Francis Clark Devon League A division
Tavistock v North Devon
TAVISTOCK again failed to impress anyone except its cricketing widows on Saturday as the team slumped to a 5pm, eight-wicket defeat against North Devon, leaving the task of staying in the A division increasingly difficult.
The problems for Tavistock began before the first ball had even been bowled. Steve Bray, while helping Dave Watson to warm up, hit him with a short pitched throw down and left the unfortunate Watson with a head wound bleeding all over his otherwise immaculately turned out kit.
Watson was patched up and sent out to bat He made an unsteady 7. Phil Stephens departed rapidly chipping one to mid wicket, and Luffman played over the top of an inswinging yorker to depart for 4.
All three wickets had fallen to the enduringly reliable bowling of Payne.
Bobby Luscombe, having looked solid, got bowled and Andy Kaitiff contrived to get caught by first slip. Legodi joined him back in the pavilion and the wicket of Jeffery brought the score to 40 for 7.
Dave Manning and Andy Gauler were now at the crease, Manning fresh from his 80no last week was again playing soundly and Gauler was resolute in defence. Resistance, however, was cut tragically short as Payne struck again and Manning was caught at first slip for 26.
Steve Bray was then brought to the wicket for his first bat of the season for the club. In an interesting incident the opposition captain called Bray back to the crease, having been given out, stumped, to continue his innings. The wicket keeper had admitted that he did not have the ball in his gloves as he removed the bails and fair play prevailed.
The umpires, however, were then summoned to the scorebox by Margaret Manning to gain a full explanation for the resultant sullied state of the score book.
Play resumed and after lusty hits from Bray who made 14 and Gauler 12, both got out and Ben Neale was left high and dry on 1 not out. Tavistock all out for 86.
The wicket was variable in bounce and taking spin. There was some movement in the air and when Jeff Ayre hit Legodi's first ball straight back and Legodi took a brilliant catch anything looked possible.
Things appeared even better when Bray turned a ball from well outside off-stump to hit the middle of Mark Gear's middle stump and it was 10 runs for the loss of 2 wickets.
Legodi persevered with an excellent line just outside off stump and passed the bat on numerous occasions without luck. Bray spun the ball prestigiously but again with no further fortune and North Devon ran out winners by 8 wickets.
There was certainly some help from the conditions for bowlers but Tavistock, in addition to revising their warm up techniques so as to leave all members of the team fit to bat, will have to improve their application and shot selection if B division cricket is to be avoided.