After a week of rain, it was fitting that the beautiful weather that has defined this season returned at Cornwood for the Devon Women's Softball League Final.
With over 95% of all games played in the division, the final four games of the season would see the winners crowned league Champions for 2026.
"Three out of the four teams to reach the final were new teams to get this far, so it was really good to see new teams coming through the divisions and providing new competition in the game," said Ann-Marie Presswell, Women & Girls' Development Officer for the Devon Cricket Foundation.
Semi-Finals
The semi-finals started at 10am.
| Semi-Final 1 | |||
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Bovey Tracey 77/3 |
Cullompton 113/3 |
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| Cullompton win by 36 runs | |||
With minimal extras, on-point fielding and the first boundary 6 scored for the day, Cullompton won their game to secure a place in the Final.
| Semi-Final 2 | |||
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Bridestowe & Belstone 111/3 |
Paignton 79/6 |
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| Bridestowe & Belstone win by 47 runs | |||
Winning the toss and fielding first, Paignton managed to restrict the early batters to low totals, but with the last two Bridestowe & Belstone pairs putting on 58 runs between them, the chase was too great, especially when Paignton lost regular wickets throughout their innings.
3rd/4th Placed Play-Off
Fuelled by the marvellous hospitality of Cornwood Cricket Club, Paignton and Bovey Tracey took to the field in the 3rd/4th play-off, while Cullompton and Bridestowe & Belstone played to see who would lift the trophy.
| 3rd/4th Placed Play-off | |||
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Paignton 111/4 |
Bovey Tracey 84/3 |
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| Paignton win by 22 runs | |||
The 3rd/4th play off was a repeat of the qualifying round, where Bovey Tracey had beaten Paignton by 5 runs. It was set to be a close game. Played with such a friendly competitiveness, Paignton won the toss and bowled first, with Bovey scoring 269 off their 16 overs.
Coming in to bat, Paignton were secure in the job they needed to do. By the time the third pair came in, Paignton were nearly at the required total and as the last pair, sisters Sarah and Steph Kaczalska went in, Paignton were ahead. Steady scoring took Paignton to a secure victory and 3rd place in the county.
Final
| Final | |||
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Cullompton 94/5 |
Bridestowe & Belstone 116/3 |
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| Bridestowe & Belstone win by 32 runs | |||
Losing the toss, Bridestowe & Belstone were put into bat. Once again, it was the last two batting pairs that did the damage, with 3 of the 4 batters having strike rates of over 100. Kim McGrattan scored 33 off 21 balls (4 fours and 2 sixes). With a score of 301 to beat, Cullompton went into bat.
Bridestowe kept all the Cullompton batters to single figures, with only Jess Phillips making double figures with 24 off 12 balls.
As the game drew to a conclusion, it looked more and more difficult for Cullompton to make the required total.
Congratulations to Bridestowe & Belstone, who are Champions of the Devon Women's Cricket League 2026!
"It has been a great season and a fantastic Finals Day with everything we need to make good games of cricket: wickets, boundaries and catches! We couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to the season,' said Ann-Marie.
At the conclusion of the games, there was a presentation where the Division winners received their certificates, and the batter and bowler of the season were also awarded.
| Batter | Kim McGrattan | Bridestowe & Belstone | 240 net runs scored |
| Bowler | Gabby Le Maux | Exwick | 23 wickets taken |
Each division also votes for a team to receive the Fair Play Certificate for their division. These were as follows:
| Dartmoor Division |  |
Barnstaple & Pilton |
| Exe Division |  |
Chudleigh |
| Otter Division |  |
Culmstock |
| Riviera Division |  |
Barton |
| Tamar Division |  |
Plymstock |
| Tor Division |  |
Ashburton |
"The whole ethos and environment of women's cricket is that it can still be supportive and friendly as well as being competitive, and I love that about the game," said Ann-Marie.
"The community that these players have created has given many women and girls the opportunity to play cricket over the summer. As we move into the winter months and the indoor league, I would like to thank all the managers and supporters of the game who make the softball community in Devon what it is. We genuinely couldn't do it without you!"
