Devon Cricket Board - Hartslief ton makes all difference to Plympton

WES Hartslief battered a century and Craig Donohue had a career-best bowling performance as Plympton defeated Chudleigh in a rain-affected game to go top of the A Division.
Promotion rivals Paignton and Bradninch were rained off against Barton and Budleigh Salterton respectively, paving the way for Plympton to move past them into top spot.
Chudleigh, winless at the bottom of the table, simply didn’t have the bowling to contain a rampant Plympton.
Although opener Andy Walter went cheaply – lbw to Ben Holmes – by the time South African Hartslief went in at 127 for three the Chudleigh bowlers had struggled for breakthroughs.
Ollie Mulbery made 32, Dan Robotham a patient 49 off 100 balls and Josh Mailling was on 27 not out.
Hartslief tucked into the bowling like a glutton on all-you-can eat night in the curry house!
He smashed 12 sixes and three fours on the way to 113 in just 44 balls. That’s going some.
Mailling and Hartslief racked up 98 for the fourth wicket in eight overs before Maillng was run out for 53.
James Carr (13) kept an end going while Hartslief whacked a few more in a stand of 40, added in just 14 balls.
Only Sachintha Galhenage of the Chudleigh bowlers went for less than three an over. The less said about the rest the better.
Chudleigh’s target came down to 187 after a rain break, which put them back in a game that appeared to have escaped them.
There was little chance of Chudleigh keeping going long enough to knock off 298 to win, but 187 in 30 overs was on if they rode their luck.
And at 107 for one with nine over to go – Derek Perry (54) and Matt Heather (46) the not out batsman – an unlikely victory was possible.
Enter Donohue to rip the heart out of the Chudleigh order.
Donohue started with Perry, followed up with Heather then had South African Galhenage four balls later.
Rob Clarke went lbw first ball to Donohue, Ed Foreman lasted two, and the rout continued with Faisal Khaliq and mark Solway going in successive balls.
Donohue finished with six for 26 – he had never taken more than four wickets in an innings before – as Chudleigh slowed to 151 for eight.
Skipper Carr said: “Top of the league at halfway – you can't ask for more as a captain.
“Wes batted brilliantly - best hitting I have ever seen - and Craig bowled fantastically.”
Carr admitted he has been worried about the weather intervening, which was why he decided not to declare and go for the extra two points on offer.
“Our run rate was good, but Chudleigh would have only needed to get 150 off 30 and we would have lost.
“After we scored 300 they were out of the match, but 187 off 30 put them back in as it only takes one lad to come off.”
Carr said he felt it wouldn’t be long before Chudleigh won a game as they looked better than a bottom-of-the table side.
Opposite number Ed Foreman was heartened by those words, which re-inforced his own views.
“I am grateful for James' respect for us, even if it did cost us a better chance of winning,” said Foreman.
“A lot of other captains would have declared but James was clever enough to foresee the bad weather and shortened second innings so batted on.
“If he had declared then we may only have been chasing 140 instead of 180 and probably would have got them.
“We are a far better side than out league position suggests. We could have won four or five games this year and would be mid-table.
“Against Plympton were a bowler, Will Heather, light which cost us.
He will return next week and there will be other selection headaches too with availability improving.
“I am looking forward to building on a good top order batting performance against Brixham this week.”

LEWDOWN appear to have a relegation fight on their hands after going down by 58 runs at Hatherleigh.
The Moorlanders have slipped to one-off the bottom of the table as Hatherlekgh went past them on the back their win.
Having marched up the division three times in the last four seasons, Lewdown now face a test of character they haven’t had before.
Skipper Harry Geering accepts there is room for improvement, but added it would only take a couple of wins to transform Lewdown’s prospects in a division where just 32 points separate second bottom from second top.
And Geering said it was hard to read too much into the defeat by Hatherleigh in conditions that deteriorated after a break for rain.
“Winning the toss was the worst thing that happened,” said Geering.
“After the rain their last 10 overs and our first 15 were on a minefield of a wicket - the worst I have played on.
“The first three wickets were all gloved off a length, that shows how bad it was.
“Even so we need to improve all round – batting bowling and fielding.
“But anything can happen in this division as it is so close.”
Hatherleigh made 209 for seven with Chris Jelly top scoring on 43.
Dan Forrester (28) and Jack Cherrington (35) gave Hatherleigh a 62-run start, then Jelley dominated a stand of 55 with Forrester for the second wicket.
Further runs from C Schwarz (24) and Mark Lake (23no) kept the board ticking over.
Pick of the bowlers with three for 41 was Gary Sizmur, although Marco Marias and Tallon Burns both kept it tight.
Lewdown never recovered from the start Geering was so agitated about, Sean Letheren (4-30) and Jelly taking the wickets that had them eight for four midway through the third over.
Marais made 62 before he was sixth out at 86; then it became a war of attrition.
Lake with three for 22 picked off most of the stragglers as Lewdown slipped to 151 all out.
Delighted skipper Lake said: “It was a very good win having batted really well on a wet wicket.
“Marais was a class apart, but once we had them 10 for four, then when he was out, the game was over! They didn't offer much with the bat.
“A good all-round performance from us and we now look forward to Paignton.”