After a damp morning Belstone’s game against the Presidents XI last Sunday finally got underway as a reduced 30-over match with the President’s skipper Daryl Chapman winning the toss and asking Belstone to bat. They struggled along to 40 for three at not much more than two-an-over for the first fifteen in the face of hostile bowling from Rob Mutch and Williams with Chris Walpole taking most of that time to make just eight. The batting then picked up pace with Jimmy Ewen (39) striking five boundaries and Scott Tremain (29) and Phil Woods (12) both hitting sixes in the same Neil Palmer over. Graham Woods also chipped in with a useful 17 before Mutch returned to take three wickets in his last ten deliveries to finish with figures of four for seven from six overs.

Cleave Collins departed early in the President’s chase of 132 for victory as Harry Bushin and Jonathan Parsons got through their six overs apiece while only conceding a combined 25 runs. Richard Boarder (18), Dennis Edwards (17) and Mutch (17) all got out just as they were looking set and at 70 for four in the 21st over the match was still in the balance. Harry Geering (who made a match-winning 97 not out in the corresponding fixture last year) then joined Chapman and proceeded to make the chase look simple with a fluent knock of 40 not out. Chapman contributed 17 not out to the unbroken partnership of 63 which saw the Presidents XI sweep to a six wicket win with almost seven overs to spare to make it three wins on the trot for Peter Hammond’s team.

Everyone came away happy from Belstone’s final North Devon League game of the season at home to Newton Tracey – Belstone for winning a hard fought low-scoring war of attrition by 23 runs and Newton Tracey for securing six points, enough to see them promoted to Division Three next season. Put into bat, Belstone’s opener Scott Tremain (23) played some sweetly timed on-drives during his hour-long stay at the crease but at the other end wickets fell steadily although Peter Harlow did bat in typically obdurate style, taking 41 minutes to get off the mark. Although he only made three runs the score did advance while he was in from 19 for three to 54 for six, with John Brewer conceding just ten runs from his nine overs and Tim Prior only 26 from his nine, both picking up two wickets into the bargain. Trevor Oats (11) and Harry Bushin (11) edged the slow-moving total upwards but it was the 24-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Andy King (26) and Simon Tremain (7) and the 20-run ninth wicket stand between King and Thomas Boother (8 not out) that finally pushed the score into three figures before Andy Chatham (4-1-9-3) polished off the innings at 107 all out from 44 overs.

Belstone had to make some early breakthroughs to stand a chance and Bushin did just that with an inspired opening spell that brought him a wicket in each of his first three overs including a cart-wheeling leg stump and a classic edge to keeper Simon Tremain. Added to this came a bonus wicket as a throw from King ran out skipper John Turner after he had battled to three in 45 minutes, leaving Newton Tracey struggling on nine for four in the eleventh over. Chatham (12) and Mark Cowling (10) kept Hedley Toogood (29) company while 47 runs were added but just when Toogood had hit the only six of the game and was threatening to turn the match the visitors way, he thrashed a full pitch from left-armer King straight to the safe hands of David Binns at midwicket, making the score 72 for eight. That was virtually the end of Newton Tracey resistance as King finished with four for 21 from nine overs and skipper Scott Tremain ended the game with his second ball to complete an impressive performance in the field by the home team.

One of Belstone’s closest North Devon League games of the season boiled up to a climax in the gloom at Braunton last Sunday with the home team needing eight off the last over with four wickets left. Earlier Belstone had been invited to bat first on a track still soft after several days rain. Openers Sam Ewen (35) and Scott Tremain (38) laid the basis for a decent score with a careful opening partnership of 79 in 20 overs before both fell to Tom Johnson (9-0-33-2). David Binns, returning to the side after six weeks away, quickly found his touch with a six and three boundaries in his 35, and the innings gathered pace towards the close when Harry Bushin took advantage of two dropped catches to add a quick 27 during a partnership of 36 with Simon Tremain. Chris Brigden was the most successful Braunton bowler, using his height well to extract some life from the pitch while picking up three wickets for just 25 runs in his nine overs.

Braunton began their chase of 197 with some powerful strokes from Martin Seward and Jamie Matthews (41) who got them ahead of the required rate with a stand of 62 for the second wicket before Seward edged to keeper Simon Tremain for exactly 50 off the last ball of a deserving Harry Bushin’s nine over spell. Braunton pressed on, helped by some dropped catches, and at 168 for three appeared to be cruising to victory. Thomas Boother then removed Wayne Manning for 35 and suddenly the runs dried up as he and Binns (9-2-39-1) bowled a good line and length. Boother took two more quick wickets to leave the score on 177 for six with the overs running out. Bridgen and Martin Lewis took eight from the penultimate over including a boundary to third man off the glove and needed the same again off the last, bowled by Luke Wonnacott. A two, two singles and a dot ball brought the game to the last ball but one which Lewis cut away to the point boundary to give Braunton a thrilling four wicket win.