SANDFORD Cricket Club Seconds visited bottom side Alphington and Countess Wear last Saturday in their latest C Division East match.

Batting first Sandford got off to a good start with openers Ben Handley 30 and Pete Steer 61 (5 fours) (2 fours) putting on 82 for the first wicket.

Although progress was slow, at least it was steady and by keeping wickets in hand it allowed skipper Shaun Hawkins 45 (2 sixes 4 fours) and Archie Osborne (9 fours) to step on the gas later on.

A total of 248 for 7 in their 45 overs set the home team a formidable target.

In the end Alphington and Countess Wear had no answer to the Sandford spinners who once they came on started to dismiss the home batters with regularity.

In the end A&CW were dismissed for 101 in only 22.3 overs to give Sandford Seconds a comfortable 147 run victory.

Alfie Butterfield (15) mopped up the tail with 3-7 (3.3) after 16 year old Ben Handley 2-16 (5) and Ellie Bishop 2-16 (4) dismissed the middle order.

This 20 point victory keeps the Sandford lads in third place in the Division with a tough game next week against League leaders Tiverton Heathcoat at Knightshayes, 1pm start.

On Sunday a so called Second XI (a team that looked nothing like the normal Second XI due to the rules of the competition which meant a number of current Second XI players were ineligible) played Budleigh Salterton Seconds in the Quarter-Final of the Corinthian Cup competition.

Having reached this far by default, with both of the previous matches having been conceded by their prospective opponents, Sandford batted first but could only muster 117 for 7 from their 20 overs.

Budleigh Seconds romped to victory for the loss of only two wickets to reach 122 for 2 in only 13.3 overs to claim an eight wicket victory.

Phil Matten