North Devon’s unbeaten run in the Premier Division ended after eight matches when they went down by three wickets to defending champions Sidmouth.
Sidmouth were the last team to beat North Devon when the two sides met in the first half of the season and they did it again thanks to match-winning 80 not out from Luke Bess, who hauled Sidmouth round after they had slowed to 100 for four chasing 248 to win.
It was a close thing though with just three balls remaining when Bess hit the winning runs.Jas Kalsi top scored for North Devon with 88 not out in a total of 247 for six.
Josh Bess (2-51) and Will Murray accounted for Barney Huxtable, Rob Gear and dangerman Glenn Querl in a running total of 56 for three.
Craig Overton (58) and Kalsi upped the pace with a stand of 69 for the fourth wicket. After Overton was bowled by spinner Charlie Miles (3-49), Kalsi kept going with Tom Allin (23) and fit-again Dan Bowser (19no) in partnerships worth 46 and 62 unbroken.
Sidmouth got just the start they didn’t want when in-form opener Liam Lewis was lbw to Matt Westaway in the first over. Matt Cooke – run out for 27 – Anthony Griffiths (20) and Josh Bess (31) all got in, got settled and got out again as Sidmouth started slipping behind the clock before Luke Bess sorted it out with 80 off 56 balls with nine fours included and put on 40 with Nick Gingell to whittle away at the deficit.
Exmouth shot clear at the top of the Premier Division table when they cruised to a four-wicket win over Exeter. Exeter were all out for 198 with 10 balls to go, a disappointing total considering they had been 105 for one going into the 25th of their 50 overs.
Blake Reed missed out – he went for a duck in the third over – but Andrew Curtis (49) and skipper Rob Holman (88) made a decent job of getting on with it. When Curtis went caught behind to Gary Chappell (3-23), Exeter were 105 for two and in a great position to kick on. Only they didn’t.
Ben Green and Matt Hicks went cheaply as 105 for one deteriorated to 122 for four. Holman kept going and stands of 34 with Tom Viljoen and 31 with Shaun Morris got the score up to 187 for five.
Then it all went pear-shaped as the last five wickets went for just 11 runs as Chappell and Anning (3-31) mopped up. Exmouth were handed a 74-run start by Sandy Allen (77) and Chris Metters (22) and never looked back for long.
There was a brief wobble when Allen and next man in Seb Benton fell in successive balls to Merryck Steward (2-30), but David Lye was on his way to 58 at the other end and the game was in the bag by the time he went at 168 for five.
Andy Buzza (12) and Anning (16no) knocked off most of the rest as Exmouth shook off chasing Bovey Tracey to open up a 13-point lead at the top.
Torquay sprung a shock in the South Devon derby grinding out a two-wicket win over visiting Bovey Tracey who were joint top of the table last week before a two-point disciplinary deduction allowed second-placed Exmouth to go past them.
Ben Ayres, Bovey’s wicketkeeper-batsman, was banned for two games over an incident in his team’s defeat by Exeter last month. A team penalty also applies.
Torquay were closer to the bottom than the top and looking to bounce back from a defeat by Plymouth last time out.When Torquay dipped from 133 for none to 179 for six chasing 231 to win, an away win looked the most likely result.
The man of the moment was Torquay batsman Mickey Wilkinson, whose unbeaten 59 got them home. Matt Golding top scored for Bovey with 68 in a total of 230 for nine. Along the way he shared stands of 44 with Andy Fairbairn and 51 with James Fulner (23).
The wicket-taking was shared around with two each for Dan Kruger, Jack Richardson, Nick Watkin and Des Wightman.Kruger (85) and Watkin (47) put on 133 for the first wicket as Torquay set off in hot pursuit. A burst of wicket taking from Chris Bradley (4-48) and Golding slowed up Torquay until Wilkinson took charge.