RUNS and wickets were hard to find across all 18 divisions of the Tolchards Devon Cricket League on another soggy Saturday afternoon.

There was no play at all in the Premier Division and only one game survived in the A Division. Bovey Tracy’s home match with Thorverton was a wash-out.

Bovey Tracey 2nd XI were due to visit Barton in the B Division, but that was another victim of the weather. There was a limited programme of matches in the C and D Divisions of the Tolchards DCL.

Six weeks into the 2025 season three Saturdays have been largely wiped out by bad weather. That’s not a great success rate, although there have been far worse seasons in the past.

Historic league tables show 1988 as one of the worst seasons for wet weather problems with 29 cancellations in the Premier Division alone. Plymouth, North Devon and Hatherleigh all had six games cancelled. That was in a 24-match season.

The 2008 summer was another disaster zone in the Premier Division with 28 casualties – and that was in an 18 games per-team summer. No one suffered more than Sandford, who missed seven games.

IPPLEPEN continue to set the pace in the C Division West following a predictable 120-run win over bottom side Hatherleigh 2nd XI.

That’s five wins in as many completed games for the Pens, who have a 22-point lead over Kingsbridge in the top two.

Ipplepen opener Toby Holroyd batted from start to finish for 98 not out in a 24-over team total of 204 for four. Along the way were stands of 60 with captain Sam Wakeham (44) and 80 unbroken with Warrick Green, who propped an end up for nine!

Holroyd did some serious damage to the Hatherleigh bowlers in the final five overs. Downes went for 14 in an eight-ball over, and 12 in his next one, Cameron Rowlands went for 24 in two overs and Jamie Nielson was whacked for 17 at the end in an unsuccessful attempt to reach three figures.

Hatherleigh were all out for 84 with an over to go. Greg Solkin opened with 18, Jack Probert made 16 in the middle order and Jerry O’Donoghue added 15 down the order.

George Tapley (2-19) did the early damage with the ball; Joe Parker (3-12) got into the middle order and Green (2-11) wiped out the tail.

Skipper Wakeham said it had been worth waiting for conditions to improve to get the game played, especially as none of the teams right behind Ipplepen started.

Wakeham is clearly happy to be out in front a third of the way into the season, but with Chudleigh (3rd) and Kingsbridge (2nd) coming up remains pragmatic.

“It is going really well, but there is still a lot of cricket to play this season,” said Wakeham.

“We have a couple of big games coming up before the half way point in the season, so it will be good to get another couple of wins.

“Lots of players are making contributions, which is great to see.”

ABBOTSKERSWELL put some distance between themselves and the C West drop zone by imposing a five-wicket win over Paignton in the basement battle at Queen’s Park.

Abbots went into round six hovering above cellar dwellers Hatherleigh and South Devon, and in danger of being overtaken by third-from-bottom Paignton.

This win, Abbots’ second of the season, put 26 points between them and second-bottom South Devon 2nd XI, who were washed-off against Plymouth 2nd XI.

Former Devon captain Neil Hancock thwacked 85 off 63 balls – seven sixes, four fours – in Paignton’s 25-over tally of 165 for five.

Sam Woodcock (39) and Carl McFarlane (26) shared stands of 78 and 58 respectively with Hancock.

Jay Hussain (2-17) was easily the most effective and economical of the Abbotskerswell bowlers.

Hussain did not fare so well with a bat in his hand – out second ball to Jacob Lander (2-17) – not that it really mattered!

Charlie Hill (26) and skipper Toby Codd (30) got the chase started. Aussie Brayden Notman’s rapid 70 not out off 56 balls concluded the entertainment, aided by Alfie Harrison with a solid 10 not out.

Codd, the winning captain, had plenty to be pleased with in his post-match summing up.

“I thought we stuck at it pretty well in the field,” said Codd. “There was one short boundary and with four off-spinners keeping them to 165 was a decent effort.

“We felt in the game at halfway and knew if we could put a couple partnerships together we would be there or there abouts.”

Charlie Hill’s contribution got a glowing reference from Codd, who credited it with keeping up with the asking rate.

Codd added: “Brayden Notman was superb through the middle and finishing it off. He hit the ball really cleanly and we were always in the driving seat with him at the crease.

“A big shout out to Alfie Harrison who got us over the line; he’s becoming a crucial part of our team with bat and ball.”

Abbots will be targeting a third straight win on their way up the table this Saturday when they host Hatherleigh.

TEIGNMOUTH & Shaldon battered winless Exmouth 2nd XI by 169-runs in a one-sided C East encounter at Hazeldown.

Opener Ross Jameson (48) got T&S off the mark and runs kept coming from Tyler Blackburn (36), Alastair Cliffe (63), Josh Couch (32) and Seamus Mc Kenna (28).

There were significant stands of 55 between Cliffe and Couch, followed by 58 between McKenna and Cliffe as T&S got to 256 for six in a 33-over game.

Exmouth’s bowling stats were largely unimpressive, although Geoff Coombe (1-28) operated cheaply at four runs an over. No one else was below seven.

Exmouth’s reply was soon in trouble after an early duffing up from Liam Gardner (3-20). Other than a stoic 28 not out from captain Sam Radford against his former T&S team-mates, wickets fell regularly and cheaply until Zaman Khan (21) gave it a go at number nine.

Five Exmouth batsmen failed to score a run between them as Gardner, Oscar McCallum (3-14) and Blackburn (2-28) skittled them out for 87.

IPPLEPEN 2nd XI edged home by 10 runs against Plymouth Civil Service & Roborough in a D West drop-spot tussle.

The 30-overs-each game – the only one to start or finish in the D West – was Civil’s chance to clamber out of the bottom two at Ipplepen’s expense.

When Civil were 119 for seven with five overs to go, the target of 167 to win looked tough but possible. A tidy over each from Ash Harvey and Jack Edworthy slowed the chase sufficiently to put 16 to win from the last over just out of reach. They closed on 156 for nine.

Ipplepen have now got nine points between them and the drop zone. Civil still have to find five points to get past Barton 2nd XI and out of the bottom two.

Harvey had a respectable case for man-of-the-match having made a top score of 41 in Pens’ total of 166 for six. He was the last man out.

There were runs either side of Harvey for opener Matt Beasant (27) and skipper Adam Peters (21no). Best of the bowling for Civil was Dan Winsor with three for 14 from six overs.

Nuruz Zamal (38) was CS&R’s primary run maker, aided and abetted by Ben Wilkinson (23) and Syed Farooq (20).

Noah Rider (2-16) slowed Civil’s chase, Alberto Courtice (1-18) performed a similar function and Harvey (3-39) took wickets when they mattered in the final third.

KENN remain hard on the tails of E West leaders Babbacombe after defeating Cornwood 3rd XI by 10 runs in a low scoring affair.

What should have been a 35-over game didn’t get that far as Kenn were all out in the 32nd of theirs, and Cornwood only got to their 30th!

Pete Chislett’s top score of 41 batting sixth wicket down helped Kenn reach 109 after they had been 70 for nine. No one made more than 13.

Dan Rhode (3-21) was the Wood’s leading wicket taker. Veteran seamer Andy Bees bowled his seven overs at a cost of just five runs!

Cornwood’s reply was a bits-and-pieces affair, the best being Ewan Grewal’s 29. The game got away from them in the time it took to slide from 71 for five to 82 for nine.

James Mason took four for ten and Chislett two for 23 as Cornwood bowed out for 99.