Ottery St Mary CC - the Otters form on matchday four of recent Tolchards Devon League seasons

With no cricket possible until, at the very earliest, July 1, we have taken a look back at matchday four fixtures for the Maer men over the past decade.

Last season (2019)

Matchday four was a May 25 meeting with Exeter II that saw Ottery win by seven wickets. The Otters called on six different bowlers as Exeter were bowled out for 173 in 43 overs and two balls. Sam Brook, introduced as the second change, claimed figures of 4-15 and there were two wicket hauls for Joe Birch and Ollie West. West then opened and top scored with 64 and there was an unbeaten 48 from Dan Flower as Ottery reached the winning line with one ball of the 31st over remaining

Season 2018

Matchday four saw Ottery defeat Clyst Hydon by 97 runs. Batting first, Ottery closed on 315-8, led there by a 130-ball innings of 138 from Ollie West with his knock including 17 fours and two sixes. Jack Malden, at number seven, hit 44 and there was a knock of 33 from number five bat Rob Johns. Rain hit the game and, when Clyst Hydon were left facing a revised target of 284 from 40 overs and three ball, they could only muster a closing total of 186-8 with second change bowler Ollie West taking 3-39.

Season 2017

Matchday four saw Ottery beaten by Tavistock by a margin of 81 runs. Tavistock batted first and were restricted to a 45-over score of 182-9. Ottery used seven different bowlers and the top returns came from Will Harrison (2-30), Jody Clements (2-29) and Tom Jeacock (2-17). The Otters were then bowled out inside 31 overs for 101. The only contributions of double figure scores came from opener Dan Flower (18), number seven Rob Johns (26), number eight Rob Crabb (15) and number nine bat Joe Birch (17).

Season 2016

Matchday four saw Ottery lose their meeting with Bideford, Littleham and Westward Ho. In what proved to be a close encounter, the Otters lost by a margin of just four runs! Will Harrison (3-31), Jody Clements (2-42) and Matt Reed (2-45) combined to take the bulk of the wickets as the North Devon side closed on 245-9. Billy Reed top scored with a knock of 60 from the number three slot and there were late order runs from Matt Reed (43) and Joe Birch (36) - the pair taking Ottery from what seemed a ‘lost cause’ on 161-7, adding 74 for the eighth wicket, but ultimately, Ottery came up just short, losing their final wicket on 241 with 15 balls of the match remaining.

Season 2015

Matchday four saw the Ottery defeat Uplyme and Lyme Regis by 38 runs. A knock of 97 from the opening berth by Billy Rudolph and a knock of 64 from number four bat Mickey Wilkinson underpinned the Ottery total of 256-9 in 45 overs. Uplyme & Lyme Regis replied with a score of 218-5 and it was third change bowler Rob Johns who had the most success, returning figures of 2-38 from nine overs.

Season 2014

Matchday four was hit by rain and all three of the Ottery senior XIs had their Devon League matches washed out. The 1st XI were denied any action against Dartington & Totnes, the 2nd XIs trip to Bradninch was also off as was the Ottery III XI home meeting with Thorverton III.

Season 2013

Matchday four was a May 25 match against Ipplepen that saw Ottery beaten by a margin of five wickets. Ottery were bowled out for 154, a total that Ipplepen successfully chased down for the loss of five wickets.

Season 2012

Matchday four saw Ottery beaten by a margin of five wickets in another May meeting with Ipplepen. The Otters batted first and were bowled out for 190, a total that the South Devon chased down to record a second successive five wicket win over Ottery.

Season 2011

Matchday four saw Ottery record an emphatic nine wicket win over Countess Wear. After bowling the Exeter side out for 113, the Otters cruised to victory on 114-1.

Season 2010

Matchday four of the season saw Ottery lose to Tiverton by seven wickets. The Otters batted first and closed on 194-8 which Tiverton passed, losing just three wickets in the process.