Bideford rule North Devon with glorious success in the T20 Cup

Westward Ho! was the venue for the Blights Motors North Devon T20 Cup Finals day, and it was the hosts Bideford who came out victorious in front of a crowd of 250.

The first semi-final between Bideford and Barnstaple & Pilton was a one-sided affair, as a depleted B&P were put to the sword by a rampant Bideford, who won by 166 runs. 

Bideford batted first, and the B&P bowlers dazzled by their opponents kit, suffered at the hands of openers Matt Sheperd (51) and Oliver Hannam (71), who rattled along at 10-an-over. Once Shepherd was dismissed, skipper Jack Ford hit an unbeaten 105 off 47 balls, including nine sixes and five fours, which saw his side to an impressive 249 for 2. 

B&P offered little resistance against tight bowling and excellent fielding. Joe Hastie’s 51 was as good as it got, as they reached 83 for 7. B&P skipper Jimmer Thomas bemoaned the loss of four players to injury overnight. and the unavailability of mystery spinner Tony Gilbert.

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The second Semi- Final between Hatherleigh and North Devon was a more even affair, which North Bevon won by 7 wickets.

Batting first, Hatherleigh scored 152 for 8. At one stage, they were on target for 200+, as Jasper Presswell (46) and Emerson Wood (40) put on 97 for the third wicket. The introduction of veteran seamer Simon Wright, who took 3 for 26, put the brakes on. He was backed up by Jools Hughes, whose four overs cost 21.

North Devon reached their target with more than six overs to spare. Jay Rothery (47) and Jack Moore (41) led the chase, and it was left to Rueben Windley to hit an unbeaten 57 (50 in boundaries) to seal the win.

The final saw North Devon bat first, but they found themselves up against a strong bowling attack, backed up by outstanding fielding. Indeed, one ‘grab’ by Oli Hannam had the older brethren purring in delight, as they were all out for 137.

Jack Moore was the stand-out batter, hitting 68, but apart from Fed King’s 23, he got little support. Matt Shepherd took 4 for 23, and there were a couple each for Jack Ford, and Steve Bond.

Shepherd started the chase with 37, James Hayter hit 42, and Ford hit an unbeaten 30, as Bideford cruised to victory by seven wickets with four-and-a-half overs in hand. Josh King hit his one delivery into the Go-Karts to win the game in style to the delight of the partisan crowd.

Special thanks to Bidford CC, groundsman Steve Moore, who worked tirelessly all day, umpires Graham Moore, Alec Pickersgill and Dave Staddon, scorers Gary Hudson, Sue Tidball and Lucy Tyson.