Devon Cricket Board - B Division - Barnstaple win again + Manning hits out

BARNSTAPLE & Pilton head for Thorverton on Saturday looking to make it three wins on the reel after overcoming Stoke Gabriel by five wickets.
Stoke’s total of 126 all out always looked on the low side and so it turned out as B&P knocked it off with five overs to go.
Josh Dowling (36) and Dave Bolland (21) had the only scores of note for Stoke, who were bowled out by James Thomas (3-28), Jack Popham ((2-30) and Henry McEndoo (2-21).
Popham (22) and Brady Saunders (21) laid B&P’s foundations before Bolland (3-15) bowled Stoke back into the game.
Lee Cole’s 26 not out saw B&P over the line.
Stoke are at home to Ivybridge this Saturday and need a win to stop the bottom of the table rushing up to meet them.
Skipper Josh Dowling said Stoke are doing some of the right things, but not enough of them.
“Despite losing another coin toss and batting on a sticky wicket, this time we finally laid a platform by being 80 for two with 16 overs to go,” said Dowling.
“But we failed to go on and post a match -inning score.
“Mark Newman received a full-toss and spent the day in Barnstsple A&E, unfortunately he has broken a thumb and will miss a few weeks.
“Again we fought it out but fielding with 10 made things very tough and Barnstaple passed us with 4 overs to go.
“Enough is enough and this week we need to get the win against Ivybridge.
“They have had some positive results so we are expecting a hard fought game.”
THORVERTON are set to bring in reinforcements this Saturday for the home game against Barnstaple & Pilton after suffering a second defeat in three outings.
Thors were on the wrong end of a 155-run drubbing at Chudlegh.
Thorverton skipper James Hope has signed former Devon opening bowler Matt Webb – he was with Budleigh Salterton regularly until three years ago – which will liven up Thorverton’s attack.
Webb, 34 later this year, was educated at Millfield School and played for Braunton, Kent 2nd XI, North Devon, Sidmouth and Budleigh before taking a break from the game.
Skipper Hope isn’t saying much about the defeat by Chudleigh, which drops Thorverton into the bottom half of the table.
“We were outplayed by Chudleigh and have lots to work on for this weekend,” said Hope.
Chudleigh cruised to 244 for nine in their 50 overs with Mark Solway making a top score of 60 not out.
After Matt Heather (44) and Ed Foreman (40) put on 72 at the top of the order, Solway and Rob Clarke (33) added another 97 for the seventh wicket.
Luke Boyadjian and Will Denford had two wickets each for Thorverton, who were promptly skittled out for 89 in reply by a combination of Sean Day (3-13), Jack Vittles (3-13) and Clarke (2-19),
Nick Barton (21no) was the nominal top scorer with Paul Fielder (20) not far behind and Dave Baldock (17) the next best.
Chudlegh have the eagerly awaited derby clash with South Devon this Saturday, when skipper Jon Martin is looking for more of the same.
“I have been bitching about our batting for a couple of weeks, but against Thorverton we got it right,” said Martin.
“Having shown they can do it, the batsmen have no excuse for not doing it again now.”
ALPHINGTON make the short trip to Shobrooke Park on Saturday looking to bounce back from a 103-run drubbing by Lewdown.
Alphas skipper Stuart Shaw remains convinced his side beat themselves against Lewdown and isn’t reading too much into the result.
While recognising his own side’s shortcomings, Shaw doubts current leaders Lewdown will be at the top of the pile at the end of the season.
“I have been around a long time at this level and seen teams come and go,” said Shaw.
“Lewdown have plenty to say for themselves, but I can’t see them being where they are now at the end of the season.
“We lost because we batted appallingly. We were guilty of poor shot selection and got ourselves out.
“We do need a couple of batters and there may be some news on that shortly.”
Antoni Weeks top scored for Lewdown with 68 and there were heloing hands from Gary Sizmur (29) and Mark Jordan (34) in a total of 210 for six.
Paul James bowled nine overs forr 20 runs to bottle Lewdown up at one end.
Alphington were all out for 107 in reply – Jordan (4-22) and Charlie Hughes (2-26) doing the damage.
Dave Haysom (21) got early runs before Alphinton went into decline from 42 for one onwards.
Shobrooke Park are off the mark fort the season after easing to a five-wicket win at Ivybridge.
Ivybridge were held to 193 for nine in their 45 overs with Ben Trennaman (3-33), skipper Justin Dollow (3-25) and C Simpson (1-23) all bowling mean nine-over stints.
Kevin Jacobs top scored for Ivybridge on 65.
Shobrooke endured a shaky start that saw openers Matt Blakeney and Chris Ford removed by Jamie Bullock (3-32) by the end of the fourth over.
Dollow (43) and Richard Pyle (260 put on 60 for the fourth wicket, then Simpson (43) and Phil Anning with 37 not out saw the chase through.
THINGS can only get better for South Devon in the derby date at home to Chudleigh after the 229-run pounding they suffered at Tavistock.
Tavistock posted 327 for six declared – Dave Manning clubbing 119 and Shaun Cleave 91 – then skittled South Devon for 98 in reply.
Defeat drops South Devon into the bottom two as Shobrooke Park went past them by winning at Ivybridge.
Manning made it a day to remember for all the wrong reasons with a devastating display of hitting in a stand of 196 with Cleave.
Manning’s 50 came off 38 balls, his ton off 57 and he was only there for 68 balls in total. When you hit 10 sixes and six fours, the runs soon stack up.
Dave Knowles (2-49) and Richard Beaumont (2-47) ddn’t suffer too badly. Henry Burningham went for 63 in four overs at the height of the carnage.
Tim Muller (4-9) soon got into South Devon’s early order and despite Beaumont (30) and Burningham (29) making a few there was never any prospect of a comeback.