Devon Cricket Board - C Division news and views

C DIVISION
IPPLEPEN got a taste for promotion last season and fancy another slice of it sooner rather than later.
Keith Wakeham’s 1st XI finally got out of the D Division while Simon Tapley and the 2nd XI are in the B Division 2nd XI competition.
Wakeham things the side has the legs to climb a bit higher yet, although those ambitions may have to wait a season or two.
Pens have had hot overseas players for the past couple of seasons – Jamie Watkins and Anthony Mason – who were a bit too good for their surroundings at times.
This season the Pens have two Kiwi youngsters – Sam Barrett and Moriz Hartmann – and it will be interesting to see which one ends up in which team.
Missing from last season are run-getter Luke Tuckett, who is using up his visa in New Zealand, and Bovey Tracey bound Tom Dyer.

NINE more points would have got Clyst Hydon promoted last season, so their aim is pretty obvious this term.
Skipper Ian Sutton knows what the missing ingredient was and is hoping that can be sorted out in 2012.
“We didn’t bowl enough sides out last year, which can be a problem on good wickets,” said Sutton.
Sri Lankan Dhanuda Hatarusingha, whose 57 wickets were only bettered by Lewdown’s Rob Mutch in 2011, is back to lead the attack again. It will be up to others like Kevin Sercombe to chip in with a few more.
For tomorrow’s opener against newly promoted Ipplepen at Merryfield Yarde, Clyst will be a bit short handed.
Sutton is out due to eye surgery, Graham Trude is missing after injuring a knee falling out of a tree and Chris Holmes is absent from the attack after a bizarre accident when he ran over his own foot!

ASHBURTON have no real ambitions this season, other than to stay roughly where they are.
Sixth in 2011 on their first season back in the C Division wasn’t quite top half, but not far off it either.
Something similar in 2012 will do nicely for new chairman Alan Churchill, who has succeeded the long-serving and hard-working Graham Pascoe.
“We have had no real movement during the winter, other than Adam Peters going back to Ipplepen,” said Churchill.
“After four fantastic years and three promotions under Chris Pasccoe, who has stood down as captain, we are where we want to be.
The big games for us are our derbies against Ivybridge and Stoke Gabriel, which will decide whether we are in the top half of not.”
Pascoe’s replacement at skipper is Ashley Harvey, whose first game in charge is the derby date with Ivybridge on Saturday.

IVYBRIDGE skipper Gareth Andrews wants to see his side play all season in 2012, not fall away in the second half of the season.
The Bridge ended up three off the bottom last season, which wasn’t a great outcome considering where they had been at half way.
“Midway through the season we were second, but we fell away badly after that,” said Andrews.
“Lewdown were the best side in our division by a mile, but there was nothing much to fear from the rest and we didn’t beat enough of them to stay in contention.
“We want to get out of this division and we know what’s needed to do it.”
Ivybridge have lost reliable seamer James Bullock, who has moved to South Wales, but have picked up a few new faces.
Batter Mike Hibbered has returned to this country from living in Australia while ex-University of Exeter student Johnny Ellis moved to the area and signed on, as has Charlie Horward from UoP.
Sri Lankan Jeewam deSilva is back to torment batsmen for a third season.

IT COULD be an interesting season for Stoke Gabriel, who get the long trip to Bideford out of the way this Saturday.
The close season hasn’t been kind to Stoke as Karl Blackburn and Jamie Day have joined Shaldon, Mark Newman has trodden the well-worn path to Brixham, Matt Smyth has moved to Derby and Alex Bertram isn’t in a hurry to come home from Australia.
On top of that little lot, skipper Dave Bolland has stood down on the eve of the new season due to work commitments and handed over to ex-Dawlish captain Andy Lockyer.
Bolland will run the 2nd XI instead as there were no takers to replace Paul Collings.
Overseas aid comes from Melborne in the shape of Anthony Scott, a seamer bowler who can bat. He replaces the likeable and reliable Simon Phillips, who took 36 wickets last term.
Adam Castle is back from Brixham again – it is a well-trodden route – and looking to play 1st XI cricket.
Stoke’s fortunes look like resting on young shoulders with the teenage contingent of Seb Ansley, Jack Tolley and Angus Lee required to do men’s jobs with bat and ball this season.

PROMOTION from the C Division is the overwhelming aim for new Bideford captain James Ford.
Ford has taken over from Ian Hayter, who couldn’t get Bideford back into the B Division last season following relegation in 2010.
The new skipper knows where it went wrong and hopes this season’s personnel can put it right.
“Our big problem, and it was the same the season before, is not getting away to a good start,” said Ford.
“It is not easy playing catch up and means you are always under pressure and hoping the teams ahead of you slip up.”
Ford has lost veteran seamer Peter Waterman to retirement and all-rounder Josh King for at least six weeks with an injury sustained playing rugby for Bideford in last Saturday’s cup final.
Matt Bettis misses the first game of the season – Stoke Gabriel at home - as he is on honeymoon.
The overseas player this season is Aussie batter Mike Young, who had a previous stint with the club five years ago.

CYST St George are looking to enjoy their cricket in 2012 after two dismal seasons led to relegation last term.
The Bohea Field side dodged the drop on the last day of the 2010 campaign, but were odds-on to go last season and lived up to their billing.
Skipper Matt Cook wanted a crack at getting Clyst back on an even keel and has been supported by the players.
The target isn’t necessarily promotion, but to win more games than they lose for the first time in a while.
‘Once you start winning games and players enjoy their cricket these things can build into something a bit more substantial,” said Cook.
Batter Nathan Wells is back with the club after a break for family reasons and seamer Duncan Wright has arrived from Thorverton.
Aussie Steve Bourke is back for a second season, but on the downside three players have moved on.
Liam Cooke and Dom Hazell have made the short trip to Woodbury while Tim Downer has retired again and means it this tme!
“Tim didn’t play every game last season, but still took 22 wickets and his spin-bowling option will be missed,” said Cook.
Clyst’s season opens with a home game against Ottery St Mary.

OTTERY St Mary hope they are just passing through the C Division after earning promotion behind Lewdown in 2011.
Skipper Jody Clements isn’t predicting a second successive promotion, but confesses B Division cricket is the ultimate aim.
“It has taken us a while to get this far, but we don’t intend to stop now,” said Clements.
“There are some exciting prospects coming through the club and we want them to achieve their aims with Ottery and not move somewhere like Exmouth or Sidmouth in search of them.
“This season we want to be competitive and hold our own, although other teams have gone straight through the C Division and the next division up is our ultimate aim.”
Ottery have picked up the well-travelled Adrian Pullin from nearby Feniton to bolster their batting while Trevor Griffin has switched from Whimple.
Last season’s 100-wicket bowling attack of Rob Johns, Mark Woodman and Will Harrison remains in place, supplemented by young spinner Sam Loud.
The team will be stronger from mid-season as players like Josh Pritchard and Lewis Townsend return from university.

CHAGFORD, back in the C Division after a brief flirtation at the next level up, have consciously been looking for younger players to freshen an ageing squad.
Old soldiers such as Colin Mortimore and Jeremy Christophers are reaching the end of the road and if they do play will be in the 2nd XI more often than not.
Veteran Arnie Searle is giving it one more year in the 1st XI, motivated by the prospect of playing with talented son Billy.
Among the players to arrive during the close season are Sam Kirkness, a batsman who has moved into the area from Scotland, left-arm quick bowler Jake Barber from Lewdown, batter Toby Gustling (ex-Bridestowe) and cricketing newcomer Luke Mortimore, an aspiring all-rounder who has played youth football for Plymouth Argyle.
Long term Chagford are taking cricket into local primary schools by funding coaching sessions for the kids with a view to getting a youth section going.