AT last! The one outstanding quarter-final in the Aaron Printers Narracott Cup has been played after six previous attempts fell foul of the weather.
Dartington & Totnes have been trying to play Abbotskerswell for the best part of a month – and the wait proved worthwhile.
For D&T sprung something of a shock by defeating Abbots, who play three divisions above them, by a handsome margin of eight wickets.
Abbots laboured to 79 all out in the 14 th of their 15 eight-ball overs with Aussie Brad Wright (28) their only run scorer of any note.
Tight bowling from Kalin Veale (4-11), Bertus Loots (3-20) and Tom Williamson (2-19) prevented Abbots getting a start.
Loots then smashed a quickfire 39, which included five sixes, as D&T hared to victory in just seven overs. Scott Stevenson chipped in with 22.
Dartington & Totnes will play Brixham next Monday night at Cricketfield Road, Barton in the second semi-final of the cup.
The first semi-final was played at the second attempt at a changed location of South Devon CC and resulted in a comfortable 46-run win for Bovey Tracey over Cockington Corrinthians.
Bovey were in all sorts of trouble early on – James Fraser took three wickets in the first five balls as Pete Bradley, Matt Makepeace and Andy Fairbairn trooped back to the pavilion in quick succession.
Chris Bradley (30) and Aaron deYonge (12) consolidated – they put on 38 – then Charlie Carter battered the Corries bowlers into submission.
Carter hammered 50 off just 34 balls with five sixes and three fours as Bovey accelerated to 128 for nine. Three of his sixes came in one over from Shaun Needham (2-43).
Cockington were soon behind the clock – James Mason (2-17) and Chris Bradley (1-16) slowing them up – and were unable to make up lost time.
Needham made 19 in Corries' total of 82 for seven when the overs ran out.
Bovey will play the winners of the game between Dartington & Totnes and Brixham in next Friday night's final at Queens Park, Paignton.
Bovey Tracey 128-9 (C Carter 50, C Bradley 30; D Scott 2-31), Cockington 82-7 (S Needham 19, T Cross 19, N Colegate 14no; J Mason 2-17). Bovey bt Cockington by 46 runs.
Abbotskerswell 79 (B Wright 28, K Veale 4-11, B Loots 3-20, T Williamson 2-19), Dartington & Totnes 80-2 (B Loots 39, S Stevenson 22). Dartington & Totnes bt Abbotskerswell by 8 wkts.
MONDAY, JUNE 18
STOKE Gabriel's players will still be wondering why they aren't in the Aaron Printers Narracott Cup semi-finals after allowing the quarter-final tie with Cockington to slip through their fingers.
With two balls to go in the last over from Cockington's Graham Furze, Stoke Gabriel were as good as in the final.
Cockington had made 132 for eight in their 15 eight-ball overs and Stoke were 132 for seven. In the event of a tie the side losing the fewest wickets goes through – and that Stoke. For reasons only batsmen Nick Sandbrook and Jeff Baker will know, they tried to take a single off the last ball and one of them was run out.
With runs and wickets level it was down to boundaries hit and Cockington went through 6-5 on sixes hit.
Opener Jimmy Fraser top scored for Cockington with 52 and the rest batted round him until he was out in the last over. Shaun Needham hit 24. Fraser clouted four sixes with Needham and Will Wyatt hitting one each, little realising how important they would be.
Stoke's reply was anchored round Steve Tolley, whose 67 contained four of his side's five sixes. Alex Hill (25) hit the other one.
Cockington 132-8 (J Fraser 52, S Needham 24, N Sandbrook 3-20, C Samargis 2-22, D Pruysers 2-43), Stoke Gabriel 132-8 (S Tolley 67, A Hill 25; P Needham 2-26, S Colegate 2-40). Match tied. Cockington go through on most sixes hit.
THURSDAY, JUNE 7
BOVEY Tracey's 58-run win over Paignton in the Aaron Printers Narracott Cup has thrown up and interesting conundrum: just where are the competition's record books?
With Pete Bradley hitting 51, and Matt Makepeace making 47, Bovey raced to 213 for six in their quarter-final tie with Paignton.
At any other time Paignton's own score of 155 for eight would be a winning total. But not this time.
Bovey's knockout cup captain Andy Fairbairn is hoping the 213 for six is a new competition record, but no one knows for sure.
Competition secretary Conrad Sutcliffe only has record books going back to 1973 and, to be honest, they aren't that accurate.
"If anyone has record books for the Narracott Cup from 1951 up to 1973 then I would love to hear from them," said Sutcliffe, who can be contacted on 01626 353705.
The previous best known in the competition was Bovey's own score of 203 for four against Torquay last season. Bradley scored a half century in that game as well!
Stand of the innings for Bovey was the one worth 64 between Bradley and Ben Ayres (20), followed closely by Fairbairn's partnership of 63 with Makepeace.
Paignton's Mark Smith (3-34) had tidy figures, but Chris Smith got biffed around as his four overs cost 64 runs.
Paignton needed a flying start, which they didn't get, and not even some crash, bang, wallop from Mark Gilmour, who thumped three sixes and six fours in his 58 off 34 balls could save the day.
Bovey Tracey 213-6 (P Bradley 51, M Makepeace 47, A Fairbairn 37no, B Ayres 20; M Smith 3-34), Paignton 155-8 (M Gilmour 58; S Newton 2-50, R Bougard 2-32). Bovey Tracey bt Paignton by 58 runs.
THURSDAY, JUNE 7
BRIXHAM breezed into the last four of the Aaron Printers Narracott Cup, and a date with either Totnes or Abbotskerswell, after beating South Devon by 24 runs.
South Devon probably fancied their chances after holding Brixham to 128 for six - especially as former Devon all-rounder Andy Pugh was sidelined with an ankle injury.
But South Devon couldn't keep up with the asking rate - with four overs left they needed 63 to win - and the game was up long before the last of their 15 eight-ball overs.
Chris Lanyon hit a top score of 52 for Brixham, which came off 46 balls and incluced seven fours, and featured in useful stands of 28 for the second wicket with George Northcott (28) and 33 in 26 balls for the third with Tim Robinson (21).
Lanyon was fifth out with an over to go with the Brixham score on 117.
Mark Orchard (3-25) and Joe Hyde, whose four overs spell only cost 10 runs, stopped South Devon getting off to the sort of start they needed.
By the time James Blood (25) and Mike Smith (26) swung the bat in a stand worth 45 the game had already slipped away from South Devon.
Brixham 128-6 (C Lanyon 52, G Northcott 28, T Robinson 21), South Devon 104-5 (J Blood 25no, M Smith 26, P L Blackmore 19, H Burningham 15; M Orchard 3-25). Brixham bt South Devon by 24 runs.