Dartington & Totnes II 184 for 8, Ashburton II 188 for 5

Ashburton won by 5 wickets

Put in to bat Dartington & Totnes got off to a good start adding 74 for the first wicket despite the bowlers getting plenty of movement.  Mike Jarvis batted sensibly and within himself and his dismissal came as a surprise.  After hitting a straight drive, which was six inches from clearing the ropes, he turned the next delivery from Matt Coon through mid-wicket.  The ball seemed destined to reach the boundary only for Lambert to hold a fine diving catch to dismiss Jarvis for 41- his side’s top score (excluding extras). Following a typically gritty innings, opening partner David Carter fell soon afterwards for 14 to a good catch at point.  Dan Goord struggled to get the ball away and was lbw to Coon (2 for 41) for 6.  Gavin Colegate(18) became another lbw victim, as wickets began to tumble with increasing regularity.  Niall Mulhall impressed in scoring 14 before Levin Veale got stuck into the bowling making 27 not out with some lusty blows which cheered his team mates.

A talking point before the match was that Ashburton had chosen a wicket that had a metal cover in a dip 12 inches behind the stumps right in line with the bowler’s run-up. Though it hadn’t seemed to pose much problem for Ashburton’s bowlers, partly because they bowled round the wicket!), Mick Rusling, opening the bowling from that end struggled, and conceded 9 runs in his first over-more than he had gone for in seven overs the previous week. Rusling reverted to bowling around the wicket for the remainder of his 13 over spell.  Carter, bowling from the other end had no such problems and bowled a fine opening spell without luck.  Rusling got the breakthrough when Peters (19) skied a ball to Mulhall at mid on.  Churchill was adept at dispatching any wide deliveries on the offside but was otherwise tied down and showed little sign of the problems he was to cause with his match-winning innings.  After as short spell from Goord, spinner Chris Worth replaced Carter and started well. Churchill and Yabsley took to the score 74 before Yabsley was bowled by Rusling for 8, missing a short delivery.  New batsmen Lacey was immediately in trouble against Rusling (3 for 36) and was lbw in the same over.

Goordy’s sledging of Churchill backfired when after Dan suggested he had not middled anything Churchill hit Worth for two fours and a six in one over.  Worth came back well and bowled Vernon Coon for 21.  Churchill battled on determinedly and Worth, who hadn’t bowled for some time was on the receiving end of more punishment.  Another six from Churchill put a dent in Carter’s car bonnet adding injury to insult.  Ashburton needed 52 with 11 overs remaining as Carter brought himself back into the attack. He immediately bowled a fantastic over which Churchill was lucky to survive.  The first four deliveries narrowly missed the stumps. Churchill edged the next one high in the air, keeper Taylor got underneath it but couldn’t hold the ball and with it went D&T’s chances of getting something from the match.  Carter trapped W Coon lbw in his next over but older brother Matt was next man in and batted very well, scoring 26 not out, with Churchill on 96 not out as Ashburton breezed home with 5 overs to spare.