Devon Cricket Board - B Division - Barton almost there + Lewdown slip

B Division - Barton almost there + Lewdown slip

BARNSTAPLE & Pilton kept their flicking promotion hopes alive with a 14-run win over Lewdown.
Andy Barton top scored for B&P with 44 in a total of 164 for seven, which was more challenging than it looked on a wet Moorland wicket.
Lewsdown were also without their overseas star Rob Mutch, who had been spirited away the day before to play for Somerset 1^st XI against Scotland in a Clydesdale Bank Pro40 game.
Barton and Brady Saunders (26) put on 75 for B&P’s second wicket. Steve Moore was unbeaten on 25 at the end.
Lewdown got up and running through Matt Witcher (31) and Harry Geering (37) – they were 69 for none – but lost the initiative while sliding from 82 for one to 85 for five.
Moore (4-30), Brady Saunders (3-38) and Tom Popham (2-31) ran through the rest as Lewdown bowed out for 150.
THORVERTON – at home to Barnstaple & Pilton on Saturday – can forget all about promotion from the B Division this season after losing by three wickets at Chudleigh.
Defeat leaves Thors 46 points behind second-placed Hatherleigh with just 40 points to play for.
Six rain-offs haven’t helped – more than any other team in the division- but only four wins in 10 starts is another reason it hasn’t worked out.
Thors were bowled out for 185 by Jon Martin (6-44) and Rob Clarke (4-36).
The runs came from Ali Fury (39), skipper Paul Fielder (30), Nick Barton (32) and Will denford (25).
Chudleigh were indebted to opener Ed Foeman for sseting them on course.
Foreman made 83 and by the time he was out the target was down to 33 and the game over.
Jack Vittles and Clarke saw Chudleigh over the line.
The game between Tavistock and relegated Axminster was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

BARTON are one more win away from promotion back to the A Division after routing doomed Dartington & Totnes by 168 runs.
Skipper Adam Parker showed Barton’s batters the error of their ways by hammering a top score of 79 to rescue the team from the depths of 80 for five.
Harry Moores made 25 at the top of the order, but after he went it was downhill all the way to 80 for five.
Parker and Greg Shelton (30) put on 88 for the sixth wicket as Barton recovered.
Tom Drake was 21 not out in a final Barton total of 209 for noine.
Will Gornall’s four for 44 was the pick of Dartington’s bowling.
Dartington & Totnes have been resigned to the drop for a while and being bowled out for 41 confirmed it won’t do them any harm.
Having been 31 for two they were skittled by Stuart Bowker (5-7) and Ramshi Jinan (3-25).
Barton need 14 points off visiting Lewdown this Saturday to clinch promotion.

HATHERLEIGH remain second behind leaders Barton following a 39-run win over Alphington.
James Knight (4-18) and Andy Wilson (2-57) appeared to have put Alphington in a strong position by dismissing Hatherleigh for 152,
Gareth Tidball made 25 and Jack Cherrington 45, which didn’t leave a lot for the rest,
Alphington were all out for 113 in reply – super veteran Nick Rogers doing the damage with our for 20 and Mark Lakree claiming three for 28.
Dave Haysom (21), Nick Ainscough (24) and Alvin Pollard (26) made early runs in a total of 79 for three, but Rogers and Lake sparked a nosedive from which there was no pulling back.
Hatherleigh stay second while Alphington are safe from relegation with a 43-point lead over second-bottom Dartington & Totnes.

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