Devon Cricket Board - B Division - Three fighting for two promotion spots

CHUDLEIGH have got the waft of promotion in their nostrils after dispatching Ivybridge by 44 runs at Kate Brook.

No one is actually promoted yet from the B Division as all the top four can make make it, in theory at least.

Ivybridge (248pts) need the equivalent of their lottery ticket coming up for them to get past Tavistock (253), Chudleigh (266) and leaders Lewdown (269).

Ivybridge’s trump card is that they play Lewdown, although it’s hard to see how they can get the points swing needed by beating a side that has only lost twice all season.

Chudleigh go to Barnstaple & Pilton, whose win over Alphington last Saturday means they are safe from the drop.

Nine points will do it for Chudleigh and the only way that’s guaranteed is to win at Taw Meadow.

Tavistock’s final appointment is with Shobrooke Park, who are also in the clear now thanks to a 205-run demolition job on South Devon.

Sean Day hit a top score of 88 not out from 67 balls for Chudleig as they hoisted 204 for five. Ed Foreman made 29 before Day went in.

Day anchored the rest of the innings, putting on 59 with Scott Schaw (35) and 29 with Rob Clarke.

Harry Soloman and Kelvin Trent bagged two wickets each.

Ivybridge got bogged down early by Jon Martin (2-29), Ben Holmes (1-34) and Day (2-20), and struggled some more when Clarke (2-25) came into the attack.

Ivybridge were so far behind the run rate with 10 overs left that losing four wickets for 16 runs going from 109 for three to 125 for seven made little difference.

Chris Greenhouse (21no) and Peter Abraham (2no) batted out the last three overs in a total of 139 for nine.

ALPHINGTON have one last chance to get it right against Thorverton this Saturday after a 24-run defeat at Barnstaple left them hanging on by a thread in the B Division.

In the dog-fight at the bottom of the B Division table it’s all over for South Devon, but far from it for Stoke Gabriel and Alphington.

Stoke are deadlocked with Alphington on 167 points. They are the only two teams left who can be relegated.

Stoke have one more win than the Alphas which will save them in the event of a dead heat.

The north Devon side totalled 207 for eight in their 45 overs – Tom Popham making 70 – then shot out Alphington for 183 in reply.

“I don’t know how we managed to lose, other than we didn’t apply ourselves,” said Shaw.

“Barnstaple are a decent enough bowling side, but we didn’t bat well against them.

“Lee Rowe and myself showed how it could be done at the end, but there was too much to do by then.

“If we don’t do better against Thorverton then what will be will be as I can’t see Stoke losing to South Devon.”

Popham and Henry McEndoo (39) shared in B&P’s only half-century stand.

Dinesh Raheja (35) top scored for Alphington with Rowe (30) and Shaw (19) next best.

Jack Popham had three for 19 and Steve Moore two for 15 as B& kept the brake well and truly on.

SHOBROOKE Park were involved in something of a non-event at South Devon, where openers Cliff Dare and Chris Ford smashed a 23-year-old batting record.

Dare smashed 155 not out and skipper Ford was unbeaten on 132 in a total of 319 without loss.

South Devon long ago resigned themselves to relegation from the B Division and only had nine players on parade!

Dare and Ford comfortably broke the first-wicket partnership record of 243 set way back in 1990 by Brixham pair Andy Pugh and Darren Simmons against Roborough.

Shobrooke Park’s total wasn’t a record, but is up there with the best of them.

Plymstock (339-3 v Kingsbridge, 2009) hold the record ahead of Exeter St James (329 v Shobrooke, 2006) with Shobrooke now third themselves.

South Devon were all out for 114 in reply, losing the match by 205 runs.

Kalen Warne made 27 not out, Tom Carne 21 and James Allen (21).

James Bevan took five for 28.

Shobrooke Park are now safe from any threat of relegation and can look forward to a stress-free game with Tavistock this Saturday.

“We were almost there before we went to South Devon and, not being funny, I was hoping we would wrap it up there before we played Tavvy,” said Ford.

“I felt a bit sorry for them as they clearly have problems down there, but I am sure they will sort themselves out over the next year or two.”

Ford said he must be 15 years at least since he last scored a league ton – and possibly longer.

“I can’t remember it and it was only a stroke of luck that I got one against South Devon,” said Ford.

“Jon James usually opens for us, but he was carrying an injury so I moved myself up the order.”

Ford can’t be sure when he made his last league ton, but one thing he is definite about is that this Saturday’s game will be his last as captain.

“I totted it up recently and have done 14 years, which is enough for any man,” said Ford, who stepped back into the job halfway through the current season when Justin Dollow resigned.

THORVERTON won’t be going down this season, but look like having a say in who does.

Thors may have lost by 60 runs at Tavistock last Saturday, but results elsewhere mean they can’t finish in the bottom two.

Among the teams vying to dodge relegation are Alphington, who visit Station Road this Saturday.

The Alphas need to get one more point from the game than Stoke Gabriel take off ailing South Devon, otherwise it is curtains for them.

Thorverton came off second-best by a distance at Tavistock, where the home side totalled 216 for eight. There were three wickets for Kobio Francis-Griggs and two more for captain James Hope.

Spinner Shaun Daymond then took five wickets for 40 runs as Thorverton were dismissed for 156.

Francis-Griggs top scored with 75 and Dave Baldock added 31, which does not leave a lot from the rest.

STOKE Gabriel will be praying South Devon’s fortunes don’t improve this Saturday as they have to beat them to stay up.

In the dog fight at the bottom of the B Division table it’s all over for South Devon, but far from it for Stoke Gabriel and Alphington.

Stoke are deadlocked with Alphington on 167 points. They are the only two teams left who can be relegated.

Stoke have one more win than the Alphas which will save them in the event of a dead heat.

Stoke were on the wrong end of a 78-run reversal at Lewdown, for whom Marco Marais thumped 106. It was Marais’s seventh ton of the season and takes him to 1298 runs with one game to go.

Jack Tolley bagged three for 60 and Ian Coulton got his left-arm spin out to take three for 33.

Stoke were all out for 142 in reply with just two scores of note. Seb Ansley made 43 and skipper Josh Dowling 20. They were 78 for six before Ansley dug in.

There were three wickets each for Marais and Phil Yeo and two for Dave Ball.