Ottery St Mary 1st XI completed the double over South Devon rivals Ashburton, as left arm paceman Will Harrison took full advantage of helpful conditions to post a fine five-wicket haul, writes Ian Townsend.
The Ashes will have regretted their decision to bat first as, after Mark Woodman trapped Kev Nicholls (7) lbw, Harrison tore through the top order, producing terrific inswingers to remove Tom Durman (3), Ashley Berry (3) and Ashley Harvey (0), all pinned lbw. And after Chris Pascoe played on off his pads against the same bowler, the visitors were staring down the barrel at 48-5.
The innings was rescued by an excellent 76 run stand between Tony Lacey and 17-year-old Will Coon who played a remarkably mature innings during which he simply accumulated runs in a most impressive fashion.
It took a brilliant athletic catch from young Ottery keeper Jack Pritchard to break the stand as Lacey (23) fell to the returning Harrison (5-41), after which a late wicket apiece to Woodman and Ed Fane-Trefusis restricted the Ashes to 163-8. Coon remained unbeaten on 59 from 115 balls.
Richard Townsend (0) departed early in the Otters’ reply as he aimed an uncharacteristically loose shot at Durman.
Sam Tennant and the ever reliable George Biggs played sensibly to take the score to 47 before the former perished, caught and bowled off the ever dangerous outswing of Marcus West. Biggs (34) fell lbw to West to leave Ottery at 72-3.
Home skipper Jody Clements ‘teed off’ in typical fashion against the spin of Harvey, blasting 44 from just 39 balls (8 x 4s) to put his side firmly in charge.
West returned to bowl a slogging Clements and completed a deserved ‘fivefer’ by removing Adrian Pullin (6) and Pritchard (14).
A typically obdurate innings from Alex Clements (16) took the home side to the brink of victory, which was secured shortly afterwards with three wickets in hand and Woodman and Fane-Trefusis at the crease.
Francis Clark Devon League C Division:
Ashburton 163-8 (W Coon 59*, Extras 30, T Lacey 23, W Harrison 5-41, M Woodman 2-41)
Ottery St Mary 164-7 (J Clements 44, G Biggs 32, M West 5-49).
Ottery St Mary (18pts) bt Ashburton (6pts) by 3 wkts.
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