Chudleigh edge out Abbotskerwell in the dying embers

CHUDLEIGH defeated Abbotskerswell by two wickets with just three balls remaining in their C West derby duel at Kate Brook.

Brayden Notman top scored with 56 for Abbots to pass 400 league runs for the season in a team tally of 82 all out. Jay Hussain made 26 before Notman got in; Aron Owen added 39 after he had gone.

Mark Halse (2-24) and Luke Quaintance (1-21) were Chudleigh’s gold-star bowlers.

When Chudleigh were 129 for two – Mark Russell (41) and Nick Halse (35) in the thick of it – they looked well on their way.

Charlie Hill (-27) and Hussain (2-27) bowled Abbots back into contention. Bits and pieces – and 41 extras – got the job done.

SOUTH Devon won for the first time this season when they defeated Paignton 2nd XI by four wickets.

Victory came too late to save South Devon from relegation but did spare them the embarrassment of going a third league season without a win. That happened before in 2012 and again in 2013.

South Devon were reminded how much they have missed the injured Jonny Martin this season as his four-for-16 from nine overs helped skittle Paignton for 109. James Hart’s two for 16 helped.

Other than Arthur Ray with 47, the Paignton batting failed to fire.

South Devon had to sidestep outbreaks of wicket-taking from Matt Lipton (2-28) and George Woodcock (2-21) before clinching that elusive win.

Mark Andrews opened with 29 and captain Jack Allen was there on 36 not out at the close.

BOVEY Tracey skipper Seb Ansley slammed an unbeaten century to turn a likely loss against Premier-bound North Devon into a one-wicket defeat.

Bovey were 114 for seven in reply to North Devon’s 50-over total of 261 for nine when Ansley embarked on a match turning partnership of 59 with Chris Yabsley. Jake Pascoe (37) and Reuben Stanley (30) had been and gone by then.

Jack Popham had three Bovey wickets in the book at that stage; skipper Jack Moore had two.

Ansley went on to make 113 not out from 87 balls – 11 fours, five sixes – to take Bovey to victory with four balls left in the match. The winning hit was a six off North Devon’s Definate Mawadzi.

“Looked a tough chase but saw no real qualms in the wicket and Jake and Reuben made a great start,” said Ansley.

“When I went in, we still had plenty of runs left on the balcony so anything could happen, just bat to the 50.

“It never really felt squeaky bum time until Kay was bowled and all I could do was stand at the other end and watch. No fear. Ollie Clifford-Bourne has already been part of the close one against Thorverton, so he knew what to do.”

Opposite number Moore had top scored for North Devon with 44, next best was Tom Popham’s 30. A clutch of batters got into the 20s – Nav Vanderbona, Reuben Windlay and Jay Rothery – and not any further.

Clifford-Bourne (3-31) cut short Windlay and Rothery’s time in the middle. Yabsley and Peter Bradley took two wickets each.

BOVEY Tracey’s 2nd XI’s slender chance of avoiding relegation from the B Division finally ended when they lost a one-wicket nail-biter at Braunton.

Bovey needed Clyst St George to lose against Barton as well as beating Barton to stay in the fight. Clyst kept their side of the bargain: Bovey didn’t.

Skipper Dan Green top scored for Bovey with 32 in their all-out total of 175. Ryan Jones (20) and Joe Forey (28) had been and gone by the time the captain went in. Freddie Harvey was the last man out for 21.

Dan Brierley was the bowling star for Braunton with six for 40 on his comeback after a lay-off. Jon Baglow had three more wickets in what was his final game before retiring.

Not for the first time this season Braunton owed a debt of gratitude to Theo Valeri for steering them home. His 86 batting first wicket down took them from 18 for one to 175 for eight.

Gethin Williams (3-34), Harry Pitman (3-26) and Jack Ansley (3-33) posed problems 22 yard away from Valeri, but Ian Roberts (22) nibbled away at the deficit in a stand of 85 with him.

Brierley and last man Luan Matthews de Menezes saw it through.

TEIGNMOUTH & Shaldon are on course for a third-place finish in the C Division East after edging out Upottery by 10 runs.

Teignmouth & Shaldon need to beat Sidmouth 2nd XI this Saturday to render the result of Heathcoat’s meeting with doomed Exmouth irrelevant.

The top four produced the goods for Teignmouth & Shaldon in a big way. Opener Ross Jameson (58) put on 65 with Harrison Linnitt (32), then 78 more with Josh Couch.

Couch (75) and Todd Ballman (34) between them got the score up to 222 for four.

Newcomer Oscar McCallum, one of T&S’s success stories this season since arriving from Cherwell League cricket in Oxfordshire, made a valuable 23 not out at the end in a taly of 257 for six.

Connor McCoy (3-33) took the bowling pat on the back for Upottery. Andrew Pulman probably needed an arm around the shoulder after going 64 for none in seven.

Upottery were all out for 247 with exactly one over to go. Losing three wickets getting from 224 for six to 228 for nine was a killer after Jack Larcombe (43), James Mitcham (48) and Andrew Pulman (32) had batted them into contention.

ABBOTSKERSWELL 2nd XI’s flickering hopes of avoiding an immediate return to E Division cricket ended when they were nine-wicket losers against promoted Torquay & Kingskerswell 2nd XI.

Last season’s E West champions were bundled out for just 72 by Tobias Delahunty (5-1§3) and Dan Western (3-8). James Roberts (12) and Erik Gregersen (18) were the only batters to make more than eight.

Tim Western (38) and Ryan Hanauer (29) were the not-out batters when the winning runs were scored in the 11th over.