SIDMOUTH CC are the inaugural champions of the McKinley White Exeter Twenty20 competition.

SIDMOUTH CC are the inaugural champions of the McKinley White Exeter Twenty20 competition, propelled there by the bat of Neil Hancock who struck a devastating knock in the final against Exmouth on Sunday.He came to the wicket with the score on 17-1 when Anthony Griffiths was run out, and departed 197 runs later, 139 of them to his name, made off 57 balls.Such was his dominance that in a third wicket stand of 125 his partner, Josh Bess, made 26.Many of Hancock's 16 sixes didn't just clear the boundary ropes, they disappeared out of the ground and over adjacent houses. He punished Matt Tarry for having the temerity to dismiss Bess with the first ball of his second over by clobbering the next four for six.Despite the mayhem, two of Exmouth's bowlers emerged with respectable figures as Sidmouth totalled 235-4 - Chris Lederley with 14 off his four overs and Richard Baggs with 27 from his quota. After that, anyone who conceded less than 15 an over considered themselves to have got off lightly.But Sidmouth did not have it all their own way and after 14 overs Exmouth, with 133-5, had two more runs than Sidmouth at the same stage. This was largely thanks to their skipper, Richard Baggs, who hit 73 off 34 balls.He perished to Nick Gingell, gaining a name for himself as a specialist limited overs bowler, who finished with 4-23.After Baggs's departure at 127, the Exmouth reply faded to 169 all out.Originally Sidmouth had been scheduled to play Sandford in the semi-finals, but the Crediton club withdrew and host club Clyst St George filled the void.Hancock warmed up for the final with 89 in 31 balls against them as Sidmouth made 228-4, Gingell aiding and abetting matters with 51. Shell-shocked Clyst were dismissed for 55, with three wickets each for Will Murray and Louis Talay and two for Matt Cooke.