It was the three Bess boys, Joshua, Zachary and Luke, who ended the 2017 Tolchards Drinks Devon League campaign as the top three Sidmouth CC batsmen.

Joshua ended the term as the number one batter with a total of 737 runs in 14 innings, finishing with a season’s average of 56.69. He struck six half centuries and two tons with his highest single matchday score being 120.

Zachary claimed second spot after his 13 innings that saw him accumulate 586 runs and finish with an average of 58.6, while Luke Bess was third with his 391 runs, scored from 16 innings and he finished with an average of 26.07.

The ‘best of the rest’ in terms of 1st XI run scoring was the 318 run count from Matt Cooke, who ended the term with an average of 22.71, and fifth in the final rankings was Scott Barlow with 227 runs and an average of 22.7. The only other 1st XI batsman to pass 200 league runs in the campaign was Nick Gingell, who scored 204.

The 1st XI bowling honours went to Scott Barlow with his 26 wickets coming at an average of 21.77 – the best match day return from Barlow was a shift of 4-24.

Second in the bowling honours – and without doubt one of the best all-round returns from any player in the Premier Division across the season – was Joshua Bess, who claimed 23 wickets at an average of 21.52 – and he also had the season’s best single return of 6-25 (just pipping Will Murray’s 6-28).

Third in the bowling was Charlie Miles with his 23 wickets seeing him end with an average of 22.13 and that was also the average retuned by Will Murray with his 17 wicket haul. The ‘best of the rest’ in terms of wicket hauls was the six claimed by Liam Lewis.