North Devon division five

Belstone v Bishop's Nympton

BELSTONE made short work of bottom-of-the-table Bishop's Nympton in their latest North Devon league, finishing with a convincing seven wicket win to maintain their unbeaten position at the top of the table.

Put in to bat Bishop's Nympton struggled from the off on a pitch where, initially at least, balls climbed awkwardly from a length. Jonathan Parsons exploited this brilliantly with a wicket in each of his first four overs - two clean bowled and two caught close in round the corner by Harry Bushin, to leave the visitors reeling at six for four in the seventh over.

Alan Setherton hung on grimly for 77 minutes before he was seventh out for 17 with the total on 38 but wickets fell steadily at the other end with Simon Haste (11) the only other batsman to reach double figures.

Phil Dennis (6-2-9-3) and Trevor Oats (1.3-0-3-2) mopped up the lower order so that Bishop's Nympton were all out well before tea for just 48.

Mark Chaplin (9-2-7-2) bowled a very tidy spell to ensure that Belstone did not have it all their own way and at 21 for three in the tenth over the home team were beginning to make a mountain out of a molehill, but steady batting from opener Peter Harlow (23 not out) and Simon Tremain (10 not out) saw them home without further alarms.