Devon Cricket Board - Exeter out of bottom two at Plympton's expense

Exeter out of bottom two at Plympton's expense

George Greenway, who set Exeter on the road to victory against Plympton

EXETER were given a real run for their money before emerging from the basement battle at Harewood House with a three-wicket win.
Plympton were bottom going into the game and Exeter were one place ahead of them.
An Exeter win lifts them ahead of Plymouth and out of the bottom two. Plympton remain where they were,
Plympton’s decision to bat first produced a total of 209 for eight – Josh Mailling returning from Devon duty against Wales to make a top score of 54.
Mailing and Tom Johnson (44) put on 65 for the first wicket before Exeter made a breakthrough.
Mailling saw Duncan Hefford and Dan Robotham go cheaply to Peter Hensor (2-17) before he was fourth out at 138 with eight overs to go.
Having started brightly, Plympton had slowed up against Hensor, Zak Bess and Tom Viljoen and were running out of time to build a total,
David Wrench (45) and Ollie Mulberry (35) put on 59, which got Plympton past 200 and left the bowlers a target to try defending.
Exeter got over the line with 11 balls and three wickets to spare having been tested to the full.
Batting time was the best policy, which Exeter achieved almost across the board.
Lorenzo Machado (36), Tom Richardson (39) and Sean Morris (26), got Exeter to 138 for five with 12 overs to go.
Mailling (3-40) was Plympton’s main wicket-taker during that phase of the game.
The winning stand was one of 46 between George Greenway (25) and Tom Viljoen (32no) for the seventh wicket.
James Carr got Greenway out, but the target was 19 in five overs then, which Viljoen and Peter Hensor knocked off without any major dramas.
Jon Tipper, who was standing in for absent skipper Miles Lenygon, said Exeter could have played a lot better but winning was the only thing that mattered.
“We were awful in the field – lethargic and that could have cost us,” said Tipper.
“Our bowling was tight at times – Zak Bess and Pete Hensor in particular – but we didn’t back them up.
“Any total over 200 was around 50 too many and I was worried we might have put ourselves under pressure.
“Then we lost three wickets playing big shots when staying around was what was needed on that wicket.
“It could have gone wrong on us at the end, but George Greenway and Tom Viljoen batted superbly and showed real fight.”

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