Sidmouth suffered a second successive defeat of the Tolchards Devon League top flight season when beaten at home by Torquay, with the visitors, who lost the toss, winning the match by five wickets.

After opting to bat first, Sidmouth skipper Zach Bess saw Alex Barrow and Josh Bess give the Fortfield men a great start as they chalked up 50 at a run-a-ball. However, they were parted at 63 with Bess out for 28. That sparked a regular falling of wickets and, from 166-5, the home innings imploded to 204 all out off 40.3 overs.

That final score would have been considerably less had it not been for a splendid 97 fro opener Barrow - his half century being reached from 65 deliveries with six fours.

The 'best of the rest' - that 23 from Josh Bess apart, were 13 from Luke Bess and 12 from Matt Cooke. Form batsman five down, that 12 from Cooke, who was at number six, was the highest score amongst the middle and lower order.

The Torquay reply was given an 85 run start before the first wicket was snared and, despite a slip where the visitors fell from 134-2 to 140-5, an unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 68 with Chris Kelmere scoring a 47-ball half century, saw Torquay to a five wicket win with some four overs and fur balls to spare.

Matt Cooke had the pick of the home bowling returns with his figures being 2-27 from 6.2 overs.

On Saturday (June 8), Sidmouth, who slipped to fourth with this defeat, travel to meet an Exeter side that will start the day one point, and one place above them in the table.