TORQUAY & Kingskerswell have a promotion push at the top of their agenda after they spun Cullompton to an 86-run defeat
The Seasiders stay hard on the heels of North Devon at the top of the table, who are just two points ahead. Heathcoat are five points further back in third.
The season reaches the halfway stage this Saturday when Torquay & Kingskerswell are at home to lowly Thorverton.
Harry Passenger, the T&K captain, is happy with the way the season has panned out so far.
"We’re exactly where we want to be going into the second half of the season,” said the Devon all-rounder.
Cullompton top-end batting performed a vanishing act on the way to their fourth defeat of the season.
It appeared Cully had done the hard work by restricting the Seasiders to 177 all out. Perhaps not!
Cullompton slumped to 36 for six in reply and there was no way back after that sort of start.
Ed Smout-Cooper (23) made a few early on for T&K, but the important runs were those scored by skippers past and present Chris Kelmere (44) and Passenger (52). They put on 90 for the fifth wicket.
Once Kelmere was pried out by Tinashe Kamunhukamwe (2-13), Torquay & Kingskerswell lost their last five wickets for 22 runs.
“Jason Parr bowled exceptionally, but remained wicketless,” said Dan Kent, Cullompton’s post-match summariser.
“Paul Rendall (3-40), Nathan Vincent (2-18), and Harry Everett (2-49) got some reward for good bowling at different stages in the match.
Losing ex-Barton pro Kamunhukamwe to the first ball after tea was a setback Cully could have done without. A combination of Kazi Szymanksi (2-18), Ritesh Dabhade (2-13) and Harry Baxendale only made the situation worse.
A stubborn 29 from King, plus 10 more from Euan Tinley, were only double-digit scores off the bat in an all-out total of 91. Extras added 22.
Spin twins Baxendale (3-19) and Passenger (3-31) finished what Szymanski and Dabhade had started.
Said Passenger: “We probably could’ve made it easier for ourselves first half as there were a lot of soft dismissals in our batting innings.
“But we’re definitely in a good spot if the only moan is dropping two batting points.”
Kent had no trouble identifying where the game was won and lost.
“Torquay & Kingskerswell made it particularly difficult for us on a turning wicket,” said Kent. “Their total meant we were only one good partnership away, But credit where it's due: they denied us the opportunity to build one.”
