THE first round of matches in the 2026 Sandford Cricket Club Community League have now been played, and thankfully weather has not intervened.

The first match this season was between last year’s beaten finalists Crediton Milling Company and Sandford’s own young Development team, resulting in a 13 run win for the Millmen.

The Mill batted first and scored 160 all out in 19.4 overs. Remarkably the Sandford youngsters did not bowl any Wides or No Balls, which is a first in the history of Community League cricket, especially as sometimes Wides can be among the highest scorers. Will Matten with 3 wickets, all bowled, and Max De Pele, also with 3 wickets, were the star bowlers for Sandford.

Will White 32 and Jake Power 32no, along with Rob Machin 27 and Exeter Chiefs own Louie Gulley 24 were the main run scorers for the Mill.

In reply Zak Blewett 26, Will Hopkins 26 and Max De Pele 28 all had to retire, but unfortunately their efforts at the top of the order could not be maintained by the lower order, and in the end when their 20 overs ran out the youngsters were left stranded on 147 for 7.

Veteran Dave Manning with 3 wickets was the main wicket taker for the Millmen.

Graphic and Sandford Football Club were next up. Graphic batted first and with skipper Sam Dyne cracking 27, Steve Eccles 25 and Dan Puddefoot 23 all contributing, Graphic notched up 123 for 7 in their 20 overs.

Steady bowling by all the Football Club bowlers helped restrict the Graphic total to a very gettable target, and so it proved.

Despite a slowish start, Tom Grinney 27 and skipper Matt Uren 25 provided the incentive to allow the other batters to negotiate the 124 run target in only 17.5 overs for the loss of 5 wickets.

Nathan Mew at the top of the order did his best to score a few runs, but to be honest the local insect life was in more danger from his swats than the ball was of him hitting it. Even his own team mates cheered when he was eventually Run Out!

The final match of the first set of games was between Crediton Rugby Club and The Three Little Pigs – the winners for the past couple of years.

Remarkably the Rugby Club left Creedy Park with a 7 wicket win after chasing down the Pigs’ target of 153 for 6, founded around early order retirements from Lee Waring 26, Jack James 25 and Matt Arnold 26 plus other all-round useful batting contributions.

However, the Rugby Club turned the early potential form book upside down with knocks of 25 from Elliott Butterfield and Joe Wilcox, along with Joe Saunders 27 and Simon Grainger 23no, and won in only 17.2 overs to score an unexpected 7 wicket victory by stroking their way to 155 for 3.

Phil Matten