Dunsford v Belstone

BELSTONE?s South Devon League season came to a climax last Sunday with the visit of Dunsford. Whoever won would remain in the first division next year and whoever lost would be relegated.

For a while it looked as though the weather would cause an abandonment, but eventually the rain relented to allow time to bowl the minimum number of 20 overs to ensure a result.

Belstone won the toss and made inroads into the Dunsford batting, reducing them to 6 for 3 after 13 balls, all clean bowled by Jonathan Parsons? inswingers and the pace of Aidan Easterbrook.

Gavin Davey led the recovery with a chanceless knock of 60, sharing an important stand of 54 for the fifth wicket with Martin Partridge (19), leaving Dunsford on a respectable 121 for six wickets at the 5pm finish of the innings after 21 overs.

Belstone also started badly, losing both openers with only 14 on the board, but the real damage was done after skipper Richard Drake holed out in the deep with the score on 37 after 8 overs and Wayne Pearce (10) was smartly caught at midwicket off a full-blooded pull five runs later.

The middle order was soon out as the next three wickets fell for just seven runs, thanks to incisive bowling by Andy Spry (9-1-21-4) and a direct hit run out.

Phil Woods then kept Belstone in with a slim chance, hitting three sixes and sharing in a partnership of 46 for the eighth wicket with Simon Tremain (15), but when he was out for 41 in the last over Dunsford completed the victory by 14 runs, thus condemning Belstone to the second division next year.

Partnership Publishing South Devon League Division One

P W L A Pts

Chudleigh 12 11 1 0 126

Roborough 10 7 1 2 76

Pinhoe 12 7 4 1 75

Stoke 11 5 6 0 68

Dunsford 12 4 7 1 58

Belstone 12 3 9 0 47

Ashburton 11 1 10 0 15