SPREYTON made it two wins out of two in the Buckley Cup when they overcame Belstone by one wicket with three balls remaining in a nail biting finish at Rew Meadow last Tuesday.
Belstone began well thanks to a rapid 21 from Richard Drake, well supported by Pete Gross (13). The accurate Tomkins then found some movement off the pitch to clean bowl three of the top order leaving Belstone at 55 for four around the half way stage.
Wayne Pearce (28) and Johnny Carter (17) then added 41 for the fifth wicket as Belstone regained their momentum to finish with a respectable 118 for seven off 20 overs. Spreyton also started confidently with an opening partnership of 37 which was only broken when Hill (11) was spectacularly caught by Drake, who ran from cover to take a one handed diving catch behind bowler Terry Jeal. Opener Wright (25 retired), Chris Filor (28 retired) and Niven (23) continued to attack with a flurry of sixes and fours so that by the half way stage Spreyton were ahead of the asking rate at 74 for two.
Pearce and skipper Drake then completed fine all round performances by bowling a combined spell of six overs, four wickets for 29 runs to even up the contest.
Belstone?s best chance probably lay with keeping Spreyton?s lower order at the crease but when the eighth wicket fell in the penultimate over opener Wright was able to return to the crease to finish proceedings with a four over the slips.
Last week came news that Manaton, founder members of the South Devon League twenty five years ago, have withdrawn from the competition.
This means that the points from Belstone?s win over them in May are null and void.
Chudleigh were the League visitors last Sunday and they elected to bat first on a wicket which gradually dried out after heavy mid-day rain.
In a match dominated by bowlers only their opener Tim Smith made an impression with the bat, scoring 44, and even he was dropped a couple of times. All the Belstone bowlers got among the wickets as Chudleigh battled along at under three an over, finally being all out with two balls of the 40 overs remaining.
With a strong batting line-up on paper, Belstone looked to be well on their way to the target of 114 when the score reached 22 for no wicket after five overs.
The innings then fell apart feebly as a succession of wickets fell to line and length bowling and mistimed attempts at forcing strokes such that the nadir was reached at 67 for nine after 30 overs.
Pick of the Chudleigh bowlers were Sam Knight (three for 13) and Lewis Howard (three for 14). It was left to last men Jonathan Parsons (13 not out) and Andrew Moppett to deny Chudleigh their second bowling point by batting out the final ten overs.
This Sunday Belstone travel to Exeter St James for a league fixture, followed on Tuesday evening by a home game in the Buckley Cup against Yeoford.
There will also be a car boot sale on the Belstone ground, with refreshments, on the morning of Saturday 14 June.