Win sees Cornwood close gap at the top

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

- CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

PREMIER DIVISION

The Wood went into round six of the 18-game competition with a 19-point gap between them in third and table-topping Sandford.

Cornwood remain third, but Sandford’s defeat by Bradninch & Kentisbeare in the first-versus-second game at Creedy Park had the effect of concertinaing the gap between the top three.

Sandford (103pts) remain top with Bradninch & Kentisbeare (99) the Cornwood (96) hard on their heels.

As Cornwood are at home to Sandford this Saturday, the order of the top three could be about to change.

Tom Hatton top scored for Heathcoat with 43 and his opening stand of 77 with skipper Dylan PenberthyHutchings (24) was as good as it got in a total of 200 all out.

Jamie Drew, who batted first wicket down, made a patient 36 during an hour and a half in the middle and was involved in partnerships that took Heathcoat’s running total to 161 for seven.

Matt Skeemer (3-25) ended Drew’s vigil caught behind, dismissed Lewis Hough first ball, but was denied a hat-trick by Fin Stoneman.

Jack Ormsby and Naveen Fernando had two wickets each.

Ben Privett (47) and Max Finzel (82no) got the Wood away to a 70-run start before the former was cleaned-up by Drew (2-35).

After Ryan Rickard came and went with minimal inconvenience for the scorers, Skeemer (58no) went out to join Finzel. Their unbroken stand of 124 had the game won with more than seven overs to go.

Elliott Staddon, the Cornwood captain, said a feature of a “pleasing win” was seeing work-ons being put into practice.

“Delighted to see that areas we want to improve in we are showing signs of doing,” said Staddon.

“Heathcoat started strongly and to bowl them out for 200 from 77 for none was a superb bounce back by the bowling unit.

“Max Finzel and Ben Privett started superbly at the top, and put us in a position where we could take our time with the chase.