ASHBURTON flashed a message to the rest of the B Division that they are not down and out just yet with a 37-run derby win over nearest neighbours Bovey Tracey 2nd XI.

The Ashes have been bottom of the table since week three and looking likely for an immediate return to the C Division West, which they left last August as champions.

Beating Bovey hasn’t done much for Ashburton’s prospects in the short term – they remain 29 points adrift at the bottom – but has lifted spirits at Varwell Field.

“There is still a lot of cricket to be played, and we'll continue to fight for every run, every wicket and every point between now and the end of the season,” said skipper Lloyd White.

Bovey still occupy a mid-table slot, but in a division notorious for ‘everyone beating everyone’ are only 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Ed Foreman, acting Bovey captain in the absence of Dan Green, said patchy selection is a headache for the team.

“We aren’t getting the filter down of first-team players due to poor availability, which is really impacting us as a club,” said Foreman.

“This is something we need to address as both sides are constantly having three or four changes each week. We haven’t been able to field a settled batting line up all season and this shows in our scores.”

Ashburton eventually reached 210 all out in the last of their 50 overs, which was a vast improvement on being 109 for nine!

Jack Warren (33) and Matt Churchill (21) made the only tangible scores for Ashburton as Freddie Harvey (3-40), Jack Ansley (2-34) and Sam Veal (2-33) ran through them.

Total collapse was staved off by last-wicket pair Charlie Towers (50) and Chris Yeo (43), whose stand of 101 frustrated Bovey over and over again.

“Their record-breaking 10th-wicket partnership – a new league and club record, I believe π– completely transformed the game and shifted all of the momentum back in our favour,” said White.

“I don’t think we did a lot wrong after putting ourselves in a really strong place, we just couldn’t get the last wicket,” offered Foreman.

It was a bizarre coincidence that Bovey found themselves in an identical position at 109 for nine after a roughing up from Chris McKee (3-31), Jack Brown (3-29) and a couple of others.

Ben Key (43) and Jack Ansley (27no), Bovey’s last pair, got as far as 173 before the returning McKee broke them up.

“We carried that momentum straight into our bowling and fielding, and the lads were exceptional in every department,” said White.

Elsewhere, C Division West strugglers South Devon are still waiting for that first win, losing by six wickets to Cornwood 2nd XI in their latest outing.

SDCC openers Jalal Ahmad (46) and Jack Allen (98) led the way to a total of 212 all out. Twenty-six extras helped on a day when no one else made more than nine.

Allen, standing in for the injured Jonny Martin as captain, hit 12 fours and four sixes.

Wickets were spread around with two each for Srivastava, Jason Hall, Goodliffe and caretaker captain Alex Robinson.

Other than losing Ewan Grewal and Ayaan Chatterjee cheaply during the chase, Cornwood had no dramas to bypass.

Goodliffe made 77 and Srivastava reached 75 not out when he hit Harry Ayling for four to win it in the 31st over. Noah Carlisle was 25 not out at the other end.

Defeat leaves South Devon one off the bottom of the table, where they are 24 points away from safety.