Whimple remain troubled by the threat of relegation from the C Division East after they became only the second side this season to lose to already relegated Clyst Hydon, going down to the basement dwellers by nine wickets.

On a seriously soggy Saturday, Whimple skipper Ben Silk lost the toss and, on a day when winning the toss was paramount, his side had to bat first in a contest reduced to 25 overs per side.

They made a decent fist of their time with the bat, closing on 175-5 thanks to half centuries from Devon Nightingale (59) and Matt Searle (52) and a knock of 31 from Cameron Kidd.

However, the home side sailed home, losing just a single wicket and with a full six wickets to spare.

Whimple skipper Ben Silk says: “No complaints from us on the outcome. We batted well in the conditions and I was delighted with our batting effort. On the day they had a batsman in Ian Sutton who went for it – and it came off for him.

“I don’t think we could have done any more. We used six bowlers, but Ian was ‘in the zone’ and nothing was going to stop him.”

The defeat leaves Whimple two places and 23 points clear of the drop zone. On Saturday they visit a Feniton side that currently sit in the third relegation berth above already relegated Clyst Hydon and Budleigh Salterton 2nds.

Whimple go to Feniton on Saturday where an away win will push Feniton nearer the drop and leave Whimple to contemplate another season of C Division East cricket in 2019.

Silk says: “It’s a big game at Feniton, there’s no escaping that. But it’s simple enough for us in as much as we can save ourselves a whole lot of worry over the final two games by getting the job done at Acland Park on Saturday.”