ISLAND SPORTS SOUTH DEVON YOUTH LEAGUE WEEK FIVE
Under-11s
TORQUAY are the new leaders in the Under-11 Division following back-to-back victories over Brixham and Barton.
It was a close affair against Brixham, Torquay posting a total of 100 for seven with Kaz Symanski leading the way with an undefeated 25, assisted by Kye Burrows on 16.
Brixham got off to a flyer with their reply, Jon Newman scoring 27 retired and Tom Blundell 25 retired. Thereafter, Torquay made serious inroads into the batting.
Neal Osborn grabbed two vital wickets, no further batsman was allowed to get into double figures and Torquay ran out winners by just five runs. They had it slightly easier against Barton, chasing a target of 81 for nine.
It was Symanski again (27ret) and Osborn (20no) who steered Torquay to an eight-wicket victory with three overs to spare.
Symanski, Osborn and Sam Carpenter also grabbed six wickets between them.
Torquay may be the first side this season to pass the 100-point milestone, but two teams hot on their tail were both in action and picked up victories.
Bovey Tracey - still undefeated - and Paignton, both of whom have games in hand on Torquay, gained wins against Kingskerswell and Ipplepen respectively.
Bovey beat Kingskerswell by 41 runs, Ben Steer (25ret) and Kieran Savage (22) the main run makers in a total of 122 for seven. Kingskerswell could only reach 81 for six in reply, P Hicks taking two wickets for Bovey.
Paignton had an even bigger winning margin as they bowled Ipplepen out for 37 runs. Noah Wright (28ret) and Dan Wolfe (21) had earlier helped Paignton to reach a score of 113 for seven.
Under-13s Flintoff
IN a week in which the top positions in many of the divisions changed hands, Dartington recorded consecutive victories to stake their claim for the title by taking over the front-running.
The Darts inflicted a first defeat of the season on Kingsbridge, winning by two wickets after chasing down the South Hams side's score of 74 for eight with 11 balls to spare.
Jonathan Colegate starred with bat and ball for the Darts, taking two wickets and scoring an unbeaten 30.
Fred Massey was the pick of the Kingsbridge bowlers, taking three for 17.
Dartington then made light work of beating Stoke Gabriel, bowling them out for 35 before knocking off the runs in eight overs.
The win gives the Darts a 20-point cushion ahead of challengers Paignton A and Kingsbridge, both of whom have a game in hand.
Paignton kept up the pressure by beating Ipplepen by 87 runs, Ollie Higgs (32ret) and Will Castleton (31ret) the main run makers in a total of 143 for five.
Ipplepen could only reach 56 for six in reply. Brixham meanwhile gained their first win of the season by beating Barton by 81 runs. Jon Newman scored an unbeaten 32 whilst George Delaney took five wickets in the Brixham cause.
Under-13s Pietersen
THERE are new leaders at the top of the U-13 Pietersen division following Shaldon's back-to-back victories over Lustleigh then last week's leaders Kingskerswell.
Shaldon first made light work of Lustleigh, winning by a whopping 116 runs after posting a target of 149 for five.
Glanville and Joe Gallagher both retired on 32 whilst Joe Farley (27) and Danny McKenna (25) were also amongst the runs.
Lustleigh were duly dismissed for 33, McKenna and M Abraham sharing 6 wickets between them.
The clash with Kerswell was a close affair and Shaldon must have been worried that their total of 84 all out was not going to be good enough following a batting collapse. Danny McKenna (3-10) and Joe Farley (2-16) had other ideas however and the loss of early wickets cost Kingskerswell dearly as they ended seven runs adrift on 77 for nine.
UNDER-15 DIVISONS
HARBERTON extended their league at the top of the Collingwood Division by beating Shaldon by eight wickets on their own patch.
Shaldon posted a good enough total, 106 all out with Todd Ballman top scoring on 24.
Had it not been for the efforts of Harberton's Matt Snell, who took six for 18, Shaldon may well have taken their score a lot higher.
Sam Kaye (43ret) and Ben Oakey (27no) spearheaded the chase and Harberton passed the finishing line with nine balls to spare.
In the Bell division, Stoke ran out victors in the top-of-the-table clash with Paignton B to put some distance between the two sides.
Stoke posted a challenging total of 145 for 3, Andy Ball and Jack Tolley both contributing 40 runs apiece.
Despite a valiant 33 from Callum Stanley, Tolley and Aaron Stevenson grabbed three wickets each to decimate the Paignton upper and middle order, Stevenson claiming a hat-trick.
Rob Harris weighed in with two wickets to dispose of the tail.
Dartington move into second place, courtesy of a 24-run victory over Ashburton, Liam Bligh the star with bat and ball. He top scored with 35 in his side's total of 113 for five, then took four wickets for just six runs in his four overs to help remove the opposition out for 89.
Abbotskerswell recorded their first win of the season in a short-lived encounter with South Devon.
The Abbots bowled South Devon out for just 26 runs, a feat they achieved in just under 13 overs with Greg French helping himself to five wickets. The Abbots required only 26 balls to secure the victory, without loss.
UNDER-17 DIVISIONS
STOKE Gabriel underlined their early dominance in the Under-17 (Cook) division by defeating Ashburton by 10 wickets to open up a 48-point gap at the top of the table.
It was a rather one-sided affair as Stoke bowled the Ashes out for 69 inside 16 overs, with Giselle Ansley, Chris Murphy and Stephen Nand-lal bagging three wickets each.
Ben Stone (21no) and M Taylor (43no) saw Stoke home without loss in just seven overs.
In the Strauss Division there were wins for Dartington by eight wickets over Chudleigh, and Barton by five wickets over Paignton.
Ed Forward (33no) and Dan Le Marquand (27) gave Chudleigh a good start, but their eventual score of 104 for five proved insufficient.
Ryan Stevenson scored an unbeaten half-century and Levin Veale 22 not out as Dartington romped home with five overs to spare.
It was a similar story for Paignton who, despite Josh Fitton's unbeaten 50, could only reach 99 for seven in their 20 overs.
Tom Field took two wickets in the Barton cause.
Barton had the scare of losing both openers early on, but Sean Adderley (37no) and Tom Drake (27) got their side into a winning position which they achieved with four balls to spare.