Sidmouth suffered a shock opening day defeat in the defence of their Tolchards Devon League title, beaten at home by Paignton by a margin of seven wickets.

After losing the toss and being incited to bat first, Sidmouth got off to a miserable start and half the team were back in the pavilion with just 22 overs and two balls sent down and 84 runs on the Fortfield scoreboard!

Dec Lines was the first to fall, he and Matt Cooke had put on 29 when Lines was caught behind for five off the first ball of the seventh over.

Cooke followed him inside three more overs, clean bowled for 13. Skipper Luke Bess, in at three, and Zack Bess at four, took the total to 76-3 when Zack Bess fell to the fifth ball of the 20th over for 28.

Dan Powell was next man in – and out – falling for two with the score on 80 and just four more runs were added when skipper Bess was dismissed for r a 62 minute, 42 ball stay at the crease that saw him score 16, leaving his side 84-5 after 22.2 overs.

Nick Mansfield joined Nick Gingell and they took the score into three figures before Mansfield became the sixth wicket to fall, out for four with the total then 100-6 after 27.3 overs.

Will Murray joined Gingell, but he survived just three deliveries before becoming the seventh wicket to fall without troubling the scorers - a fourth wicket for first change Yates and a second wicket to fall with the score on 100, leaving Sidmouth 100-7 after 28 overs. Scott Barlow joined Gingell and the pair stopped the rot, adding 55 for the eighth wicket which was Barlow, stumped for a 38-ball five bioundary 30.

That wicket fell at 155, and so did the next one with Gingell caught behind five balls after the Barlow dismissal, having been at the crease for 67 minutes, facing 55 balls and scoring a seven boundary 38.

Charlie Miles was the last man out – the last pair adding 22 to see the side to a close of 177 all out after 46.4 overs.

Miles fell for 13, leaving Miles Dalton as the not out batsman on eight.

There was instant success for Sidmouth after tea with Dan Powell making a smart stumping to send back one of the openers who had not troubled the scorer with Barlow the successful bowler. It was Will Murray at the opposite end to Barlow with the new ball who put real pressure on the run chasing side as he sent down five overs for a miserly eight runs as just 21 runs came from the first nine overs.

However, Paignton dug deep and reached 47 when they lost their second wicket. Thereafter they were to lose just one more as Devon’s Dan Wolf struck a fine run-a-ball unbeaten 72 to see Paignton to a seven wicket win with a full nine overs remaining!

Charlie Miles returned the best of the bowling figures with two wickets for 24 runs from 10 overs and Scott Barlow was the only other successful home bowler (1-46 from a full complement of 10 overs). Miles Dalton sent down a splendid spell of 10 overs for just 19 runs while Will Murray came back for a second spell to finish with 0-39 from nine. Matt Cooke also bowled, his 6.4 overs saw him wicketless for 34 runs and Nick Mansfield’s two over cameo cost 14 runs.