ABBOTSKERSWELL dipped to a second successive defeat in the C Division West, this time at the hands of Plymouth 2nd XI.

Three wickets each for Sam Burns and Freddie Lown helped Plymouth keep Abbots to 231 all out with 14 balls unused.

A consistent effort with the bat from two down – opener Jon Kerridge was given out lbw first ball – got Plymouth over the line with more than three overs to go.

Victory took the city side past Cornwood, who were eight-wicket losers away to Paignton 2nd XI.

Abbots’ skipper Toby Codd, in at 17 for one helped his side to 115 for three with back-up from Tom Heath (42) and a smattering of extras. Heath and Charlie Hill with 45 off 44 kept Abbots going.

Burns (3-52) dealt with Heath on 178 for five; Lown (3-33) sent back Hill seven runs later.

Andy Birkett – up to 480 league runs for the season – and Aziz Rahmanzai made 36 and (41) respectively to get Plymouth out of the blocks.

Tom Hughes, in at 99 for two, took Plymouth the rest of the way to a five-wicket win with an unbeaten 52. George Toms (21) and Evan Burke (41) were Hughes’ running mates.

Meanwhile, Ipplepen are starting to look out of place at this level, maintaining their stranglehold on top spot after routing Brixham by seven wickets.

Opener Toby Holroyd belted a quickfire century to put Pens out of sight.

No one has beaten Ipplepen in 10 completed games this season, which is why they are 37 points clear of second-placed Kingsbridge at the top. In a division with only one promotion place, the rest of the chasers can probably forget it!

If Ipplepen’s seven-wicket margin wasn’t impressive enough, chasing 198 to win in 27.3 overs certainly was! That’s some going.