Simmons and Pugsley net three wicket hauls in Sidmouth win at Budleigh

Zac Bess batting for Sidmouth at home to Torquay. Ref shsp 23-17TI 3905. Picture: Terry Ife (Image: Archant)

The Fortfield men were 55-run winners of their penultimate group game which took them across to the Ottermouth home of Budleigh Salterton.

Sidmouth skipper Zac Bess lost the toss and had to ask his batsmen to pad up and there was a rare failure for Alex Barrow with the opener suffering a nine ball duck. Josh Bess fell next, out for 19 with the score then 45-2 and it was soon 50-3 with Luke Bess back in the pavilion with 27 runs to his name.

Byron Knowles then joined skipper Zac Bess and the pair took the total to 115 when Knowles became the fourth wicket, trapped leg before having scored 23.

As Nick Mansfield trooped out to join Bess, the skipper was unbeaten on 36 and he was 63 not out when Mansfield became the fifth wicket down, bowled for 22.

Zac Bess eventually chalked up his century, ending the innings unbeaten on 107 from 87 balls with six fours and seven sixes. Cameron Evans-Grainger (9) was the other not out batsman as Sidmouth closed on 224-5 after 40 overs.

When the Budleigh reply began there were a brace of early wickets for Tom Simmonds to reduce the home side to 13-2 and it was soon 62-4 with wickets claimed by Josh Bess and Byron Knowles.

Three more wickets were snared before Budleigh passed the 100 mark with the successful Sidmouth bowler being Ollie Puglsey with two wickets while a Tom Simmons throw set up a run-out. Simmons and Pugsley both collected another wicket each and there was a second run out, this time as a result of a Josh Bess throw as the Budleigh reply closed on 169 all out after 41.2 overs. In terms of the Sidmouth bowling returns, Tom Simmons finished with figures of 3-20 while the Ollie Pugsley return was 3-44 and the other successful bowlers were Josh Bess (1-31) and Byron Knowles (1-36).