Devon Cricket Board - Lewis cracks maiden Premier ton

SiDMOUTH’S grip on the Premier Division title shows no signs of slipping after they mad e it five in a row by sending North Devon to a 93-run defeat.

Opener Liam Lewis hit an unbeaten 103 in a Sidmouth total of 279 for four. He hit seven fours and three sixes during a 146-minute stay.

Lewis shared stands of 115 with Matt Cooke (67), 54 with Anthony Griffiths (30) and 44 with Josh Bess (17). Peter Randerson crashed the bat at the end.

Spinners Max Curtis (10-0-40-0) and Rob Gear (19-0-38-1) had the leanest bowling figures for North Devon.

North Devon were up with the asking rate thanks to openers Barney Huxtable (51) and Jason Smith (73), who put on 109 in the first 18 overs.

Losing Smith to Will Murray (3-32) spared a collapse that saw five wickets go for 29 runs, and with them North Devon’s prospects.

Lewis picked off Dan Bowser then Huxtable as it all turned sour for North Devon. Murray, Cooke (2-12) and Charlie Miles (2-5) chivvied North Devon along to 186 all out.

Sidmouth remain six points clear at the top from Bovey.

North Devon are now bottom as Budleigh Salterton earned more bonus points losing to Plymouth than Matt Dart’s men got at Sidmouth.

Sidmouth skipper Matt Cooke said positive batting gave the bowlers the freedom to do their job.

“Matt Cooke got us off to a flying start and Pete Randerson finished with a great cameo,” said Murray.

“Liam batted wonderfully to carry his bat for a maiden Premier Division 100.

“Barney Huxtable and Jason Smith batted brilliantly for North Devon, who were right on course to chase the total down.

“Losing Smith slowed proceedings and we managed to squeeze North Devon and take wickets.”

CORNWOOD’S tough transition to life in the Premier Division continued when they lost by 26 runs to visiting Bradninch.

Bradninch were bowled out for 201 in the 45th of their 50 overs – Asif Raza and Adam Goodliffe taking four wickets each.

The key knocks for Bradninch were one of 54 by Jackson Thompson – he was second out on 83 to Goodliffe – and a stand 48 between Matt Jarrett (31) and James Street (26) for the sixth wicket.

Goodliffe (4-48) had reduced Bradninch to 128 for five before Street and Jarrett got to work.

The Corns were two for one in reply with openers Chris Parker and Ryan Rickard back in the pavilion without a run between them.

Ross Acton wreaked havoc in Cornwood’s early order, only Mark Horwell (69) resisted, and when the Corns were 53 or seven he had taken all seven.

Elliot Staddon (48) more than put up a fight in an eighth-wicket stand of 101 with Horwell, which got Cornwood back in the game.

Paul Nott claimed Staddon and Goodliffe lbw one after the other, and last man Andy Bees succumbed to Will Squire with the score on 175.

That’s four defeats on the spin now for Cornwood, who are one place and three points ahead of Budleigh Salterton in the second relegation place.

This Saturday’s game against Torquay, the team immediately above them, is a must-win affair for Cornwood.

Sidelined skipper Craig Harris, whose dislocated shoulder could keep him out for a month, said the disappointing thing for him was to lose a game which was definitely winnable.

“Ross Acton bowled really well, but apart from him Bradninch didn’t have a bowler to worry us too much,” said Harris.

“To get to 175 from 53 for seven says it all, really. That was a tremendous fightback by Mark and Elliot and had we had wickets in hand we could easily have won.

“A couple of decisions didn’t go our way – that’s cricket – and you can’t do much about that.

“We need to bat in partnerships and value our wickets and that we aren’t doing.”

“The 26 extras we gave away is something we can work on as when you look at the final score they made a difference.”

DAMIAN Bourke hit an undefeated century as Bovey Tracey trounced Torquay by nine wickets in the Francis Clark Devon League Premier Division, writes Conrad Sutcliffe.

Torquay's total of 211 all out with an over to go always looked a little under par for the conditions.

Plenty of batters got in, got settled and got out again with no one going on to make more than opener Tim Western's 39.

The best stand of the innings was one between eighth-wicket pair Joe Thompson (36no) and Nick Watkin (30) that pushed the score up to 209.

Ryan Bougourd marked his return to the first-team arena with four Torquay wickets for 34 runs.

Peter Bradley (30) and Bourke got Bovey away to a 73-run start and even then the writing was on the wall.

Bourke went on to make 104 off 129 balls with 80 coming in boundaries while Andy Fairbairn finished undefeated on 68.

Dan Wightman (1-39) took the only wicket to fall.

Victory leaves Bovey Tracey second in the table, six points behind leaders Sidmouth.

Without a five-point deduction for fielding an unregistered player against North Devon last Saturday, Bovey would be even closer.

Torquay are two places and eight points clear of the second relegation slot, currently occupied by Budleigh Salterton.