Dartington and Totnes took another step closer towards the C Division West title with a 142-run drubbing of Plymouth Seconds at a breezy Foxhole.
Plymouth captain Phil Taylor won the toss and surprisingly elected to bowl first on what looking a hard wicket. The D&T opening pair of Phil Snyman and Chris Cook began cautiously against a good Plymouth attack and it took a superb catch in the gully by Jon Cummings off Ethan Carlisle to dismiss Cook for 12.
The score was 32 when Carlisle picked up his second wicket when Harry Baxendale was adjudged caught behind for 3. Jono Colegate joined danger man Snyman at the crease and together the pair added 87 for the third wicket. Colegate, who had been bed bound all week through illness, found the going tough early on but eventually found his rhythm with some powerful strokes.
Therefore, it came as a surprise when on 40 he could only chip a Teddy Haffenden delivery to Dave Burke in the covers. Joe Parker took the score to 140 when he was the fourth wicket to fall, dragging a Dave Burke delivery on to his stumps to be dismissed for 16. The next partnership was the most substantial of the innings and helped settle the game in D&T’s favour.
Kalon Veale joined Snyman and together put on 138 in 13 overs for the fifth wicket. Snyman who had passed 50 by this point went ballistic blasting the Plymouth bowlers all around the pitch. Having taken 84 balls to get to 50, it only took him a further 19 balls to get to 100. Keen not to miss out on the action, Veale tucked in helping the score along with some clever stroke play.
Snyman had taken his score to 126 and the team score to 278 when he was finally dismissed, caught at deep midwicket by Ollie Parsons off Stan Langmoad to finally break the partnership. Veale, who’s appearances are limiting due to swimming commitments, passed 50. However, he would go no further when Carlisle had him also caught by Parsons on the boundary.
James Howrihane followed up his duck last week with another one when he was bowled first ball to become Carlisle’s fourth wicket. This left it to Tom Chevalier and Nick Dennis to see out the end of the innings and leave D&T on 294-7.
The formidable D&T total had been built on the back of another superb innings from South African Snyman but was helped through important contributions from Colegate and Veale. Carlisle had been the pick of the Plymouth bowlers with 4/54.
Fresh from his heroics with the bat, Snyman opened the bowling and immediately caused the Plymouth batsman trouble with his searing pace, he could count himself unlucky not to pick up a wicket as he consistently beat the batsmen. It was left to his new ball bowling partner of Nick Dennis to pick up the wickets and he did precisely this. To begin with he had Luke Julyan bowled for 5. In his next over he had Jon Cummings bowled for a duck and soon had a third wicket when Sam Knapman was bowled for 11 to leave the visitors 40-3.
The wicket of Knapman sparked a collapse in which the visitors lost 5 wickets for only 9 runs. Skipper Baxendale introduced himself into the attack and picked up two wickets in an over when he bowled Parsons for 15 and Burke for 0, both batsmen playing shots unwise given the situation their team found themselves in.
The situation become even more dire for Plymouth when Adam Talbott, who valiantly came out to bat despite being injured was caught by Veale off Cook for 4 and Baxendale bowled Carlisle for 5. At 49-7, a D&T victory was a near formality and an early finish was on the cards.
However, D&T’s usual high standards of fielding slipped as numerous catches were put down and some slopping bowling allowed Plymouth to rebuild. Claire Varcoe and Teddy Haffenden put on 29 for the eighth wicket before the later was smartly stumped by Alex Winch to give Baxendale a fourth wicket.
A further 27 runs were added for the ninth wicket between Varcoe and Phil Taylor. Varcoe showed why she is a member of the Devon Women’s side with some impressive strokes, particularly against spinners Cook and Baxendale. Cook however, managed to break the partnership when he bowled Taylor for 15 and leave the visitors 105-9.
Frustratingly for the hosts, a further 47 runs were added for the final wicket between Varcoe and Langmead before Langmead chipped a return catch to Howrihane to fall for 10 and leave Varcoe 46 not out.
Plymouth had been bowled out for 152 to leave D&T the victors by 142 runs. Snyman had been the star of the show with a superb hundred before he was backed up by Baxendale and Dennis with the ball.
Next Saturday, D&T travel to winless Yelverton hoping to continue their unbeaten season and take them to within one win of the title.