North Devon Barnstaple and Pilton v Belstone THE home side included Sam and Jason Lathwell, the sons of Test cricketer Mark Lathwell, and paceman Jack Popham, who has played for Gloucestershire second XI this year. Barnstaple and Pilton accumulated steadily through their 45 overs to reach 202-7 at the close with Tom and Jack Popham top scoring with 44 apiece. A useful 30 not out came at the end from Andrew Fewings. All six Belstone bowlers got among the wickets with Tom Fogerty (9-3-22-1) being the most economical. Anything down leg-side is an automatic wide in this League – the umpires were kept busy in both innings signalling 28 and 24 wides respectively. Belstone began badly losing Phil Woods for a duck, but after that Scott Tremain and Tom Pearce gradually took complete command to post an unbeaten match-winning partnership of 205 (the second highest stand for any wicket in the club's history) to take the visitors to a nine-wicket win with more than eight overs to spare. Both batsmen finished on 87 not out, with Pearce named man-of-the-match for also picking up a wicket and taking two catches. Holsworthy v Belstone SKIPPER Richard Drake asked Holsworthy to bat when Belstone paid a first-ever visit to the town for another league game. Dave Gerry and Darren Jenkin began steadily, adding 47 for the first wicket before Gerry went for 10, caught low down in the gully by Chris Walpole in Tom Fogerty's first over. After a rain break which reduced the match from 45 to 40 overs-a-side, Jenkin unexpectedly played all round Drake's second ball and was bowled for 46, having hit five boundaries and a six. Darren Webber (29) and Keith Drew (27) both contributed useful runs before Drake dismissed them as well to finish with figures of three for 48 from his eight overs. Holsworthy upped the pace towards the end with an unbroken fifth wicket partnership of 76 in ten overs between Warren Rumble (38 not out) and Matthew Mansbridge, who raced to 48 not out in 34 minutes with two fours and four sixes. Needing to score 227 to win Belstone were soon behind the run rate with three quick wickets lost and only 24 on the board. Webber took two of these in his first five overs while conceding just three runs. Ryan Dennis, with well-timed drives, and Drake, with a mixture of traditional stroke-play and improvisation, repaired the damage with a stand of 83 in 15 overs before Dennis was caught low down at mid-off for 30. Drake reached a run-a-minute half century during a partnership of 45 for the sixth wicket with Matt Dennis but was bowled for 67 trying an ambitious shot with the score on 152. Dennis continued the charge bludgeoning four big sixes off full tosses as Belstone suddenly looked capable of chasing down the total but three quick wickets for Ryan Walter again stemmed the flow. Needing to score at 10-an-over for the last six overs Belstone took 13 from each of the first two but, with wickets running out, Dennis was caught by Tom Hall on the long-off boundary for 39 to give the home side a 26-run victory.