The only other Division 2 game saw a much more batting-favourable match at Topsham’s rented University home in the Exeter Derby vs Exeter 2s. Clare Pym and Rosie Miller’s 111-run partnership was the best of the match until Nelson struck. Four ducks in a row for Topsham saw their middle-order fail, Iris Woodward earning 3-26 and Roxy Buckley 3-23.

Buckley had 30 at the top but it was regular 1s top scorer Grace Golsworthy with 98* that won the game for the away side, 38 extras helping too as Exeter chased it inside 30 overs.