CHUDLEIGH are potentially one more defeat away from relegation after going down by 44 runs in the basement battle with Clyst St George.
This latest defeat – the 11th in as many completed games – means Chudleigh are 69 points away from safety at the foot of the table. They have to get past Teignmouth & Shaldon to stay up.
Skipper Dan Kendall (54) and Morgan Potgieter (54) took Clyst to a promising 110 for two.
Freddie Creer, in at second wicket down, top scored with 63 not out and with back-up from Thom Bunker (39) and Andrew Donovan (36) got the tally up to 280 for eight.
Mark Russell (3-34) took Chudleigh’s bowling honours ahead of Will Heather (2-49) and Luke Quaintance (2-58).
Matt Heather, the Chudleigh skipper, said: "Clyst batted well, but it definitely wasn't our best fielding performance.
"Too many dropped catches helped them to a big score."
Chudleigh, the only team below Clyst in the table, were all out for 236 with seven balls to go.
An opening stand of 94 between Mark Solway (36) and Matt Heather (88) hinted at a tilt at a chase which, for a while looked possible. Will Heather (21) and Quaintance (18) chipped in, but that wasn’t enough.
By the time opener Heather was seventh out on 220, hopes of chasing down the runs had evaporated.
Bertie Creer (4-62) and Ollie Manning (3-41) were the bowlers who did most of the damage to Chudleigh’s prospects.
Heather, said not for the first time this season the dividing line between success and failure was slender.
"We made a good effort in the chase, staying in it right to the end, but unfortunately came up short,” said Heather.
Elsewhere, Budleigh Salterton came up short on the chase against Ipplepen, where a middle-order stumble dented their hopes of chasing down 232 to win.
Budleigh were 131 for three after good work by Sam Whitehead (42) and Max Mejzner (16), plus a generous helping of extras, but slipped to 133 for six against Pens’ spinners Noah Rider (1-34) and Nathan Forde (2-27).
Lloyd Murrin, the Budleigh captain, aimed to turn things round with a battling 66 and was supported by Jack England (25) during a stand of 55.
England and Fin Shipton (17no) gave it a go, but 32 to win from the final three overs proved too many and Budleigh finished 13 runs behind on 218 for eight.
Pens’ total of 231 for nine was founded on a knock of 62 by Reuben Stanley. He went in at 37 for two and helped add 105 before Joe Marley spun him out.
Ipplepen struggled to 58 for four against England (4-27) and were grateful to Stanley and Rider (26) for a 78-run fightback stand.
Lower order runs from Sam Wakeham (28), Ross Kennard (21) and Forde (23) inflated Pens’ total.
