In what was a difficult weekend for Whitchurch Wayfarers, Ben Powells 80 not out away to Ivybridge 3rd XI was the standout performance.

Whitchurch won the toss and elected to field. A strong wind blew across the ground adding to the difficult conditions. Johnson and Tookey put on an opening stand of 72 before they both went in consecutive overs. This brought Borrow to the crease and his 102 effectively decided the game. His blistering assault on the bowling saw 11 sixes sail into the nearby hedges. A partnership of 129 with Key (30) saw any number of missed catches. Williams (1-27) and McKenzie-Smith (2-37) bowled well and young Brimacombe was tidy behind the stumps.

Chasing down 253 was never really an option. Joseph’s opening spell of 7 overs for just 4 runs suggested the path to be taken. Powell and McKenzie-Smith built up a patient opening partnership of 84 broken just after drinks. While other batsmen came and went, Powell steadily dominated the bowling and helped Whitchurch gain 3 valuable batting points. Ivybridge comfortable winners by 106 runs.

Meanwhile, at Whitchurch House, Whitchurch 1st XI hosted league leaders Stokeinteignhead. Put into bat all seemed well for the first 15 overs. With occasional spells of misty rain openers Potts (17) and Hall (31) appeared to be holding their own against a strong opening attack.

The score sat at 40-0 and lower order batsmen were relaxing in the pavilion. Within minutes players were scrambling to find their pads. After a slightly fortuitous caught and bowled to get rid of Potts, Tiwari (6-16) then ripped through the middle order.

The next 6 overs saw Whitchurch collapse from 41-1 to 63-7 through a mixture of injudicious shots, bad luck and good bowling. Calmer heads saw the final 3 wickets double the score. Whitchurch finished on 128, bowled out within 34 overs.

After tea, Stokeinteignhead needed just shy of 20 overs to canter to an easy victory. Losing Kuriakose to a first ball duck brought Thornton-Clarke to the crease. Half centuries for him and opener Longrigg saw the visitors maintain their unbeaten record. Whitchurch now occupy one of the relegation slots. Next week they face fellow relegation strugglers Dartington & Totnes

 Future fixtures: Saturday, June 7: 1st XI away Dartington & Totnes 1st XI; 2nd XI home Yelverton 2nd XI