Feniton have made a wonderful start to the Tolchards Devon League C Division East campaign.

In recent years the Acland Park side have struggled to field consistent early season elevens and generally found themselves having to play catch up I their league campaign./

This year though, its all change and Feniton sit top of the table after four games of the 18 match campaign.

Their latest success was an emphatic 165-run win at Braunton.

Batting first, Feniton’s batsmen all contributed to an imposing total of 289-5Opehners Mark Slater (55) and Graham Tucker (25), gave their side a solid start, taking the total to 65 before Tucker departed. Chris May joined Salter and the pair added another 46 before that dreaded cricketing score 111, otherwise known as ‘nelson’ was on the Kelsey ground score board and, sure enough, a wicket fell, with Salter’s fine innings coming to an end.

Skipper Mark Kingdon and May added a further 41 before the captain was out for 22 and, when May departed a few runs later, Feniton were 155-4.

The next pair at the wicket were Alex Frankpitt and Jon Pyle and they added 97 for the fifth wicket – that being Pyle for 24. Young jack Tucker joined Frankpitt as the latter got ever close to a century, but time ran out on him and he was left unbeaten on 967, with young Tucker on six, when the bails were removed for the tea interval with Feniton losing on 289-4 after 45 overs.

Skipper Kingdon switched his bowlers around to great effect – Jon Pyle made the initial breakthrough with the captain pouching a catch to leave Braunton 20-1. A catch behind by glovesman Ben Allen off Kingdon made it 43-2. Wickets then fell at 81 – an Andrew Rose catch off Pyle, 110 – a Mark Kingdon catch off the Pyle bowling and at 123-5 Jon French trapping the only home batsmen to make an impression, opener Robert Patterson for 61.

That was as good as it got for the home side though, as, from 123-5 they collapsed to 124 all out! Five of the Feniton bowlers claimed wickets with the top return being the 3-21 from seven overs of Jon Pyle while Matthew Davies claimed figures of 3-23 from eight. Andrew Rose sent down a single over and got two wickets for just a single run and there were single wickets too for Mark Kingdon and Jon French.

The outfielding was good too, with no fewer than eight catches being held. Matchday five is this Saturday (June 3) when Feniton will seek to keep control of top spot when they entertain third placed Clyst St George.