Whimple still have an outside hope of landing a play-off place after they won their penultimate game of the Tolchards Devon League D Division East season, beating Chardstock by five wickets.

Steve Hathaway was the star of the show in a contest that saw the ball hold sway over the bat!

Hathaway claimed four wickets for just 18 runs as Chardstock, batting first, were bundled out for a paltry 56.

However, as small as the target was, batting was not easy and, with former Dorset county medium pacer Richard Pyman with the ball, it was not surprising that he too got amongst then wickets taking all five of the Whimple wickets that fell.

Pyman finished with five wickets for 16, but Whimple emerged victorious and the 18 points they banked mean they take their bid for a top two finish to the final day.

The frustrating thing for Henry Gordon-Lennox and his team is that they are going to be sat watching the final day action as they are without a game!

That’s because they were due to face Cheriton Fitzpaine on the last match day of the Tolchards League season, but the Cherries withdrew at the end of July and their record was removed and the division was left with an odd number of teams meaning one team in the section each week would sit the day out.

All Whimple eyes will no doubt be on the proceedings at Cullompton where Chardstock are the visitors.

Whimple sit 12 points above Cully in the table and so only a win for the Mid Devon side will see them edge Whimple out of the play-off spot.

If the weather intervenes and the game is not played then Cully would get then mandatory six points for a rained off match and that would, send Whimple into the September 5 play-off which is set to be against either Clyst St George or Chelston and Kingskerswell.

Both teams currently have 265 points and both are away on Saturday with Clyst St George visiting third bottom Buckland Monachorum while Chelston have a tougher task as they go to fourth placed Kenn.

If the results of match day nine are repeated then it will be Clyst St George who Whimple would face, for on that day they banked 20 points as Buckland could not raise a team while Chelston and Kingskerswell got 19 points from a win over Kenn.