Bad year for Bovey and Bridestowe beaten by rules

Although first class cricket continues through September, it’s always an earlier goodbye to the local action. Despite a summer that lacked prolonged sunshine and very warm temperatures, only week twelve, on Saturday, July 20, was completely lost to the weather.

Before this final reflection on the 2024 season, confirmation that Bovey Tracey will after all be relegated from the Premier Division. The Devon Cricket League Management Committee voted unanimously last week to promote third-placed Plymouth from the A Division, instead of one-up, one-down as last year.

Runners-up Bridestowe knew in advance that they did not meet the ECB’s eligibility criteria for Premier cricket, but Plymouth do.

Bovey will bounce back from relegation and should be a force in the division below. Top scorer for them this summer was Musa Twala with 522 runs, Ollie Clifford-Bourne leading bowler with 27 wickets.

Success in the ‘winner takes all’ match at Bovey on the final day ensured Paignton remain in the Premier Division for another year, finishing eighth overall.

For Bridestowe, despite being denied promotion, it was still a great summer for the club, finishing behind a dominant North Devon in the second tier of Devon cricket.

They concluded the campaign with a nine-wicket mauling of relegated Plymstock. Ethan Guest produced a sizzling spell with the ball, taking six wickets for 26, as Plymstock were bowled out for just 41. Bridestowe knocked off the target inside seven overs.

Tavistock finished a respectable fifth in the A Division, rounding things off with an impressive 61-run victory over Plymouth, largely thanks to a rapid half-century from Will Scott-Munden and a superb five-wicket haul from Shaun Dymond.

Ivybridge CC lost just once all summer in their sensational romp to the C Division West title, as they finished a mammoth 34 points clear of runners-up Paignton 2nds.

A seven-wicket victory over Kingsbridge brought the curtain down on a great summer, Adam Huxtable taking four for 18 in limiting the visitors to 217/9 in their 45 overs before an unbeaten 93 from Abraham Kopparambil, alongside Harry Solomon’s 52 no, saw them cruise to the target.

Chagford matched the Ivybridge dominance in E Division West, as they also suffered only one loss in 2024, and were almost 40 points clear of Torquay and Kingskerswell 2nds.

A trip to Whitchurch Wayfarers proved to be a day of cricketing celebration for Chagford. Batting first, they amassed a formidable 302 all out, Poustie (94) leading the run-scorers. Rowlands then took an amazing five wickets for the concession of just nine runs, as Whitchurch were bowled out for 74.

Cornwood 3rds are champions of F Division West, completing 2024 with a six-wicket win at South Brent, where Mike Hodge and Joe Davies took three wickets each.

There was further Moorland joy in an extremely tight G Division West, where a final-day victory for Ashburton 2nds ensured they finished just two points ahead of the 3rds from both Ipplepen and Ivybridge. Chagford 2nds finished runners-up to Plymouth 3rds in H Division West.