SOUTH Devon can’t be ruled out of the D West promotion race just yet after beating Barton 2nd XI by 165 runs.
Top two Stoke Gabriel and Plymouth are as good as up already, but there is still a contest between Yelverton and South Devon for the third promotion place.
South Devon (4th) trail Yelverton by 17 points which, with 80 points up for grabs in the last four games isn’t an unbridgeable gap. They will hope to make a dent in it with a win at Torquay 2nd XI this Saturday.
South Devon skipper James Allen top scored for his side with 96 in a total of 265 for six.
Allen and Mark Andrews (66) put on 138 for the second wicket in the dash for runs against the Barton seamers.
Allen was fifth out on 234, which left Richard Beaumont (38) to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the latter overs.
Barton, who are propping up the table, made South Devon work for their win by valuing their wickets dearly.
Veteran batsman Jim Parker faced 67 balls making 16 and there were similar acts of stubbornness from Gary Spencer and Alfie Payne.
Dale Adderley (29) was Barton’s top scorer in their all-out tally of 100.
Dinesh Raheja had a couple of wickets early, but the real skittling was done by Allen, whose four for 14 off nine overs took out the middle order.
Allen has scored 458 runs and taken 21 wickets in league action this season. It is that consistency that has earned him a second call-up into a Devon CCC development squad.
The South Devon skipper will be in the side Devon Lions play Gloucestershire CCC Academy at Heathcoat CC near Tiverton on Sunday.
Bovey Tracey all-rounder Abraham Kopparambil is also in the Lions squad.