Tavistock cricketers triumphed against Bridestowe and Belstone at the weekend, writes Conrad Sutcliffe.

Unbeaten Tavistock cruised to a four-wicket win over Bridestowe & Belstone that stretched their lead at the top of the Tolchards DCL A Division.

Bridestowe & Belstone were bowled out for 151 with five overs to go – and only got that far thanks to tail-ender Tom Pengelly hanging around to make 28.

Tavistock had a wobbly start to the chase, but sorted themselves out to seal victory with more than 11 overs to go.

A bonus result for Tavistock was second-placed Hatherleigh’s defeat by previously winless Barton, which extended their advantage from 10 to 25 points.

Tavvy seamers Jack Smyly (2-20) and Charlie Barriball (2-30) posed plenty of problems for B&B’s top order. At 96 for seven with Shaq Glasgow gone for 38 they had plenty to do.

Dave Ball (2-25) and Rhys Davies (3-15) kept the pressure up, but Brandon Horn (15), Pengelly and last man Pat Ewen added 39 between them to make the scoreline respectable.

Tavistock’s reply stumbled from 55 for two to 88 for five with Rodney Mupfudza (43) and Davies (22) among the casualties. Glasgow (2-32) and Simon Gillespie (2-13) did the damage.

The game was won by a stand of exactly 69 between Dave Manning (31no) and Will Scott-Munden (19) that reduced the ‘to-win’ target to four.

Sean Cleave, the Tavistock captain, said: “It was one of our best performances of the season in the field. We held almost everything and stayed sharp throughout.

“All our bowlers were solid, stuck to their roles, and showed great discipline. To bowl Bridestowe out for 151 on a good batting deck was a really impressive effort.”

Cleave conceded the chase did not go according to plan – Tavvy were nine for two at one stage – but the players’ reaction impressed him.

“A brilliant partnership between Rodney and Rhys steadied the ship and put us back in a strong position,” said Cleave. “From there, every batter chipped in to help whittle down the target.

“It was especially great to see Dave Manning back among the runs. He’s a key player for us going forward.

“It was a strong team performance. While we’re happy with the win, we know there’s always room to grow.

“We’ll keep working hard and focusing on improving each game.”