BRIDESTOWE & Belstone virtually secured their A Division status for another season with a six-wicket win over doomed Barton.

Theirs is nothing Barton can do now to get out of the bottom two and it looks like either Torquay & Kingskerswell or Plympton will be joining them on the way down.

Bridestowe & Belstone opened-up a 27-point gap between themselves and the bottom two, which should be enough.

Ryan Dennis led B&B’s bowling effort with a three-for-24 bag, and there were two wickets each for Shaq Glasgow, Tallan Burns and Devon paceman Craig Penberthy, as Barton were bowled out for 172.

Barton opener Nick Watkin survived a confident lbw shout against Tallan Burns to make 40. Middle-order man Tom Porter top scored with 44.

Dennis laid claim to the man-of-the-match award with 50 at the top of the order as B&B set off in hot pursuit.

Glasgow chipped in 32 and Burns 22 towards the chase, which concluded with more than 13 overs to go.

Watkin (3-35) was Barton’s most effective bowler.

Bridestowe have clashes with Hatherleigh (second), Kilmington (sixth) and Plympton (ninth) to close out their campaign.

At the other end of the table, Tavistock 1st XI beat Bovey Tracey CC by seven wickets to move within touching distance of the Tolchards DCL Premier Division.

The long-time A Division leaders bowled out Bovey for 165, then knocked off the runs with more than. 10 overs to spare.

Win number 11 of the season kept Tavistock (248pts) comfortably clear of third-placed Thorverton (205) with three games left and 60 points to play for.

Second-placed Hatherleigh (233) could catch Tavistock for the top spot – the two teams square-up on the penultimate Saturday of the season – but one more win should be sufficient for Tavvy to finish in the top two.

“We know the equation, we know what’s required, and we’ll be giving everything to secure promotion in these last three games,” said Tavistock captain Sean Cleave.

Opener Jake Pascoe top scored for Bovey with 38 in a knock that ended when he became the second of four wickets claimed by spinner Shaun Daymond (4-19).

Bovey’s middle-order batting got bogged down against the bowling of Daymond, Tom Clarke (0-25), Rhys Davies (1-35) and Rodney Mupfudza (0-16).

Sam Harvey’s 35 not out took 77 balls to compile, Albi Bradley needed 48 deliveries to get as far as 21 and Sam Russell’s 11 occupied 39 balls.

Billy Barriball (3-33) was brought back into the attack for the final over and took three wickets in six balls for two runs given away to bowl Bovey out.

Tavistock lost wickets at 25, 88 and 123 on the way to a routine victory.

Opener Ian Gray batted through for 73 not out and made a 63-run dent in the target with Mupfudza (29). James White (15no) was with Gray for the final 43.

Reflecting on the afternoon’s events at the Ring, Cleave said: “We bowled well, fielded well, and batted well – everything we needed to do to get a positive result.

“Those are the standards we've set throughout the season, and it’s a credit to the lads who’ve consistently delivered week in, week out.

“That consistency is exactly why we find ourselves in the position we’re in now.”