Dartington and Totnes suffered a disappointing end to the season when they slipped to a four wicket defeat to Bridestowe at Foxhole.
Batting first, D&T got off to the worst possible start when they lost James Howrihane to the very first ball of the match, bowled by Tom Boother. Joe Parker came in at three and together with surviving opener Ian Bransdon added 17 runs for the second wicket before a mix-up saw Parker run out for 6.
Overseas Matt Sevior, in his last game for the club, now joined Bransdon in the middle and the pair put on 47 for the third wicket before Bransdon was superbly caught one handed by a diving Mark Fogerty behind the stumps to fall for 26 and become Ryan Dennis’ first wicket.
The score was on 95 when the fourth wicket fell, Sevior bowled for 47 by Dennis. Four runs later the fifth wicket fell when Harry Baxendale was caught on the long-on boundary by Phil Hatton off Alex Jopling for 10. The wicket was the first of five to fall to Jopling, all in succession as he ran through the host’s middle and lower order.
9 runs later, Josh Orrell got a leading edge to a Jopling delivery and was caught at point by Ryan Dennis for 7. The bowler was then on a hat-trick when Tyler Walton was stumped by Fogerty for a golden duck.
Alex Winch fell soon after when he was also stumped by Fogerty for 2 to become Jopling’s fourth wicket and leave D&T 111-8. Ben Hartridge and James Nicholls added 21 valuable runs before Nicholls became Jopling’s fifth wicket and Fogerty’s third stumping when he fell for 5.
D&T lost their final wicket with the score on 145 when skipper Harold Stevenson was run out for 0 leaving Hartridge 11 not out at the other end. It was a below par total but with the pitch taking turn, D&T still felt that they had a chance. Alex Jopling had been the most successful of the Bridestowe bowlers taking 5-34 from his 9 overs while Matt Sevior top scored with 47.
The home side needed early wickets but unfortunately for them they didn’t come. The visitors opening pair of Gary Sizmur and Chris Marais were able to take the score to 31 before the first wicket fell, Marais caught at mid-off by Hartridge off Sevior for 5. The second wicket fell 8 runs later when Jack Hatton was caught by Parker off Howrihane for 1.
The next partnership was the match-winning one and took the game away from the home side. Sizmur and Phil Hatton added 86 for the third wicket to take the score to 125. It came as a relief then when the partnership was broken, Sizmur caught and bowled by Hartridge for 62.
That wicket started a mini-collapse for the visitors in which they lost four wickets for only eight runs. Hatton followed Sizmur soon after when he fell for 36 to become Howrihane’s second wicket and Hartridge’s third catch.
Hartridge then picked up two wickets in an over when he bowled Mark Fogerty for 2 and had Brandon Horn caught by Nicholls for 1.
However, Ryan Dennis sealed the game for the visitors when he dispatched Howrihane over the rope to finish 11 not out.
It had been a frustrating end to the season for D&T in which they had reached second in the table before an inconsistent second half of the season saw them slide down the table. However, finishing fifth was a respectable place to finish and gives them something to improve on next season.