Devon Cricket Board - B Division: Lewdown can't shake off chasers

B DIVISION

IVYBRIDGE stay on the tail of Lewdown at the top of the table having eased home by 40 runs at Tavistock.

Jeewan deSilva made a top score of 67 in Ivybridge’s 216 for eight.

A stand of 70 between Josh Zimmerman (31) and Andy Johnson (39) put on 70 for the second wicket, then deSilva batted through for a total of 216 for eight.

Crucial to the outcome was a stand of 71 unbroken for the ninth wicket between de Silva and Paul Abraham (25no).

There were two wickets each for Travis Muller, Shaun Cleave and Tim Pope.

Dave Manning slammed an unbeaten 102 for Tavistock, which came off 98 balls and included 16 fours and a six, but no one else made more than 20.

The writing was on the wall at 19 for four after an early duffing up from Paul Veale (2-37) and Jamie Bullock (4-29).

Once Cleave (15) and Muller (20) went it was downhill all the way as Tavvy slumped to 176 all out, their last four wickets going for just three runs.

Ivybridge skipper said the bowlers probably only won the game because of that stand between de Silva and Abraham.

“It was an excellent performance in the field especially from opening bowlers Jimmy Bullock and Paul Veale.

“The ninth-wicket partnership between de silva and Pete Abraham gave us good momentum.

“Young George Thompson was excellent behind the stumps on very low wicket.”

SOUTH Devon are still searching for that first league win of the season after losing by 34 runs to Barnstaple & Pilton.

That’s 11 defeats on the spin for Jonty Parsons’ side, who didn’t win a match at all last season and haven’t tasted victory at all since the penultimate Saturday of the 2011 season.

Barnstaple & Pilton haven’t had a great season themselves – as a collapse from 50 for none to 64 for four then 87 for five proved.

The damage was largely done by spinner Jimmy Hart (4-22), aided and abetted by Richard Beaumont (2-24).

Jack Popham made 25 at the front end with identical scores from Steve Moore and Lee Cole lower down.

South Devon were in trouble as soon as they started the chase, slumping to 16 for four as James Thomas (5-41) tore into them.

Beaumont (27) and Dave Knowles (30) resisted during a stand of 50 and Ryan Maunder chipped in with 21.

But no one else delivered with the bat – 38 extras was top score - as Steve Moore (2-12) and Popham (2-20) shot South Devon down for 149.

ALPHINGTON skipper Stuart Shaw is hoping the 106-run win over Stoke Gabriel will be the kick-start his side needed.

Mike Shepherd’s 85 was the highlight of Alphington’s total of 258 for nine.

Shaw then took the bowling honours with four for 13 as Stoke were skittled out for 152.

The Alphas had only won once in the previous five starts and needed a victory to steer clear of the bottom two.

Shaw said he had never been too worried as Alphington had kept their standards up despite the lack of results.

“If we had been playing badly I might have been worried, but we were not,” said Shaw.

“I always felt a win wasn’t far away and once we got one under our belts other will follow.”

Shaw’s theory faces a stiff test this Saturday as his men are off to Lewdown, who are running away with it at the top of the table.

Mike Shepherd and Tom Bath pointed Alphington in the right direction with a stand of 50 for the second wicket.

Andy Shepherd (53_ then joined brother Mike to rack up another 90 before Paul James smashed 35 in a hurry at the end.

Jack Tolley (4-39) and Kris Davis (3-61) took bowling plaudits for Stoke Gabriel.

Stoke seemed in no trouble at 88 for two, which made their slide to 152 all out all the more puzzling.

Tolley made 76, but no one else could master the spin served up by Shaw, James (3-29) and Lee Rowe (2-34) as the Alphas wrapped it up.

DEPLETED Shobrooke Park lacked the bowling power to defend 178 all out at Chudleigh and went down by seven wickets with more than six overs to spare.

Skipper Chris Ford was without a sizeable chunk of his frontline attack as Phil Anning, Chris Simpson and Ben Trenaman were all out.

Although Mr Reliable Justin Dollow was tempted back to play after retiring mid-season, Shobrooke couldn’t juggle the bowling to get through.

Anning and Simpson should be back from foreign parts in time to face promotion candidates Ivybridge this Saturday, but Trenaman is on the long-term injury list.

Dollow with 49 off 68 balls top scored for Shobrooke with 49, putting on 48 for the second wicket with Dan Pyle ((30) and 56 for the third with Andrew Codking (34),

Only Richard Pyle after that made a double-figure score as Jon Martin (3-17), Rob Clarke (2-21) and Sean Day (2-26) polished off the bottom half of the order.

Four Shobrooke batters didn’t manage a run between them, the last four falling for just seven runs.

Ed Foreman (28) and Lance Ames, the former Exmouth, Budleigh and Exeter St James batsman, put on 33 before Foreman was caught in the slips

Matt Heather was in and out for two, leaving Chudleigh 36 for two in the tenth over. That was as good as it got.

Ames hung around at one end while Scott Schaw made 91 not out at the other off 88 balls – and by the time Ames was lbw to Andrew Codling for 37 the target was nine to win.

Thorverton, who play Chudleigh this Saturday at Station Road, were also struggling on the selection front for their meeting with leaders Lewdown.

Lewdown totted up 237 for seven in their 45 overs – Marco Marais (48) top scoring – them bowled Thorverton out for 184.

Without Graham White’s battling 85 it would have been a lot worse for Thorverton, who remain a bit too close for comfort to the drop zone.

Doomed South Devon probably can’t save themselves now as they are 69 points adrift at the bottom.

Stoke Gabriel sit in the second relegation place, just eight points in arrears of Thorverton.

Having been in the promotion mix for most of last season, Thors were hoping to go all the way this term.

Skipper James Hope said the problem has been one of selection continuity.

“Lack of player availability has hit us all year I'm afraid,” said Hope.

“If I had a pound for each time I've heard opponents say 'can't believe you're down the bottom of the league, you're a top side' I'd be a rich man.

“We had three young colts playing and I believe we can only take positives from the games against Lewdown home and away... apart from the results.”

For Lewdown it was another step along the road to promotion, although skipper Harry Geering still sees room for improvement.

“Our openers got us off to a fast start as did Marais.

“Barton bowled very well and dragged it back for Thorverton in the middle stages, then Jordan (40) and Witcher (30) put together a good partnership to ensure we got towards 200 before Yeo (34no) was able to come in for a quick cameo in the last five overs.

“We felt 235 was a winning total, but would have like 250.

“We bowled well but catches nearly cost us having dropped White twice.

All the bowlers stuck to the task well - Yeo (2-25), Marais (3-36), Ball (2-28), Jordan Hughes (2-33) and Sizmur -and it was a great performance against a team who are miles better than the table reads.”