AFTER two defeats for the Sandford Saturday cricket teams last weekend the final outcome for the season will probably not be decided until the last afternoon of the season.

What is almost definitely certain is that both sides have to win at least one if not both of their final two fixtures to achieve the outcome they both desire.

The First Eleven probably has the harder task to beat Sidmouth at home this weekend and Exmouth away on the final Saturday.

It is now looking like two from three will be relegated and as North Devon play Torquay on the final weekend, where their side will include the Overton twins. A victory for Sandford is imperative.

Last weekend the First Eleven took on the challenge of champions elect Tiverton Heathcoat and came within a whisker of not only causing a major upset but also securing those much needed bonus points for a win.

Winning the toss Richard Foan had no hesitation in asking the hosts to bat and Sandford did superbly to dismiss them for 185.

Trevor Anning had three for 22 and Jamie Palmer and Chris Jelley had identical figures of two for 37. At 144 for four the victory was tantalisingly close and Harrison Jones had once again led from the front with 63.

Ryan Glass opened up with 28 and Trevor Anning scored 27 but the last six wickets went down for 36 as Sandford fell five runs short.

The eight bonus points did help as North Devon and Torquay both lost as well but it is all coming down to those final fixtures when the bottom two play each other. Wouldn’t rain be good all weekend!

The Second Eleven has been playing some good cricket this season but the game against Feniton was not one of their better ones. Not only did they lose against a side battling to avoid the drop but they were bowled out for one run less than was needed to earn an additional bonus point which when a league is very close could turn out to be very important.

The side has slipped to third in the table and now finish the season against the sides which are second and fourth so the outcome is still in their hands but following this defeat promotion has become much harder to achieve.

Winning the toss Sandford asked the visitors to bat and managed to bowl them out for 171. Skipper Shaun Hawkins took four for 41, Pete Steer three for 34 and Brian Leach two for 27 but crucially some dropped catches meant the total to chase was more than it should have been.

The Feniton catching however was superb and the top three Sandford batsmen found themselves back in the pavilion due to some excellent fielding.

Shaun Hawkins top scored on 51 and Mike Cliff scored 26 but too many rash shots meant that Sandford were dismissed for 159 and with Upottery beating Sampford Peverell the side has dropped to third in the table.

Team selection and availability are going to be so important for the last two fixtures of the season.

The 2019 Sandford Community Cricket League Final has been postponed until the beginning of the 2020 season with a new date to be confirmed nearer the time.

Unfortunately the weather has played havoc with a number of fixtures throughout this season and finding a convenient alternative at this time of the year proved impossible.

Phil Matten, the tournament’s organiser, says: “unfortunately the weather has won this year and apologies to all those concerned.”

Fixtures this weekend: Tomorrow, Saturday, August 24 - First Eleven v Sidmouth, 12.30pm start.

Mike Canning