SIDMOUTH Cricket Club’s fielding against Plymouth became something of a family affair when Graham Bess was obliged to undertake 12th man duties and join his three sons, Josh, Luke and Zach, when an injury befell Sam Anderson in the first over.

It was the second week in succession that a head injury had depleted Sidmouth and this time it was crucial – helping Plymouth pile up 316-6 which proved beyond the home side at the Fort Field.

Once again Josh Bess was involved in the mishap. The previous week, while doing some pre-match batting practice at Sandford, he had felled Anthony Griffiths. This time the match had just got under way when he sent down a quick delivery that was edged to slip by James Toms before he had got off the mark. The ball broke through Anderson’s hands, struck him on the head and a hospital check-up was deemed necessary.

Bess senior donned whites in anger for the first time in several years and watched the runs pile up, Toms going on to make 129 before being stumped by Peter Randerson off Matt Cooke. It was one of three stumpings by the 2012 recruit from Heathcoat.

Bess the elder, who is more regularly seen on the tennis court these days, took a catch to help Cooke take 3-40 but this was not a vintage performance by the team in the field.

The attack, disrupted by the absence of Anderson’s steadiness, was wayward and no-one got away with fewer than four an over. Nick Gingell suffered most, sending down five overs for 76 as Plymouth piled up 100 in the last 10 of their 50 overs.

Sidmouth replied with a spirited 282 to lose by 34 runs. No-one put together a big innings but several batsmen, including Anderson who returned to the fray, got into the 30s. Josh Bess, Will Gater and Randerson made these contributions.

An early finish looked on the cards at 212-9, but last pair Will Murray and Miles Dalton put on 70 to give the reply some respectability. Murray finished up top scorer with 45 and Dalton was 27 not out when the last wicket fell in the final over.

•Liam Lewis, who struck a century in Sunday’s victory over Chard at the Fort Field, comes into contention for tomorrow’s visit to Torquay in the Francis Clark Devon Premier League after serving a three-match suspension for an indiscretion while playing for his previous club, Heathcoat.