Honiton 1st XI secured a victory with an impressive 291-8 finish against Sidmouth 3rd XI at the Fortfield ground.

Last Sunday, instead of their trip to Newton Poppleford, the team relished the chance to face off against Sidmouth 3rd XI on their home turf.

Despite Honiton's team captain, Haysom, losing the coin toss and batting first on a somewhat overcast afternoon, the game started on a promising note.

Particularly, Dave Haysom, who quickly darted 3 scores of 4 before an LBW by Manakkad for 14.

However, Nathan Groves' early exit left Honiton at a score of 46-2.

The tide seemed to turn when Bradley Groves and Jon Hext collaborated to build a strong base for Honiton's innings.

They accumulated 65 for the 3rd wicket till Hext was dismissed to the 2nd ball after a drinks break having scored 27.

As the game progressed, it saw Groves replaced by Holmes at the crease.

Swiftly picking up pace, Holmes demonstrated a striking exhibition of clean hitting, maintaining pressure on Sidmouth's bowlers.

This led to a partnership of 64, with Groves scoring his first 50 of the season in just 25 balls.

Canniford's short-lived but exciting stint at the crease ended after just 2 balls.

This shift resulted in Ingram joining Holmes, who backed up his strong performance with another 50 off only 23 balls.

Tragically, Holmes was defeated by Pinnock after scoring an impressive 77 off 39 balls, including 5 x 4s and 6 x 6s.

With Honiton's score at an impressive 240-8 and 5 overs remaining, Lapping and Ostler delivered an invigorated performance with Lapping scoring 46no off 24 balls and the pair contributing an additional 51 to the team's total.

Following an arduous 45 overs, Honiton clinched a staggering 291-8 finish.

Sturdy performances from Sidmouth's bowlers Manakadd and Selby, with 3-42 and 2-16 respectively, were the highlights for their team.

The game resumed with Lapping sending opener Hall back to the pavilion, resulting in Griffiths joining Cox at the crease.

Under Ostler's proficient handling of the attack, the scoring rate remained in check.

Despite minor setbacks in maintaining pace by both Holmes and Lapping and Knight's hamstring twinge, Honiton managed to assert control.

Griffith’s impressive century raised spirits but consecutive falling wickets saw a downswing for Sidmouth.

A critical turn of events occurred when Griffiths hit the field's tallest man and was caught at the boundary edge off Holmes’ delivery, having scored 148 off 107 balls.

Corey Lapping claimed the final wicket to conclude the game with an impressive 2-52.

The final scorecard was 256 all out for Sidmouth.

This thrilling match showcased a sensational display of cricket with both teams giving their all.

Thanks to Andrew Lapping for scoring at both ends and Robert Ingram for recording this report which will be remembered by all for a long time.