Belstone v Lynton and Lynmouth

BELSTONE kept up their push for promotion to division three of the with another crushing nine-wicket win, this time over visitors Lynton and Lynmouth.

Visiting opener Sam Burgess started briskly, hitting 11 runs off his first 12 balls, before providing David Binns with the first of three catches at mid-off. Opening bowler Jonathan Parsons claimed another wicket with his next ball, as Chris Hatt was taken at slip by Richard Drake for a single.

A period of slow consolidation followed as Charles Walker and Henry Mellor (8) added 24 for the third wicket in 16 overs, which included a spell of 39 balls from Parsons and Harry Bushin when only one run was scored.

After batting for 82 minutes Walker was clean bowled for 12 by Callum Mallett's first ball to bring the score to 61-6.

Lynton and Lynmouth failed to add another run as the left-arm medium pace of Binns caused mayhem in his sixth over. Off his second ball Peter Druce was well caught at second slip by a diving Drake for five; off the fourth ball Richard Paines edged to Andy King at first slip; Jonathan Bingham was bowled off the fifth, ditto George Turner off the last. This gave Binns his first hat-trick for Belstone, the first for the club since 2003, and only the fifth since the club formed in 1993.

Belstone rattled off the runs required before tea with Scott Tremain finishing on 35 not out.

Friendly

Belstone v

Moretonhampstead

THIS was the the first time the teams had played in 11 years in this a mid-week 20-over friendly at Rew Meadow. Richard Drake (29) and Sam Ewen put on 55 for the second wicket as Belstone set off at six-an-over, even though Hill conceded just 10 runs from his four overs.

Ewen completed his first half-century for the club before retiring on 58, having hit five boundaries and a six.

Further rapid runs were scored by Jimmy Ewen (14) and Phil Woods (19 not out), with the home team finishing on a challenging 151 for four.

The Moretonhamp-stead reply never came close to the required run-rate as all the batsmen struggled except for Hill, who at number three proceeded to hit seven fours before he was sixth out for 51, when the score was 80.

With the innings coming to a close on 85 for eight, it gave Belstone a convincing 66 run victory, with Callum Mallett (4-0-11-2) the pick of the bowlers.