Belstone v Newton Tracey

BELSTONE went into their latest North Devon League match at home to Newton Tracey knowing that they needed at least one win from their last three games to stand a chance of remaining in division one.

Newton Tracey won the toss and elected to bat on a strip still soft from two days of rain.

From the off they played cautiously, as though fearing demons in the wicket - these never really materialised but it did mean that Belstone gained a stranglehold and psychological edge all through the innings. After ten overs the score had crawled to 16-1, at the half way 20-overs a scarcely better 54-5, and 65 balls were bowled between the first and second boundaries.

Opening bat Graham Moore kept the five-man slip and gully cordon interested for an hour and 14 runs before his first attacking stroke ended with Dan Fogerty taking a full length diving catch in the covers off Harry Bushin.

Ryan Dennis bowled a miserly opening spell of eight overs for seven runs and the Fogerty brothers Tom and Dan tied up the middle order to such an extent that their combined 15 over spell yielded 4-26, including Martin Gear out for four to a leaping two-handed catch at second slip by skipper Richard Drake.

The only partnership of note came at 64-7 when Robert Gear was joined by Newton captain Richard Screech; they added 43 in ten overs before Gear was bowled by Andy King for 29, attempting an ambitious reverse sweep.

Screech finished on 18 not out as the 40-over total ended on a modest three per over 120-8.

Low run chases can cause problems if taken too cautiously but Belstone got off to a flier in comparison to Newton, taking 13 from the first over as Tom Fogerty hit three boundaries. By the time he was out for 21, the first of Screech’s three wickets, the home team were well on their way.

With the other opener Phil Woods playing a fine sheet anchor role to carry his bat on 34 not out, Jimmy Ewen (three fours and a six in 28) and Matt Dennis (two fours and a six in 21) kept the score ticking over well ahead of the asking rate so that Belstone’s comfortable six wicket win was sealed with 12 overs to spare.

Buckley Cup

Belstone v Hatherleigh

BELSTONE completed the Buckley Cup double over Hatherleigh, winning an exciting and unusually low-scoring 20-over game by two wickets.

However, Hatherleigh secured enough points in the match to finish the season as competition winners for the first time since 2009. Hatherleigh batted first on the turning pitch and by the half-way stage had reached 55-5 with only Carl Schwarz looking comfortable as he hit four boundaries before retiring on 25.

First change bowlers Callum Mallett (4-0-17-3) and Alex Jopling (4-1-9-2) really put the screws on, as the next six overs yielding just 14 runs while another four wickets fell. It was only the return of Schwarz, who hit another ten quick runs, that boosted the score to a measly 77 all out.

Belstone looked to have the game in the bag with an opening partnership of 42 in seven overs between Tom Fogerty (17) and Jamie Walker (25 retired) but suddenly first change bowlers Jack Cherrington (4-0-9-4) and Adam Quick (4-0-15-4), aided by batting of the headless chicken variety, threatened to turn the match on its head.

Eight wickets fell for 19 runs in the space of eight overs (including a spell when five wickets fell for one run, in just nine balls) with three stumpings by Niall Leahy and five ducks among the carnage.

It was left to last man Harry Bushin to restore sanity with 13 not out from five balls as Belstone reached their target with three overs to spare.