BOVEY Tracey are up to second in the A Division table thanks to a seven-wicket win over bottom side Barton.

Hatherleigh (89pts) were second behind leaders Tavistock (118) going into round eight but were rained off against Bridestowe & Belstone, which cost points that allowed Bovey (96) to slip past them.

Devon spinner Will Christophers twirled away for a five-wicket return as Bovey bowled out Barton for 112. Skipper Seb Ansley and Gethin Williams pocketed two wickets each.

Tinashe Kamunhukamwe (25) top scored with the bat on his Barton debut, although extras (29) contributed a handful more.

Bovey Tracey lost wickets at eight, 34 and finally 77 during a largely routine run chase. Slade van Staden (61) and Tom Andrew (21) were the not-out batters at the end.

Cole Harford (2-38) helped Barton to a bowling bonus point.

Seb Ansley, the Bovey skipper, said he could not have asked for much more from the team. “It was exactly what was asked for during preparations for the game,” said Ansley.

“First, a clinical display to bowl them out for that total on what, to be fair, was a variable pitch.

“Will Christophers produced a great spell after being brought on to get danger man Kamunhukamwe – and Gethin Williams bowled with control in the middle to get his rewards.

“Then, knocking it off for only a few wickets down was the icing on the cake.”

Stephen Lewis, the Barton captain, said although ground conditions made it ‘a bad toss to lose’ there was more to the outcome than the flip of a coin.

“We have a big problem that, when a bowler is bowling well, we allow them to profit too much,” said Lewis.

“A better team outplayed us in every department. It was another sharp lesson that we must learn from very quickly.”