PRODIGIOUS run-scoring at the Fort Field enabled Sidmouth 2nd XI to begin their defence of the Premier Division 2nd XI title with a 203-run victory against Budleigh Salterton.

PRODIGIOUS run-scoring at the Fort Field enabled Sidmouth 2nd XI to begin their defence of the Premier Division 2nd XI title with a 203-run victory against Budleigh Salterton.Openers Saj Patidar and James Macey both struck centuries before becoming the only wickets to fall in a total of 289.The openers were parted at 215 when Patidar departed with 113 to his name off 85 balls. Six were clubbed for six and 13 for four.Macey was second and last man out at 251 for 106, made off a comparatively sedate 114 balls. He struck 15 fours and two sixes.This left Jamie Wardrop and Simon Sobczak to take the score up to 289 when Patidar declared after 40 overs. Budleigh tried seven bowlers to stop the avalanche of runsIn reply, the visitors lasted 31 overs as they reached 86, Sidmouth contributing 28 of these through extras.While the margin of victory was emphatic, it could have been even more crushing had Sidmouth held all the catches offered by Budleigh's batsmen. Patidar, Graham Munday, Wardrop and Sobczak, all acknowledged to have safe hands, spilled chances they would normally expect to hold.Despite these lapses, the opening seam attack of Greg Chaplin and Mark Jasper shared four victims equally, before giving way to Charlie Dibble whose mastery of flight brought him 5-28. Munday administered the coup de grace with his second ball.Expect Plympton, where Sidmouth travel tomorrow, to provide much sterner opposition.l Sidmouth served up some stale cricket for Bank Holiday Monday and were comprehensively beaten by Whimple.Batting first, the Fort Field club could muster just 116, with the only significant contributions coming from Graham Munday with 34, Dave Gibson with 18 and a valiant rearguard action by Charlie Miles with 16 not out.Miles turned in a tidy spell of off spin to take 2-15 with six overs of off-spin, while fellow 15-year-old seamer Greg Chaplin had similar figures off five overs. At 74-5, there was a slim possibility that Sidmouth might snatch a win from the jaws of defeat, but a disastrous three overs from Craig Ritchie, which cost 33 runs, extinguished hope. His final over, peppered with no balls and wides, lasted 11 balls and saw 18 runs conceded.Top scorer for Whimple was Chris Palfrey, son of former Sidmouth paceman Steve, who made 26 at opener. Will Cleal was the greatest beneficiary of Ritchie's generosity, making 23 not out.