Francis Clark Devon League A division

Tavistock v Axminster

IT was a familiar tale of woe for Tavistock on Saturday as they returned, beaten again, from Axminster.

Steve Luffman asked Axminster to bat on a damp wicket. Luffman opened the bowling and had left-hander Darren Monger dropped behind in his first over and again in his third at gully.

Tshepo Legodi was struggling with the slope and was replaced by Andy Gauler. Both batsmen found it hard going and Luffman struck when frustration overcame Monger and he presented Olly Hicks with a simple catch.

Axminster skipper Jack Willow joined Tim Allsopp and upped the tempo. Having scored 19 off 23 balls, Willow was bowled by an off-cutter from Gauler and Axminster were 74 for 2.

Phil Holland came to the crease but was contained by Hicks who had replaced Luffman. Gauler struck again at 113 forcing Allsopp to play early and presenting Hicks with another routine catch.

Legodi found the edge of Holland's bat and Dave Manning accepted the chance — 113 for 4.

County star Mark Richard joined young Joe Gainer and they advanced the score to 129. Richards had a huge swipe across the line at Gauler, missed and was lbw for 4.

The rest of the innings became a Luffman and Manning show. The young wicket-keeper showed his class with three stumpings, off Luffman's bowling. The other wicket to fall was caught and bowled by the skipper as he finished with 5 for 38 from 15 overs.

Axminster ended their 50 overs on 166 for 9.

Tavistock's reply got off to a wobbly start when Richards bowled Watson for 2. Runs proved hard to come by for Geoff Crudgington and Bob Luscombe and did not ease when Gary Larcombe tempted Crudgington to loft the ball to find the safe hands of Simon Allsopp. Luscombe was starting to break out a little when Larcombe bowled him and Tavistock were 39 for 3. One run later and John McGahey was back in the pavilion with a nought beside his name.

Manning and Luffman started to repair the damage. The target had been reduced to 70 needed off 10 overs. Manning made 46 from 91 deliveries.

Legodi came in and managed to hit the outside edge of his bat. Willow took the catch.

Andy Gauler came and went for 0 in Richards' next over and Luffman was left with a nervous looking tail and four overs to hang on. Ben Neale, the U17s captain, joined Luffman, who managed to get a single from the last ball of Dibling's next over to keep the strike.

Then disaster struck, Richards trapping Luffman. Luffman had made 27 from 67 balls but the game was on a knife-edge. Neale fell to a slip catch from the fifth ball of the penultimate over leaving Tom Povey to survive the last over to salvage a draw.

But Povey was cleaned up by a beauty which pitched on middle stump and hit off with two balls remaining.

Axminster claimed 8 points to Tavistock's 6.

This week Tavistock face Braunton, who feature ex-England batsman Mark Lathwell, at the Ring.

l Tavistock ran into a juggernaut in the Devon Senior Cup by the name of Neil Hancock. The Sidmouth skipper smashed a phenomenal 144 not out.

Sidmouth finished on 256 for 6, Adrian Skirrow joining Hancock for a partnership of 149 for the sixth wicket, his share being worth 52 before he was bowled by Luffman off the last ball of the innings.

Hancock was dropped on 18 and rarely can a miss have been punished so effectively. On the slow wicket he hit hard and long and with Skirrow plundered 150 runs.

Tavistock crumpled to 65 all out. Pick of the bowlers was Will Murray who claimed 4 wickets for three runs and Skirrow with 3 for 11.