North Devon League one

Belstone v Newton Tracey

NEWTON Tracey arrived at Rew Meadow for the latest league game against Belstone with five slow bowlers, which meant that they rattled through their eight over spells at 20 overs an hour, an unusually high over-rate.

The fast over rate was emphasised as the Belstone top order found it hard to get the ball away when Newton’s opening bowlers Simon Gear (8-2-14-1) and Martin Gear (8-2-24-1) dropped onto a nagging length.

After ten overs the score had crept up to 12-1 and even at the halfway 20-over point the total was only 51-2, with Ed Stewart facing 34 deliveries in half an hour for just one scoring stroke. Number three Jimmy Ewen was also initially cautious before playing well for 45 in 74 minutes in a productive stand of 70 for the third wicket with Ryan Dennis. With wickets in hand Belstone were able to accelerate towards the end as 92 runs came off the final ten overs with Dennis (43), Sam Ewen (47) and Dan Fogerty (26 in 14 minutes) all contributing well.

Jay Wittram bore the brunt of the late assault conceding 73 runs from his eight overs but he did pick up five of the last six wickets to fall as Belstone ended on a reasonable 193 for nine.

The Newton Tracey reply set off around the required rate of five an over as Simon Gear and Joe Totterdell (38) laid the platform for victory with a second wicket stand of 86 in 17 overs, effectively finding the gaps for singles and punishing the bad balls with boundaries.

Belstone gained momentary hope as Stewart took two wickets in his first over when the score had reached 121 but Gear upped the tempo with five sixes before being fourth out for a fine 77. By this time only 38 were needed with plenty of wickets in hand. Kieran Soper (25 not out) and Wittram (31 not out) saw the visitors home to a comfortable five wicket win, Wittram ending the match in style by taking 20 runs off the first four balls of the 34th over.

Newton Tracey (20pts) beat Belstone (5pts) by five wickets.

Buckley Cup P W L Tied Pts

Hatherleigh 12 7 4 1 128

Yeoford 12 6 5 1 122

Belstone 11 7 4 0 118

Spreyton 10 5 4 1 103

Okehampton 10 4 5 1 100

Tedburn St Mary 8 5 3 0 89

Sticklepath 11 1 10 0 63