HATHERLEIGH defeated Cornwood by four runs to put some distance between themselves and the Premier Division bottom two.

Hatherleigh’s nail-biting win moved them nine points clear of the relegation places going into the second half of the season, which swings into action this Saturday at home to bottom side Sidmouth.

Niall Leahy and in-form Gareth Tidball both made half-centuries for Hatherleigh, and Emerson Wood should have had one as well, in Hatherleigh’s 50-over total of 325 for eight.

Finan, who opened up for Cornwood, was out for 178 two balls into the final over with 11 still needed for victory. The target proved just a few too many for the Wood, who ran out of time on 321 for five.

Finan’s personal score was the second highest totalled by any Premier batter this season. Only Cornwood team-mate Mohsin Khan, who struck 203 not out against Sandford in round two, has gone further.

Leahy (62) and Shrey Ghosh (25) got Hatherleigh up to 120 for two, then Tidball (54) kicked on to 248 for five with help from Jasper Presswell and Wood (49).

Paul Heard (23) and Charlie Presswell (27no) added 56 for the eighth wicket in the latter overs.

The Baker duo – dad Lee (2-38) and lad Stanley (2-49) – were the only Cornwood bowlers to take more than one wicket.

Finan, whose hospital doctoring commitments limit his time on the cricket pitch, had never made a half-century in the first team prior to this game. His big stands were 148 for the third wicket with Khan (72), 66 with Chris Parker (21) and 55 with skipper Dart (18no).

The Wood started the final over from Jasper Presswell (2-39) on 314 for four. After Finan was caught by Charlie Presswell at long-on the target was scoring 10 from four balls, which eluded Dart and new man in Sam Griffiths.

Rob Cockwill, the Hatherleigh skipper, said: “It was an important win for us.

“Really pleased to win a close game, if we want to stay up winning games like these will be key.

“If I was being critical, we should have scored a few more runs. And had we held our chances in the field it would have been a slightly less stressful afternoon.”

Cockwill also had two rounds of praise for Finan.

“He batted extremely well and didn’t really deserve to be on the losing side,” said Cockwill.

“He also managed to fix Mark Lake’s dislocated finger in the middle of his innings.”

Meanwhile, Hatherleigh 2nd XI are off the mark but not the bottom of the C Division West thanks to a three-wicket win at South Devon.

Something had to give in the match-up between the bottom two sides in the table, neither of whom had won a game so far.

Hatherleigh (60pts) now have that elusive first league win but are still a point behind South Devon (61) in the standings. To get out of the relegation zone, both need to get past Paignton 2nd XI (85).

South Devon owed a large slice of their 245-6 total to a stand of 139 between Aaron Hammett (64) and Ryan Maunder (63). Jalal Ahmad chipped in 3.

Hatherleigh bowlers Tom Strawbridge (2-22) and Henry D’alberti-Nicholson (1-21) gave South Devon little to go after.

Hatherleigh won it with exactly four overs to spare. A stand of 124 for the third wicket between Danny Forrester (73) and Adam Quick (71) put them in the driving seat.

Although Jack Allen (2-54) and Alan Berchams (3-59) induced a late wobble, Strawbridge (14no) and Luke Wescott (8no) saw it through.