Whimple suffered a 51-run defeat in a rain-hit meeting with Exeter 2nds.

After winning the toss, Whimple skipper Ben Silk invited the County Ground side to bat first and the visiting bowlers did their work well, bowling the home side out for 202 in 43.5 overs.

Third change Luke Whitton was the star of the bowling effort as he claimed four wickets for 48 runs from 7.5 overs. Twice he hit the stumps, he also held a catch off his own bowling and his other wicket was courtesy of a Devon Nightingale catch.

The arrival of rain changed the dynamics of the contest with Whimple set a revised target and they lost wickets at regular intervals before being all out for 119 in 31.1 overs.

Both number three bat Cameron Kidd and number eight bat Devon Nightingale shared the honour of top scoring – both with knocks of 28, but the only other double figure score was the 14 from the bat of skipper Ben Silk.

Whimple skipper Ben Silk could not hid his disappointment when he said: “We batted so badly and that’s a big disappointment. I had said before the game that if we could win our next two – both at home – we’d banish any thoughts of being dragged into a relegation scrap and now we have left ourselves with what I see as a must-win game this coming Saturday (August 4) against Braunton.”

Silk continued: “There’s no excuses, we had a team out that was good enough to win that game, but, and it was an all-round problem with the bat, we simply did not bat as well as we can.”

The defeat, a seventh in 13 outings this season, leaves Whimple sitting fifth, 25 points clear of a Feniton side that occupy the third and final relegation berth along with ‘already doomed’ Clyst Hydon and Budleigh Salterton 2nds.

Steve Hathaway has picked up a shoulder injury and was restricted to umpiring duties for the defeat to Exeter and is now set to miss the rest of the season.

Whimple skipper Silk says: “It’s a blow for Steve and for us. He sees a specialist this week, but I doubt we will see him in action again this season. We also have a few out on holidays for this next game, but that’s not to be sued as an excuse for all teams are in the same boat. What we cannot afford is another inept show with the bat for, defeat to Braunton would, see us dragged into that scrap at the wrong end of the table.”