Ashburton Cricket Club smashing records in the Devon Cricket League

Ashburton Cricket Club’s First XI produced their finest performance of the season in defeating visitors Brixham in the Tolchards Devon Cricket League.

After losing their season’s leading run scorer Steve Edmonds for 19, fellow opener George Yabsley steadied the ship with stand-in captain Matt Churchill before a mix-up saw Yabsley run out for 15. At 72-2 the game was in the balance.

Up stepped Nick Martin, who moved to Ashburton at the beginning of the season from Scotland. Although Churchill was caught two runs short of a half-century, Martin was virtually flawless in his 144, just giving one chance when he was on 15.

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The dropped catch proved costly as Martin reached his first century for the club with one of his ten sixes. His 144 was the second highest score by an Ashburton First XI player at home in the club’s history and the highest by a non-overseas player, going past Club Captain Lloyd White’s 138 against Newton St Cyres in 2016.

Despite posting 308, there was no room for complacency from Ashburton. Brixham’s batting line-up included their dangerous overseas player Mohammed Shaikh, who was leading the division batting averages with an astonishing 397 runs at 198.50.

Jack Warren, who has become one of Ashburton’s first choice opening bowlers this season, rose to the challenge and produced a fine spell of swing bowling, taking the first six Brixham wickets to fall.

He nearly made it seven, with Shaikh edging twice through the slips in his first three balls. Shaikh then settled and went to yet another superb century (112), ably supported by Lee Upham (24), but Brixham were eventually all out for 214.

After the game Churchill, captaining in the absence of Lloyd White, said: “All eleven players contributed with runs, wickets or important catches and the innings from Nick and spell from Jack will be long remembered by everyone at the ground today.”

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After the match, news filtered through that Ashburton Second XI had beaten Brixham Second XI. Batting first, Ashburton got off to a good start through AJ West (16) and Toby Pascoe (27) but wobbled after losing 4 wickets for 16 runs.

Late order runs from Gordon Colwill (43), Nat Saturley (27 not out) and George Marshall (22 not out) took the side to 195-8 from their 40 overs. Wickets were then shared between Marcus West (2-23), AJ West (2-32), Greg Robinson (1-29) and the pick of the bowlers George Marshall (5-26).

The two victories for the club leave Ashburton First XI in second place in C Division West and Ashburton Second XI in third place in F Division West.