DCL C Division West
Dartington and Totnes 1st XI 108 all out,
Cornwood 2nd XI 95-4;
D and T (four points)
lost to Cornwood (20 points) on run rate
After last week’s victory, Dartington and Totnes first XI were unable to make it two wins in a row when they lost by six wickets to Cornwood seconds in a low-scoring contest.
At an overcast Foxhole, the visitors won the toss and elected to field on a used wicket with a damp outfield.
The D and T opening pair of Matt Sevior and Chris Cook began well in testing conditions, punishing any loose bowling in conditions that favoured the bowling side.
The partnership ended on 47 when Aussie Sevior was caught off the bowling of Andy Bees. Cook was soon caught for a patient 17.
The conditions meant anything above 120 would be a defendable total. New batsmen Josh Orrall and Harry Baxendale added a valuable 15 runs before Orrall was caught behind off of the bowling of Lee Baker.
Baxendale, who was playing some fine strokes including a towering six, was Baker’s second wicket and the fourth to fall, adjudged LBW for 20.
A total collapse of the D and T innings followed, with six wickets falling for just 25 more runs.
Alex Hartridge was unable to replicate his previous week’s heroics and was bowled without scoring.
With James Howrihane also out for a duck, D and T were at 84-6.
This quickly became 100-7 when Andy Bligh, after making eight, was unable to convert his start and was bowled.
Wicketkeeper Alex Winch became the third duck of the innings when he could only send a leading edge to point to give Ben Beaumont his third catch of the innings.
Second XI skipper Gavin Colegate, who was drafted in for this game, was still at the crease having seen five wickets fall, trying to stop the rot and add some much-needed runs to the D and T total, but eventually he was out for a hard-fought 10.
It was left to the last pair of Tyler Walton and captain Harold Stevenson to try and get D and T towards the 120 mark, but the pair could only add two runs before last man Walton was out for the fourth duck of the innings.
The D and T innings closed on 108 all out and the visiting batsmen were left to face a tricky 20-minute spell before tea; in this time the D and T bowlers picked up two wickets, both taken by Baxendale.
With the visitors 29-2 D and T felt they had a chance with the pitch spinning and the outfield slow.
After tea, the new pair of Cornwood batsmen in James Richardson Ciaran Gray accelerated the score to 60 before Gray was bowled by Baxendale for eight leaving Cornwood 79-3.
Richardson was striking the ball well and had scored a match-winning 45 off 24 balls before he was caught and bowled by Baxendale for his fourth wicket of the innings.
The rain that had been threatened to fall all day eventually fell and the players had to go off.
As a result of the rain delay, the Cornwood total was reduced, leaving them needed 15 to win with six wickets left and the slim chance of D and T winning now gone. Daniel Piddock and Griffiths were able to knock off the required runs and leave the home side with their second loss of the season.
It had been a bad day at the office for D and T as despite being put in on a challenging batting surface, no batsman was able to really take the challenge to the Cornwood bowlers.
Despite contributions from Sevior, Cook and Baxendale, no one had been able to score the game-changing runs that were needed to push the total up to a more defendable one. Baxendale was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4-40 from eight.
D and T’s first team are at home again next Saturday when they are taking on Ashburton while the seconds are away at Shaldon second XI.