Sidmouth will have home advantage against Heathcoat in the Premier Division play-off final on Saturday (12.30pm), writes Conrad Sutcliffe.

The clash of the 2018 and 2019 Premier Division champions was the first of the games to be sorted out when league officials sifted through the list of finals. Teams knew whom they would be playing but not where.

Although all but one semi-final in all 23 mini-divisions was played on Saturday – Bideford and Filleigh agreed to play a week later instead – the winners had to wait until today (Monday) to learn whether they would be at home or away.

League officials had a number of problems to contend with, such as ground availability at shared facilities and also what to do if a club had two teams in different play-offs?

David Sheppard, the league secretary, said following a Zoom video-conference call this morning (Monday) officials worked out a way to allocate venues.

“Firstly we looked at the semi-finals,” said Sheppard. “If a winning team was away we placed them at home in the final. If both winning semi-final teams were either home or away we tossed a coin to determine the allocation.

“All of that was done alongside known ground availability issues, which also needed to be taken into account.

“We have been as fair as possible when trying to work out who will be home or away and hope all clubs will appreciate that.”

The toss of a coin gave Cornwood home advantage against Sandford in the Premier Tier runners-up play-off.

Three Plympton teams are through to play-offs and as their home ground has been requisitioned for a charity match all their matches are away, which has a knock-on effect on Ipplepen.

Ipplepen 1stXI anticipated being at home to Torquay in the Tier Two final, not away. Pens’ second team are up against Plympton, who have to play away as they can’t play at home.

A new innovation for the Devon League in all the finals is to use the super-over format to decide tied games.

Teams have been offered the option of rearranging games that fall foul of bad weather for the following day or either Saturday, September 19 or Sunday 20.

“In an event where no decision can be agreed between two finalists the DCL will make a final decision,” said Sheppard.

FIXTURES

GROUP WINNERS:Premier Tier: Sidmouth v Heathcoat Tier Two: Torquay v Ipplepen; Tier Three: Kilmington v Stoke Gabriel; Tier Four: Bridestowe v Sampford Peverell & Tiverton; Tier Five: Uplyme & Lyme Regis v Plymouth CS&R; Tier Six: Kenn v Lustleigh; Tier Seven: Shaldon II v Stokeinteignhead; Tier Eight: Sidbury v Bridestowe II.

GROUP TWO:Premier Tier: Cornwood v Sandford; Tier Two: Plymouth II v Thorverton; Tier Three: Paignton II v Upottery; Tier Five: Ivybridge II v Alphington & Countess Wear; Tier Six: Chagford v South Brent; Tier Eight: Woodbury & NSC II v Plympton III.

GROUP THREE:Premier Tier: Cullompton v Shaldon Optimists; Tier Two: Bovey Tracey III v Shobrooke Park; Tier Three: Thorverton II v Topsham St James; Tier Four: Plymouth CS&R II v Chudleigh II.

GROUP FOUR:Premier Tier: Hatherleigh v Plympton; Tier Two: Clyst SG v Bovey Tracey III; Tier Three: Ipplepen v Plympton II; Tier Four: Budleigh Salterton II v Cornwood IV; Tier Five: Sampford Peverell & Tiverton II v Cullompton II.