Top against bottom match for Shobrooke Park

SHOBROOKE Park should take a step closer to promotion as B Division champions when they host Bideford in a top-against-bottom clash tomorrow.

While Shobrooke have only lost once this season, Bideford’s one and only win came last Saturday, when they beat Barnstaple & Pilton.

Seamer Ben Trenaman returns to the Shobrooke side. Missing from the team which won at Chudleigh last time out is batsman Phil Anning.

Chudleigh haven’t abandoned all hope of going up behind champions in waiting Shobrooke despite losing to them last time out.

Mark Hulse’s side make the short trip to lowly

The gap between Chudleigh and Brixham in second is 19 points, which Hulse remains confident of whittling away.

“We had three of the top four teams one after the other and now they are all out of the way for the season,” said Halse.

“It was unfortunate that for three of the biggest games of the season our batting failed to fire, apart from Jan Bothma.

“Too often we were something like 30 for three and that’s no platform for winning matches, batting first or second.

“A few of us — myself, Derek Perry and my brother Nick — are due some runs and there is no time like now to start getting them.

“If we play to our potential, there isn’t a game we can’t win between now and the end of the season.”

One player Chudleigh won’t be seeing again this term is Rob Clarke, who suffered a broken collarbone last weekend in a non-cricket-related injury.

Clyst St George will be hoping Shobrooke do them a favour, as they are fighting for survival down with Bideford.

Six points will see them past Cockington to safety, but with Plymstock (third) and Shobrooke to play, there are few easy points on offer.

“We have a tough run of games to come and we need to start winning very soon,” said skipper Mark Couch.

Paul Richardson is on holiday, but veteran Tim Reed returns.

Chagford are looking forward to seeing out the season without too many stresses and strains, staring with their visit to Axminster tomorrow.

Promotion ceased to be an option some time ago, but it took last Saturday’s victory over Plymstock to end the perceived threat of relegation.

Skipper Jeremy Christophers wants to throw in some of the youngsters in what’s left of the season — and has 15-year-old batsman Paul Penberthy pencilled into the side tomorrow.

New faces Stewart Grainger and Julian Baker also make their debuts, although neither is a youngster.

On the missing list are all-rounders Andy Astley and Mark Gribble, batsman Henry Gordon-Lennox and seamer Duncan Christophers.

Skipper Christophers said: “Beating Plymstock was important as it means we would have to play lamentably badly to get relegated now.

“Had we played like we did at Plymstock all season we would be up there pitching in with the best of them.

“Where we are in the table means we can start planning for next season and developing the youngsters who will get us out of this division.”