BOVEY Tracey slipped back into the bottom two in the Tolchards DCL Premier Division following a 49-run defeat in a high-scoring encounter with Exeter.
Three wins on the trot in the league had hoisted Bovey out of the relegation places and dumped Paignton down there instead.
Paignton’s crushing nine-wicket win over doomed Plympton meant they scrambled past Bovey, at least for now.
Both teams have three games left to play and face each other on the final day of the season. That could be no place for the faint-hearted!
Exeter piled up 297 for nine against Bovey Tracey, then held the home side to 248 for eight to clinch a 49-run win.
Aussie Eddie Steele (51) pointed Exeter in the right direction against the new ball, but it was Fin Hill and Sam Read who really took Bovey’s bowling to task.
Hill (93) and Read (67) put on 112 for the fourth wicket – and breaking the stand slowed the run rate appreciably until the very end when Hill and last man Archie Del Mar added 43 in the final three overs.
Musa Twala (3-56) broke the stand when he trapped Read leg-before.
Seb Ansley (3-47) and Ben Kay (2-56) both picked-up wickets in the late dash for runs.
Despite half-centuries for opener Jake Pascoe (54) and Ed Foreman (52), Bovey were soon behind the clock in the chase.
Sam Harvey (41) and skipper Pete Bradley (27) put on 61 down the order to help Bovey to a respectable total.
Left-armer Josh Nott (3-39) topped Exeter’s bowling returns. Hill and Felix Joseph took two wickets each for Exeter.
Bradley said Bovey performed well against a ‘talented team’ and he felt the plusses outweighed the minuses.
“The major difference between the teams was Fin Hill,” said Bradley.
“Exeter were 254 for nine with four overs to go and I felt we were in a strong position until Hill and Del Mar got going.
“Ben Kay and Sam Harvey are putting in good performances with the ball each week now and have shown positive signs of development over the season.
“Lovely to see Jake Pascoe, Ed Foreman and Sam Harvey score some runs, after working and practicing hard all season. Nice also to see us get 250 without Musa getting many runs.
“We have shown we have the ability and, hopefully, can take that confidence into the final three weeks.”
Meanwhile, in D Division West, Kenn are up to second place after defeating promotion rivals Plymouth Civil Civil Service & Roborough by 28 runs.
Kenn were in all sorts of bother at 73-8, but managed to eke out a total of 120 and then had PCSR all out for 92!