TAVISTOCK battered Plymouth by 190 runs at Mount Wise to shoot out of the A Division relegation places.

Victory took Tavistock five points clear of Plymstock, who traded places with them in the bottom two.

Opener Billy Barriball was the only top-six batter to miss out as Tavistock raced to 349 for seven in 50 overs.

Dimuth Sandaruwan, who batted at first wicket down, put on 40 with Ian Gray (18) and 94 with Rhys Davies as Tavistock hurtled along to 172 for three.

Davies and Dave Manning (46) added another 89 for the fourth wicket as the total kept on climbing.

There was a brief respite for Plymouth as they removed Manning then Davies, who was run out for 93.

The temperature went up several degrees after that as Tavistock skipper Charlie Barriball clattered four fours and the same number of sixes in a rapid 50 not out from 22 balls.

“We were 152 for two at drinks and from there kicked on into the second half of the innings,” said skipper Barriball.

“Having numerous players chip-in and bat around Rhys helped us reach a total we were very happy defending.”

Naz Siddiqui (2-64) and Aziz Rahmanzai (2-62) were the only Plymouth bowlers to claim more than one wicket. Dave Burke and Sam Stein kept the scoring rate below five an over.

A staggering 72 extras – 53 of them wides – helped inflate Tavistock’s total.

Siddiqui (26) was the only one of Plymouth’s top five to make much headway at the start of the chase. Tavvy bowlers James McGahey (3-44) and Sandaruwan (2-47) kept the lid on in the early overs.

Nathan Birks – 54 off 40 balls – got Plymouth going for a while, but the damage had already been done.

Wickets for Charlie Barriball (2-28) and Shaun Daymond (3-39) accounted for the final four batters, Birks among them, as Plymouth dipped from 144 for six to 159 all out.

“James McGahey got rid of their top three, then others chipped in with wickets,” said captain Barriball. “A great day out.”

Beating Plymouth is a great result for Tavistock and it now means that a win in next week’s fixture would be all the more impactful. Tavi will host Plymstock, the side who they have just overtaken, in what promises to be a huge game in terms of the relegation battle.

Plymouth have an important game of their own around the corner, as they travel to fifth-placed Thorverton.

Just five points separate this pair plus Bridestowe are only three ahead and so there is a chance for plenty of movement in the A Division standings in the coming weeks.