ASHBURTON Cricket Club’s 1st XI produced their finest performance of the season at home on Saturday, July 12 to defeat visitors Brixham.

After losing their season’s leading run scorer Steve Edmonds for 19, fellow opener George Yabsley steadied the ship with stand-in captain Matt Churchill before a mix-up saw Yabsley run out for 15. At 72-2 the game was in the balance.

Up stepped Nick Martin, who moved to Ashburton at the beginning of the season from Scotland. Although Churchill was caught two runs short of a half-century, Martin was virtually flawless in his 144, just giving one chance when he was on 15.

The dropped catch proved costly as Martin reached his first century for the club with one of his ten sixes.

His 144 was the second highest score by an Ashburton first XI player at home in the club’s history and the highest by a non-overseas player, going past club captain Lloyd White’s 138 against Newton St Cyres in 2016.

Despite posting 308, there was no room for complacency from Ashburton. After all, Brixham’s batting lineup is spearheaded by Mohammed Shaikh, the division leader.

Jack Warren, who has become one of Ashburton’s first-choice opening bowlers this season, rose to the challenge and produced a fine spell of swing bowling, taking the first six Brixham wickets to fall.

He nearly made it seven, with Shaikh edging twice through the slips in his first three balls. Shaikh then settled and went to yet another superb century (112), ably supported by Lee Upham (24), but Brixham were eventually all out for 214.

After the game Churchill, captaining in the absence of Lloyd White, said, “All eleven players contributed with runs, wickets or important catches and the innings from Nick and spell from Jack will be long remembered by everyone at the ground today.”

After the match, news filtered through that Ashburton seconds had beaten Brixham seconds.

Pictured are Warren (6-58) and Martin (144), celebrating their match-winning performances.