Sidmouth 1st XI were three wicket winners at Plymouth where they bowled the home side out for 155 in 46 overs on match day two of the Tolchards Devon League Premier Division season.

Indeed, that home score would have been considerably less had it not been for an excellent 82 from opening bat James Burke.

The damage was done by the three change bowlers with first change Will Murray claiming 3-21 from 10 overs, second change Aviwe Mgijima bagged 2-27 from eight and third change Charlie Miles returned figures of 3-26 from 10 overs.

Matt Cooke and Josh Bess launched the reply and took the total to 41 before Cooke fell to a catch having scored a run-a-ball 25 with four fours and a six.

Skipper Luke Bess was next in, but Josh Bess fell with the score on 73 having scored a 40-ball 29 with a six and five fours. Just five runs were added before new bat, Aviwe Mgijima lost his skipper when he was caught for eight and it was soon 94-4 with the dismissal of the previous week’s half centurion – Elliott Rice – clean bowled for two having faced 14 deliveries and, when Zimbabwean Mgijima became the fourth of the top five batters to hole out into a safe pair of Plymouthian hands, the run chase was wobbling a little on 98 with half the side back in the pavilion.

However, a 33-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Henry Gater (37) and Nick Gingell (8) settled things down and the final wicket lost was that of Gater, leaving Robbie Powell (12 not out from 24 balls) and Will Murray (4 not out from 18) to see the side to a three wicket win with 10 overs and one ball remaining.

That’s played two and won two for Luke Bess and his team and they are one of three teams – the others being Exmouth (top) and Exeter (third) – that share top spot, separated only by a single point with a dozen points’ drop to fourth placed Bradninch. Early days, for sure, but match day three (May 19) sees Sidmouth entertain a Heathcoat side that beat Hatherleigh by five wickets last weekend after going down by six wickets at Exmouth on the first day of the new league term.