Cornwood maintain a slender lead at the top

C DIVISION WEST CORNWOOD 2nd XI still have a slender one-point lead over Stoke Gabriel at the top of the Tolchards DCL C West table after beating Ashburton by 35 runs.

- CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

It could not be much tighter at the top of the table where the Corns (127pts) are just ahead of Stoke Gabriel (126) with Ivybridge right behind both of them on 123.

Nine of Cornwood's first 10 batters contributed a double-figure score to a 45-over tally of 221 for nine. Matt Butterworth was the odd man out.

Harry Woolway top scored on 39, Jason Hall was next best on 28 and there were useful additions from Charles Finan (23), Chris Parker (22) and Noah Carlisle (21).

Although Jon Malan and Chris Yeo had three wickets each for Ashburton, the frugal bowling was done by Matt Churchill and Ryan May, who both cost only 3.22 runs an over.

Ashburton's top four all got in, all got settled and all got out without bettering the 22 made by Lloyd White.

If the game was won and lost anywhere it was during the period when Ashburton slid from 143 for five to 145 for seven and on to 152 for nine, when May was dismissed for 21.

Run-outs did Ashes no favours in the top half. Hall (3-31) and Matt Puttock (2-55) did most of the damage lower down as the Ashes faded to 186 all out.

SAM White hit an unbeaten 64 as Plymouth 2nd XI chased their way to a four-wicket win at Babbacombe.

Josh Thompson, back at Babbacombe this season after a stint with Ipplepen, top scored for the Hillsiders with 52 in a total of 222 for nine.

Marcus Thompson (21) and Rob Redding (39) put up 50 for Babbacombe's first wicket in a stand never bettered, although Redding and J K Kurlan (34) then Josh Thompson and Steven Bowman (18) shared stands in the mid-40s.

Jon Kerridge showed what he thought of being left out of Plymouth's first team with five Babbacombe wickets for 48 runs.

Plymouth's chase picked up pace while Nathan Birks (37), Tom Hughes (42) and White took the pursuit from 84 for four to 158 for six. White and Aziz Rahmanzai (27) were Plymouth's not-out batters come the end of the match.