For the third week running all three of the Sidmouth CC senior XIs win and so all three remain top of their respective Tolchards Devon League tables. Indeed, after seven of the 18 Tolchards League match days, the running total of wins and losses for the three XIs together is an impressive, played 21, won 19, lost two!

1st XI

Sidmouth 1st XI duo Luke Bess and Aviwe Mgijima were at the forefront of another comprehensive win for the Fortfield men, both hitting centuries in what was ultimately a 202-run win over a Bovey Tracey side that came into the contest having won four successive Premier Division games.

Batting first, Sidmouth lost the previous weekends centurion, Josh Bess, out for a 45-ball 35, a knock that included three sixes and two fours. They also lost Dec Lines, in his case out for four. However, the Lines wicket fell with the score on 53 and the third wicket was not lost until there score board had a healthy 280 runs on show!

The pair added 227 for the third wicket which was that of skipper Luke Bess, but not before he had scored a wonderful 135-ball 119 hitting 13 fours and three sixes. Mgijima was joined by Zach Bess and they took the total to 345 before a wonderful innings from Mgijima finally came to an end with him being caught off the 88th delivery he faced. The Zimbabwean slammed no fewer than seven sixes and also rifled 11 fours in a terrific knock of 132. Bess was joined for then last knockings of the innings by Henry Gater, who was not out two at the close whole Bess, who had been at the wicket for just 26 deliveries, was not out 54 having hit three fours and three sixes and Sidmouth closed on 369-4 after their 50 overs.

Bovey Tracey’s reply was hit in the early stages by a run out inspired by a Luke Bess throw, but, from 11-1, they reached three figures before, with the score on 119, a second run out, this time initiated by Elliott Rice, was followed by a third wicket being claimed, a catch behind by Cameron Evans-Grainger off the bowling of Charlie Miles and Bovey were three down with 152 runs on the board.

That proved to be about as good as it got for the reigning top flight champions for, from 152-3, they collapsed to 167 all out in 39.1 overs, losing their final eight wickets for the addition of just 15 runs. All five of the Sidmouth bowlers claimed wickets with Charlie Miles bagging the most; his three wicket return was amidst figures of 3-37 from seven overs. Josh Bess – who took the new ball with Aviwe Mgijima – returned figures of 2-42 from a full 10 while the Zimbabwean’s return was 1-34 from 7.1 overs. There were also single wickets for Will Murray (1-45 from 10) and Zach Bess (1-24 from five).

So, another 20 point win and Sidmouth stay top of the Premier Division. They still hold a single point lead over Exeter who also banked a maximum in their home win over Bradninch.

2nd XI

Sidmouth 2nds made it played seven and won seven in their C Division East campaign. They took their all-conquering status to second-in-the-table Ottery St Mary who went into the contest looking to continue their unbeaten home start to the season.

It proved to be a low scoring game with all 20 wickets falling on then day for a combined total of 288 runs.

Sidmouth were invited to bat first and lost the in-form Isaac Thomas to a Joe Birch catch off the bowling of home skipper Will Harrison for four with the score on nine, Nick Gingell joined Nick Mansfield and they took the total to 41 when Mansfield fell, trapped leg before by Harrison, out for 27 with the score then 41-2. The third wicket, that of Nick Gingell, out for 19 to a Joe Birch catch off Rob Johns, left Sidmouth on 63-3 and just a run was added to the score when Robbie Powell was sent back for a second ball duck, caught by Alex Clements off Joe Birch and, when Sidmouth skipper Anthony Griffiths fell for 22, out to an Alex Clements off brother Jody Clements, half the visiting side were back in the Strawberry Lane pavilion with 100 runs on the board. It was soon 108-6 with Tom Wainwright trapped leg before by Ollie West and that became 112-7 and then 114-8 with the loss of Daley Holmes, caught George Southall-Brown off Jody Clements for four and Ed Hurley, caught Harrison, bowled West for one. The ninth wicket fell with the score on 126 – Thomas Simmons being caught by Jody Clements off Henry Mutter.

The final wicket pairing of Fionn Wardrop and Charlie Dibble, arguably, provided the late order additional runs that ultimately ‘won’ the game. The pair took the total to 151 before Dibble was caught by Joe Birch to give Mutter a second wicket. The last two added a crucial 25 runs with Dibble scoring eight and Wardrop finishing unbeaten on 15 from 26 deliveries. Only three other Sidmouth batsmen – Tom Wainwright (64), Anthony Griffiths (60) and Nick Gingell (28), faced more balls than Wardrop.

In terms of the Ottery bowling effort all six bowlers had success. The best return was the one of Jody Clements with his 2-16 from nine overs. There were also two wicket returns from Henry Mutter (2-19 from 3.3), Oliver West (2-22 from six) and skipper Will Harrison (2-41 from seven). The other wickets fell to Rob Johns (1-35 from 9) and Joe Birch (1-16 from nine).

3rd XI

Sidmouth III made it six wins from seven F Division East outings as they recorded a comprehensive 165-run win over Honiton 2nds at Newton Poppleford. After winning the toss and batting first, Thomas Moore (88) and Jash Patidar (20), gave their side an 84 run start and then Ben Sapiecha, who was playing 1st XI cricket for Exeter 12 months ago, joined Moore and they took the score to 145 before Moore fell to the 56th delivery he faced having slammed 13 fours and four sixes.

Louis Adey was third man down, clean bowled without troubling the scorers with the total then 145-3. Miles Dalton joined Sapiecha and it was the former who was the fourth wicket to fall, but not before he had hit a run-a-ball 31 with the score being 214-4 when he was dismissed.

Sapiecha was the fifth wicket, out to the 52nd ball he faced, but not before he had score 63 with three sixes ands six fours.

Jordan Fowler was out for 10 before Graham Munday (14) and Luke Raistrick (0), both fell to leave the score 278-8 before a 30-run partnership for the unbroken ninth wicket between Wes Holmes (25no) and Toby Seldon (15no) saw Sidmouth to a closing total of 308-8 from their 40 overs.

The Honiton reply saw wickets taken on a regular basis. The first fell to a Thomas Moore stumping off the bowling of Lee Clayden and, when Toby Seldon clean bowled the number three bat an d a Louis Adey catch gave Clayden his second, it was followed by catches held by Jash Patidar and Ben Sapiecha, both off the bowling of Luke Raistrick, and Honiton were five wickets down for just 51 runs! It was quickly 56-7 with a third wicket for Clayden and one for Graham Munday. The eighth wicket boosted the reply, adding 74 before a Jash Patidar catch off Jordan Fowler ended that particular piece of resistance.

The last two wickets fell for the addition of just 13 runs with Moore bagging a second stumping, this time off Wes Holmes before Fowler got his second to finish off Honiton’s reply. The Sidmouth bowling returns were led by Lee Clayden (3-22 from eight). Jordan Fowler (2-14 from six) and Luke Raistrick (2-48 from six), Toby Seldon (1-21 from 8), Graham Munday (1-10 from 6) and Wes Holmes (1-23 from five).