TAVISTOCK did enough to stave off relegation from the Tolchards DCL A Division when they won by four wickets away to Torquay & Kingskerswell.
They did cut it fine though, with Will Scott-Munden and acting captain Shaun Cleave scuttling the two needed to win off Harry Baxendale’s bowling.
Victory moved Tavistock 20 points ahead of Plymstock, who are stuck in the second relegation place following their defeat by Kilmington in the basement battle at Dean Cross.
Although there are 20 points still to be contested in the final round of matches this Saturday, Tavistock have more wins and more bonus points than Plymstock, which would be the determining factor in the unlikely event of a dead heat on points.
The secret of Tavistock’s success on the Recreation Ground was holding Torquay & Kingskerswell to 199 for four in a rain-reduced 42-over game.
A 77-run stand for the first wicket between openers Tim Western (33) and Chris Kelmere, who went on to make 80, occupied more than half the available overs.
Kelmere, who has now passed 800 league runs this season, added another 95 with skipper Harry Passenger, who made 62.
Tavistock Spinners Shaun Daymond – one for 33 from nine overs – and Dimuth Sandaruwan (0-27) were particularly frugal. James McGahey (2-38) and Marc Lewis (0-37) gave little away.
Torquay & Kingskerswell did press the loud pedal in the final 10 overs, when they added 86 with some big shots.
Billy Barriball played the anchorman role for Tavistock with 44 from 62 balls. His stand of 62 with Sandaruwan (33) got the chase up and running.
Sandaruwan then Dave Manning (45) took Tavistock to 168 for five, which left 32 to win and five overs to get them. Scott-Munden’s unbeaten 36 clinched it, but only just!
Passenger deployed seven bowlers against Tavistock’s batters. Kelmere (3-33 off nine) was the most effective.
Elsewhere, Bridestowe won by two wickets at Thorverton in a game that was not quite as close as it appears.
Ben Coe, the 2nd XI skipper, top scored for Thorverton with 42 in their total of 165 for five in a match trimmed down to 40 overs due to bad weather. George Daldorph weighed-in with 33 not out and put on 48 for the fifth wicket with Bobby Heard (23).
Ben Slaviero (3-22) had Bridestowe rocking at 12 for three before Shaquan Glasgow and Billt Searle hauled them out of the mire.
Glasgow (71) and Searle (57) took Bridestowe to the brink of victory with a stand of 124 for the fourth wicket.
The returning Slaviero broke the stand by dismissing Searle, but Glasgow went on until the scores were level, when Thors’ skipper Jake Choules sent him back.
Thorverton’s Alex Jopling (3-24) took three wickets with the scores level, but the outcome was never in doubt.
