IVYBRIDGE have now gone four games without a win in the A Division after going down by three-wickets to Bridestowe & Belstone.

Defeat dropped the Bridge down to fourth from bottom in the table, where they have a 16-point advantage over Bovey Tracey, who occupy the second relegation place.

Ivybridge were 24-3 after an early going over and needed a recovery of sorts. Zach Dunn (25) and Harvey Johnson (15) provided one.

After former Okehampton rugby player Billy Searle (2-19) divorced Johnson from Dunn, no one made more than Harry Solomon (17) as the Bridge were bowled out for 110.

Tom Pengelly (5-26) was easily B&B’s most effective bowler.

The Moorlanders got to 59 for two in relative comfort – James Ewen (21), Shaq Glasgow (20) and Leon Horn (22) all chipping in – then found runs at a premium.

The bowling combination of Mickey Copeland (3-28) and Solomon (2-13) had B&B wobbling at 81 for six with the game in the balance. Tom Fogerty (6no) and Pengelly (8no) saw them home.

John Sparkes, the Ivybridge team manager, said: “The lads fought really hard in the field to take seven with us and at six down, we felt we had a sniff, but it wasn’t to be.

“We felt 135-140 was a par score on a pitch that was offering a lot of assistance for both seamers and particularly the spinners.

“Harvey Johnson and Zach Dunn worked really hard to get us back in the game after the early wickets went.

“A couple of wickets given away cheaply and not getting the rub of green on one key decision has cost us overall.

“We have to be better in prizing our wickets in what’s left of the season.”

Meanwhile, Ivybridge 2nd XI moved on from their pasting by D West leaders Chagford with a six-wicket win over lowly Abbotskerswell 2nd XI.

Nick Guest (92) and Erik Gregersen (84) were Abbots’ only batters to get past seven in a total of 206 for five. They put on 147 for the second wicket.

Jack Worth (2-27) and Chris Greenhouse (2-21) booked-in Ivybridge’s best bowling figures.

Greenhouse was an early casualty when Ivybridge batted, and Sam Kidd followed soon after.

Opener Josh Bullock (95) and skipper Sam Northmore (82) ended the game as a contest with a stand of 163 that left eight needed to win. Game over!

Elsewhere, Hatherleigh 2nd XI slipped into more trouble at the wrong end of the C West table following a 10-wicket hiding by Kingsbridge.

Whilst Hatherleigh are bringing up the rear, Kingsbridge look like a solid unit in second.

Four wickets for Bhanu De Silva (4-31), three for the ever-youthful Neal Peach (3-33) and a couple for Freddie Weir conspired to bowl out Hatherleigh for 142.

Cameron Rowlands (30) and Adam Quick (42) got Hatherleigh up to 73 for two before the decline started. Only Henry D’alberti-Nicholson got to 20 after that. Losing five wickets for 20 runs did not help.

Freddie Ford leathered the Hatherleigh bowling for an unbeaten 106 off 52balls – 17 fours, five sixes – as Kingsbridge hurtled to victory inside 16 overs.

D’alberti-Nicholson suffered more than most. Ford hit him for five fours in his first over, followed by three sixes and three fours in the second. He didn’t get a third!

Richard Carr (30no) was largely a spectator at the other end.