Tavistock v Axminster

TAVISTOCK returned from Axminster with a loss against their name but a lot of credit for the manner they played the game on Saturday.

The wicket was terrible and the umpires, who said an abandonment had crossed their minds, asked Steve Luffman to thank his team for getting on with the game and not showing dissent about the state of the track.

Axminster chose to bowl and in the second over Ben Noble had Dave Watson and John McGahey back in the hutch for nought each.

Ian Law and Dave Manning set about some repair work with a stand of 70, Manning hit the ball with his customary power and Law timed it sweetly to stroke six 4s in his 34. He was finally out with the score on 75 and in the next over Manning was caught behind for 29.

Luffman and Crawford continued in positive vein until Crawford was unlucky to be bowled off a big inside edge. Axminster skipper Jack Willow now reintroduced Mark Richards to the attack and with the wicket crumbling the Devon seamer was almost unplayable.

Rob Hutchings was now picking up wickets regularly and Luffman was out to Richards and Kaitiff clean bowled by a Hutchings shooter. Tshepo Legodi made 11 but the tail failed to wag in the conditions and Hutchings bowled Alex Rose in the 40th over to close Tavistock's innings at 128 all out.

Richards finished with an unflattering 12 overs, 5 maidens, 17 runs, 3 wickets and Hutchings took the bowling honours with four for 29 from 13 overs.

Axminster had to bat for 35 minutes before tea and Tavistock reached the break in the best possible way when Rose caught a skier from opener Tim Allsop off Crawford's bowling. He had already bowled the other opener Larkham with a snorter so tea was taken at 29-2.

After the interval, as so often happens, the wicket calmed down a great deal. Willow played a captain's innings by anchoring his end and letting his team-mates do most of the scoring. Meanwhile Luffman was shuffling his pack of bowlers with some success.

Legodi swapped ends and bowled young Ben Garner for an aggressive 22 and Andy Gauler removed dangerman Richards to a catch by McGahey to make it 85-5

When Dave Watson threw himself to the right to catch Moran it was 86-6 and anybody's game. Willow was still there despite offering a chance which Legodi refused and, with South African import Malcolm Deacon, took the score to 125 before edging Legodi to wicket keeper Manning.

He had batted 143 minutes and 109 balls for 27 runs and occupied the crease for 44 overs. It was not an exciting innings but without doubt it was a matchwinner.

Pick of Tavistock's bowlers was Crawford who had figures of 15-3-32-3, although Gauler was at his miserly best with 9.5-5-13-2. Legodi was luckless but still managed 2-29 and Olly Hicks again showed his potential with three excellent overs for only five runs.

Their efforts were not enough though as Deacon hit the winning runs to finish on 30 not out in the 49th over.

Axminster picked up 19 points to Tavistock's six.

This week Tavistock are at home to Braunton.