HATHERLEIGH 2nd XI’s search for a win goes on as they fell to a seven-wicket defeat at Abbotskerswell in the C Division West.

Hatherleigh, defending a total of 191 for seven, picked-off Abbots’ opener Richard Harmer then Charlie Hill while the ball was new, but had to wait a while for any other breakthroughs.

Jay Hussain, in his new role opening the batting, flayed seven sixes and six fours on the way to making 76 off 63 balls.

Brayden Notman (64no) carried on after Hussain missed a straight one and won the game for Abbots during an unbroken stand of 59 with Tom Heath (19no).

Skipper Danny Forrester had rescued Hatherleigh from a nervy 89-5 with a top score of 36 not out.

Sam Clarke (22) and Cameron Rowlands (28) had already been and gone before Forrester linked up with Jack Probert (36) to post 51 for the sixth wicket.

Tom Strawbridge (29no) added exactly 50 with the captain before time ran out.

Hatherleigh only got small change out of bowling spells from Hussain (3-14), Max Yates (also 3.14) and Notman (3.67).

Hatherleigh’s 1st XI had a better day of it- they were pushed every inch of the way by Sandford before clinching a long overdue two-wicket win.

It was Hatherleigh’s first league win of the season and lifted them out of the bottom two at the expense of Tavistock.

Skipper Adam Small (39) top scored for Sandford in an all-out total of 182. He was one of four poles claimed by Emmerson Wood.

Run scoring proved hard for Hatherleigh – Praison Alias and Jamie Palmer with identical figures of 2-17 made sure of that – and a mini collapse from 140 for four to 175 for eight put the result in doubt.

Jasper Presswell and Paul Heard got Hatherleigh over the line to their first league win of the season with six balls left in the match.

Joe Hopkins (29) and England over-40s batter Jackson Thompson (31) put early runs in the book for Sandford before Mark Lake (2-20) slowed the tempo. Harry Southgate (34) and Small added 67 for the fourth wicket in the best stand of the innings. Best of the chip-ins was Ryan Glass with 18.

Lake and Heard of the 10-over bowlers kept the runs down. Wood finished with four for 50. His wickets all came in his final four overs, which cost 26 runs.

Gareth Tidball played the anchorman role for Hatherleigh with a gritty 55 off 99 balls in a fraction less than two hours in the middle. He went in at 40 for two and came out at 169 for six.

Shrey Ghosh (27) and Wood (36) were the key contributors alongside Tidball, who is averaging more than 40 in the league this season.

Heard won it for Hatherleigh by dispatching the last ball of the penultimate over, bowled by Glass, for four.

Rob Cockwill, the Hatherleigh skipper, prefaced his post-match comments by saying: “It was just nice to get that winning feeling again. Hopefully, this will give us some confidence moving forward with the season.”

Cockwill added: “It was a useful time to win my first toss of the season.

We bowled and fielded excellently in helpful conditions. All the bowlers did exactly what was needed to restrict Sandford to a target we were happy to chase.

“Mark Lake and Paul Heard were key in restricting runs, allowing others to get wickets.”

Reflecting on the run chase, Cockwill said: “Gareth and Emmerson batted really well, in a match-winning partnership, led by Gareth.

“Jasper batted responsibly in the conditions to see us over the line with Paul Heard.”

Elsewhere, old boy Lee Baker sent Tavistock spinning towards the Premier Division bottom two with a five-wicket haul in Cornwood’s dramatic six-run win over the Moorlanders at the Ring.

Shaun Daymond, also a spinner, had already bagged four wickets to help dismiss Cornwood for a modest 125. Ahmad Hasan (2-21) made life hard for the Wood with the new ball.

Mohsin Khan made 50 and George Thompson 21, which did not leave much from the rest once 24 extras are taken out. Thompson was injured while batting, which forced him to retire hurt.

Baker went one better than former clubmate Daymond with five for 29 as Tavistock stumbled from 52 for one to 77 for five then 88 for seven in reply. Elliott Staddon chipped in with two wickets.

Tavistock still had a chance while opener Elliot Hamilton remained in post, but Baker left them 102 for eight when he trapped him lbw for 52.

Billy Barriball (11no) still had the firepower to win it for Tavistock, but he had to combine stealing the strike with taking runs when available … no easy task.

Khan and Matt Skeemer took a wicket each – Daymond and James McGahey respectively – to consign Tavistock to 119 all out.

Sean Cleave, the Tavistock captain, said after dismissing Cornwood cheaply it was a ‘tough result to take’.

“I thought we were excellent with the ball and bowled Cornwood out for an achievable total,” said Cleave, who was a watcher not a player due to an injury.

“We know the area that’s costing us games, but the positives are there.”

“We’ve been competitive and aren’t losing by big margins, which shows me we’re not far away.”

Cleave said Baker’s five-wicket analysis was ‘no surprise’ then added: “I’ve played a lot of cricket with Lee over the years and he’s a master of his craft.”

Defeat sent Tavistock down to second from bottom, which they share with Hatherleigh. Sidmouth are propping up the table.

“We’ll keep working hard, stay together, and trust that the results will come. There’s still a long way to go.”