DCL C Division West

Dartington & Totnes 1st XI 121 all out;

Chagford 1st XI 70 all out;

D&T win by 51 runs

Dartington & Totnes’s first eleven started the season with a 51-run win over Chagford. Harry Baxendale took five for 17 and ripped the heart out of the Chagford batting after Matt Sevior had earlier been D&T’s saviour with the bat, scoring 46.

D&T were put in to bat on a very difficult wicket with virtually no bounce due to recent prolonged wet weather. Baxendale and Sevior put on 34 for the first wicket before Baxendale was bowled by Griffiths for nine. Will Wyatt and Sevior pushed the score to 82, helped along by extras.

The introduction of the experienced Derek Lammon-by into the Chagford attack paid dividends for the ­visitors, as he had Sevior caught in his first over, heralding a huge batting ­collapse, with D&T’s last nine wickets falling for 39 runs.

Josh Orrall had a short stay at the crease, bowled by Worth for four, and Wyatt’s grafting innings of nine was ended by Lammonby. Nobody else reached double figures, other than skipper Harold Stevenson with 12 not out.

D&T were grateful for the 32 extras and it seemed 121 might be a decent total, given the state of the pitch, and so it was to prove.

James Howrihane struck in his first over when Whittingham played a rash shot and Wyatt took a straightforward catch at cover. Spinner Baxendale was soon brought into the attack and wasted no time in getting stuck in to the batsmen: he bowled Griffiths for nine, trapped Sampson lbw for four, had Will Lammonby (10) and Baker (15) caught and then bowled Worth for good measure.

Not content with this, he deflected a very hard drive onto the stumps, running out Simon Snell, the non-striking batsman, in the process. Another run out followed before Andy Bligh dismissed Herrington when Howrihane took a marvellous catch over his head and Sevior polished off the last man to give D&T a comfortable victory.