Devon Cricket Board - A Division - Piper contrite after Paignton defeat

BRADNINCH will want to repair the damage done by Paignton last time out when they welcome Chudleigh to Kensham Park.
Tim Piper’s men were top of the A Division table before heading to Queens Park, where they were routed by 156 runs.
Plympton (218pts) are the new leaders with Paignton (215) and Budleigh Salterton (209) between them and Bradninch (207).
With three games to go the promotion race remains wide open – and with Budleigh to play on the last day of the season Bradninch have everything to play for right to the end.
Paignton, possibly stung by reported comments by Piper that they were not Premiership material, biffed the Bradninch bowling to reach 317 for seven.
Openers Ollie Higgs (24) and Zubyar Hamza (78) put on 87 in the first 13 overs, which set the tone for Paignton’s innings.
When Hamza was third out at 143 – he hit 11 fours and two sixes – Richard Ashworth (72) and Chris Kelmere (37) got stuck in for a quick 60 stand.
Getting rid of Kelmere didn’t slow things as Ashworth batted on with Mickey Cousens and Rob Shergold (35) in stand of 40 and 58 respectively.
Will Squire got Ashworth out with an over to go to finish with figures of four for 62.
Only Squire and Paul Nott managed to limit Paignton to below five an over when they bowled.
Bradnich were all out for 173 in reply but knew they had lost it long before then.
Having subsided to 62 for four – Greg Maher making 28 – Bradninch needed something special from Piper, Jack Horton and Gian Botha to stay in the game.
Horton went for 33, Piper for 12 and although Botha (36) and Will Greig (18) did put on 56 they came together at 103 for six with the game gone.
Hamza rounded off an impressive game with four for 28, Shergold took three for 25 and there were two wickets for George Yates.
Bradninch skipper Piper took defeat on the chin and said he was partly to blame for a tactical cock-up.
“We were outplayed in all areas of the game and came up a long way short,” said Piper.
“Losing the toss on a pitch that was obviously going to get worse didn't help, but we were the worse team on the day.
“In general, our bowling plans weren't good enough and it cost us.
“A couple of positives to take were Jack Horton and Paul Nott's bowling as they did well to restrict when Paignton were well on top of us.
“Hamza looked class and took no real risks in a very attacking, opening knock that set the whole game up for them.
“Chasing 317 doesn't happen very often, but we went about it wrong.
“I've looked back at the scorecard and the batting order was all wrong and I hold my hands up for that.
It would've been nice to win and have a bit of breathing space, but it's still in our hands. Win the last three to go up.
“To do that, we will have to improve drastically from the standard we played this Saturday.”

CHUDLEIGH enhanced their survival prospects in the A Division with a 45-run win over fellow strugglers Lewdown, who just did enough

to stay out of the bottom two for another week.

But with just six points between Abbotskerswell (118pts), Chudleigh (123) and Lewdown (124) it is wide open which two will go and who will survive.

And Brixham (145pts) could yet get sucked into the equation as they have Abbots and Lewdown to play in the final three games. Crucially, Lewdown play Abbotskerswell this Saturday.

Chudleigh skipper Ed Foreman hit a maiden Devon League century in the home side’s total of 252 all out.

Foreman, who hit 21 four in a 117-ball stay, was fifth out on 202 having shared in key stands of 61 with Jack Beer (10), 77 with Matt Heather (24) and 45 with Sachintha Galhenage (20).

Dave Ball (4-41) was the partnership breaker each time – and finished by accounting for Foreman.

Lewdown lost Ball in the first over – one of Fahad Khaliq’s four for 26 – but went off in hot pursuit with skipper Harry Geering (92) leading the way.

Stands of 64 with Justin Gliddon (29) and 60 with Tallon Burns (16) made inroads into the deficit before Geering went at 136 for four having scored 92.

Mark Joradan (41) kept the chase going for a while, but Heather (4-46) was whittling away his support.

Once Jordan went at 198 for eight it was downhill to 208 all out.

“It was a great game of cricket,” said Chudleigh skipper Foreman.

“Both sides batted well, but we edged it in the bowling and fielding departments.

“We now have a very hard run of games and a big test this week against Bradninch.

“Hopefully we can carry our recent form on and spring a surprise.

“We will have to see what happens come the end of the season.

“I am still putting no pressure on the boys apart from to keep performing well and showing what they can do.”

Beaten they may have been, but Geering was proud of the effort Lewdown put in.

“It was always going to be hard, a lot of players missing and a few injuries made it tough,” he said.

“Only having three fully fit bowlers, and having to makeshift for 20 overs, is not ideal in an A Division game.

On lewdown’s prospects, Geering added: “It's still in our hands as we have Abbots this week.

“I'm just hoping we have everyone fit and fighting as that really is the go-down-or-stay-up game.”

PLYMPTON are back on top of the A Division after routing Barton by nine-wickets in an embarrassingly one-sided game.

Barton were bowled out for 38 inside 18 overs – Wes Hartslief taking six for 10 – and Plympton knocked off the runs in exactly eight overs.

It was easily the lowest score in the A Division this season, even lower than the 49 all out Abbotskerswell managed against Barton on day one.

Plympton’s 22-point haul puts them top after a week off the summit as rivals Bradninch came a cropper at Paignton and dropped down to fourth.

Plympton are top on 218 points followed by Paignton (215), Budleigh (209) then Bradninch (207).

Only one Barton batsman reached double figures – that was last man out Stephen Lewis (13) with skipper Adam Parker next best on six.

Jamie Lee (3-15) operated in tandem with Hartslief, before Dom Mulberry relieved him and got Lewis out.

Mulberry opened up with David Wrench and was the only man out on the chase.

Wrench (20no) and Dan Robotham (19no) took care of the remaining business.

After the defeat by lowly Hatherleigh seven days earlier, it was just the result Plympton needed.

“We were clinical after last week’s result and it was exactly what we needed,” said skipper James Carr.

“The pitch was doing a bit but Wes and Jamie bowled superbly and took full advantage.

“I think Adam would agree that his batters didn’t do themselves any favours with a few wayward shots.”

HATHERLEIGH are looking up the table not down it after a four-wicket win over Abbotskerswell banished their last fears about relegation.

Hatherleigh’s 31-point cushion with three to play rules out any realistic chance of second-bottom Chudleigh going past them now.

If Hatherleigh win at Barton this Saturday then can even think about a top-five finish, according to skipper Mark Lake.

“I am now setting us a target to win the last three and finish maybe fourth,” said Lake.

Hatherleigh reached 186 for eight at Two Mike Oak, led by Danny Forrester with 55.

Hatherleigh were steady rather than spectacular with the bat as Andy Collier (22), Lake (19) and Ryan Davies (19) all chipped in. No stand was worth more than 40.

Pick of the bowlers with two for 34 was Matt Beasant

Abbots, now bottom of the table, were all out for 105 with Connor Stanley (34) top scoring.

Abbots were a promising 79 for four, but lost the game in the time it took to slump to 83 for seven.

There were two wickets each for Kiwi Carl Schwarz, Rob Fishley, Lake and Chris Jelley.

Said Lake: “We got a decent score on a slow wicket and then bowled really tightly to build lots of a pressure on a team that knew they had to win.

“It was a massive win and a great, all-round team performance.”

BRIXHAM’S Aussie bowler Rory McDonald could be on the way home in the next few days after suffering a broken jaw in the defeat by Budleigh Salterton.

McDonald turned his head away from a James Burke bouncer, which somehow found its way under his helmet grille. It was only the second ball he faced.

The youngster was taken to hospital in Exeter to be treated and not released until Monday afternoon.

As well as suffering a broken jaw, McDonald also lost a couple of teeth. Although he is keen to stay until the end of the season in three weeks time, there is family pressure to return home.

The incident came at the end of difficult week for Brixham, who had skipper Andy Pugh and spin-bowling all-rounder Jordan Gregory both appear before the Devon discipline committee.

Brixham were bowled out for 157 by Budleigh – which was more than they looked like making when they were 23 for four after an early going over from Luke Peterson (3-28), supported by nothing to hit from Ben Phillips (1-21).

Mark Orchard spared Brixham’s blushes with 59 and put on 56 for the fifth wicket with Tim Robinson.

Former Devon paceman Orchard added a further 40 with Paul Heath (20) before he was seventh out at 125 to Joel Murphy.

Murphy picked up three for 18 and Burke two for 25.

Budleigh won by eight wickets and never looked like being stopped.

Chris Barron got out opener Harry Parkin on 10, but Burke (46) and Peterson (49no) motored on to 95 before Tim Robinson bowled Burke.

Jack Dart was unbeaten on 40 as he and Peterson wiped off the last 65 needed.

On the win over Brixham, Murphy added: “They struggled against our quicker bowling, which was tight and accurate.

“When we batted we were ruthless. They only fielded with 10 due to an injury, but the only difference that made was we won more quickly.”