CORNWOOD gained ground on Premier leaders Sandford by handing out an eight-wicket thrashing to Heathcoat.

The Wood may remain third but Sandford’s defeat at the hands of Bradninch & Kentisbeare has the effect of concertinaing the gap between the leading trio.

Tom Hatton top scored for Heathcoat with 43 as his side reached 200 all out, before an unbroken stand of 124 from Matt Skeemer (58no) and Max Finzel (82no) had the game won for Cornwoos with more than seven overs to go.

Meanwhile, in B Division, Stoke Gabriel rediscovered their winning tough by inflicting a three-wicket defeat on Budleigh Salterton in a low-scoring affair.

Three wickets each for Jake Robinson and Jake Tolley, the current and previous Stoke captains, had Budleigh all out for 123.

At 88-3, Stoke looked good, the same couldn’t be said for the slump that took them to 99-7. In low-scoring games like these, the bottom half of the batting order prove crucial and that rang true in this one.