Belstone travelled to Harberton last Sunday for their final game of the season.  Their innings began very cautiously against opening bowlers Stibbs and Tregelles, who found a good deal of swing from off to leg.  Only four scoring strokes came in the first 13 overs as the total crept up to double figures.  By the latter stages of the innings the run rate had picked up to a still modest three an over thanks to Richard Drake, whose 43 included 5 fours, and Chris Gomersall, who also hit five boundaries in his 30.  Aidan Easterbrook chipped in with a quick 15, the first runs he has scored in 15 matches played this season (although only his fourth innings).  Dave Cook, with four for 19, and Ben Pyke, with three for 24, were the most successful of the Harberton wicket-takers, as the innings stuttered to a close on 123 all out with three balls of the 40 overs remaining.

In reply Harberton could afford to take their time, on a pitch that played easier as the game progressed.  Easterbrook worked up a fiery pace, conceding just nine runs from his eight overs, finally gaining a well-deserved  wicket when Christian Larder (19) chopped the ball onto his stumps.  Jonathan Parsons and Andrew Paterson kept up the pressure at the other end with a wicket apiece, to finish the season all square on 39 victims each.  Opener Bill Scott held the innings together, carrying his bat for 45 not out and eventually seeing Harberton to victory with three overs to spare.       Belstone man-of-the-match: Richard Drake.

The calculators have been busy recently trying to work out who has secured the second promotion spot to Division One of the South Devon League.  Exeter and Belstone finished their twelve games tied in second place with 91 points each.  Both teams won seven of their games, and both took the same number of points in the games played against each other.  The rulebook’s final means of resolving such a situation is to work out who has the higher run-rate over the twelve games.  Subject to official confirmation this has given Exeter’s run rate as 5.1 per over and Belstone’s as 4.3 per over, Exeter thus gaining promotion.