Devon Cricket Board - D Division - Yelverton beat weather but Civil hold on

D Division - Yelverton beat weather but Civil hold on

YELVERTON were the only D Division side to stage a game on the second Saturday of July.
It maintains the club’s remarkable record of not having a home game played this soggy season.
They were unable to maximise the fact that they played when so many of their rivals sat out another match day as they were forced to settle for a dozen points and a winning draw in the meeting with the in-form Plymouth Civil Service and Roborough.
Skipper Richard West top scored with 49 in his side’s total of 153-5. Steve Luffman chipped in with 32 and Geoff Brain scored 32. Sanders (2-6) and Walker (2-44) were the principle wicket takers for the visiting side who then replied with 103-7.
Skipper Greg Bridget led his sides reply with 25 and Walker completed a fine all-round contribution with 19. Ian Cunningham took 2-18.
On Saturday Yelverton entertain the side who sit immediately below them at the summit of the table. Feniton will arrive sitting 21 points shy of West and his side so a home success would put real daylight between Yelverton and the chasing pack with just third of the season to go.
It was another frustrating mid-summer Saturday for Seaton skipper Ben Morgan after his side had their game at Feniton called off owing to a waterlogged Acland Park.
“We travelled to Feniton where we found the wicket really was not playable. To their credit they did as much as they could to try and get some sort of surface for us to play on, but it was all just too soft.
“It really has now become an unbelievably wet season. I have never knows a cricket campaign like this one for all the cancellations and then, even when we do get a start, rain affected contests.
“I appreciate it is the same for everybody, but it does make for what I think are unbalanced tables given the given the way some teams are being hit by the weather more than others.
“In our Division, leaders Yelverton have been denied a game just the once whilst both Whimple and Halberton have been hit five times and ourselves, Honiton, Filleigh and Cockington have all lost four to the weather.
“It’s particularly frustrating when the games that are hit by the rain are the big ones and a meeting with Feniton, with the two teams sitting second and third behind table topping Yelverton who again managed to play.”
Yelverton were denied outright victory for only the third time in the ten matches they have played this term and so now hold a 27-point lead over Morgan’s men who in turn are just six behind East Devon neighbours Feniton.
On Saturday Seaton travel to Halberton and Sampford Peverell who thumped them by ten wickets at Court Lane back in May.
Morgan says: “We certainly owe them one after what was a mauling. That said it was another of those weather hit days where the toss was all empowering and so it proved as we then batted in-differently to be bundled out for 108 which they knocked off at a canter.”
Feniton were hit by the weather when a soggy outfield put paid to any chance of play in the East Devon derby with Seaton at Acland Park.
It had been a game that skipper Mark Kingdon had targeted as being a big one in terms of the sides push for promotion. He said: “It’s a shame that the game could not be played for, with both sides looking for promotion, it was all set-up to be a cracking encounter.”
Prior to the Seaton match Kingdon had targeted his side’s next two as the big games in terms of the promotion push. The second of those matches is this weekend’s trip to leaders Yelverton who were the only side to stage a game in the D Division on the second Saturday in July.
Yelverton have escaped the weather this season and have not had one home game hit by the elements which suggests that Saturday’s match will get the go-ahead. Kingdon says: “We feel we have unfinished business with Yelverton after the pipped us by a single run in a close encounter at Acland Park earlier in the season. With 21 points between us prior to the start of play it is vital that we bring a large point’s haul back home with us if we are to keep them within catching distance as the season’s final week’s draw nearer.”
That May 19 meeting between the sides in East Devon saw Yelverton bowled out for 128 with Feniton falling a run short, bowled out for 127 and, had skipper Kingdon not been adjudged leg before when on 52 with victory in sight, the outcome might have been very different.”
After Saturday’s trip to Yelverton, Feniton will host Whimple, Countess Wear and Honiton whilst they will face trips to basement side Cockington, mid-table Filleigh and then finish the season on September 1 at Halberton and Sampford Peverell.

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