A NAIL-gnawing finish to the D West promotion scramble is on the cards in the Tolchards DCL D West with five teams chasing two places in the next division up.
The one-to-five at the top of the latest table is Plymstock 2nd XI (245pts), Ipplepen 2nd XI (244), Kenn (242), Babbacombe (241) and Plymouth CS&R on 234.
Plymstock missed out on a chance to pull away from the chasing pack as they were rained off away at Ivybridge 2nd XI.
Plymouth CS&R dropped down from third to fifth following a 43-run reversal at Babbacombe. Can they do enough at home to relegation battlers Dartington & Totnes to creep into the top two?
Ipplepen 2nd XI moved up to second place in the D West table on the strength of a 188-run win over Dartington & Totnes.
Ipplepen, who have ousted Kenn from second place, made 247 for seven with Ross Kennard top scoring on 78.
Gareth Penrice (35) got Pens started, Chris Needham (28) and Kennard put on 53 and the stand of the innings was one of 92 for the fourth wicket between Kennard and Hudson Edkins (36).
Ali Selby, Lewis Starkie and Ollie Perkins had two wickets each for D&T.
Jonno Lloyd (18) and Jonny Perkin (13) had the only double-figure scores for D&T in a miserable total of 59 all out.
Teenage off-spinner Warrick Green topped the bowling stats for Ipplepen with three for 15. Paul Thomas (2-25) and Needham (2-1) were also involved.
Kenn dropped back from second to third in the D West promotion race after losing by five wickets at home to relegation worriers Barton 2nd XI, but all is still to play for.
Kenn took a scenic route to a total of 198 for nine. They started brightly with runs for openers Chris May (22) and Martin Swannell (40), only had runs from Alfie Mason (22) in the middle order and were glad of jump start down the order from Lyle Muir (22), James Mason (16no) and last man Harry Gaydon (26). A 10th-wicket stand of 39 between Mason and Gaydon kept Barton in the field longer than anticipated.
Barton’s man of the moment on the chase was opener Adam Last, who got his head down for 68 not out.
Runs from Lewis Crocker (21), Greg Shelton (33), Tom Porter (37) and a four-ball hit of 14 for Andy Hele made it mission accomplished with eight balls to spare.
Lastly, Abbotskerswell 2nd XI slipped to a six-wicket defeat against visiting Hatherleigh 2nd XI in a low-scoring affair at Two Mile Oak.
It looked like job done for Hatherleigh after they skittled relegation-resigned Abbotskerswell for 95. It wasn’t quite that simple.
A double strike by Abbots’ young seamer Harrison Vickery had Hatherleigh a little wobbly at 60 for four in reply. They were glad to have Adam Quick and skipper Danny Forrester to guide them home.