The opening week of the season delivered some cracking contests, big individual scores, and several nail-biting finishes across all three divisions.
Division A
Ashbrittle got off to a strong start, seeing off the Barmy Army 381–357, while Castaways held on to beat Calverleigh 352–333. The game of the night came between The Farmers and newly-promoted Bellies — despite a superb 79 from Mike Colins, the highest score of the division, Bellies fell short as The Farmers ran out 466–420 winners.
There was drama between Oggies and Settler Boys, with Settler Boys edging it by a single pin, 369–368. Champions Hotshots couldn’t quite get going and slipped to a narrow 356–353 defeat at Boom Boyz. Meanwhile, Bradninch Cricket Club impressed with a commanding 442–405 victory over Uplowman.
Division B
The Travellers started with a bang, thanks to Reece Wiggins’ 79, powering them to a 430–384 win over All Blacks. In one of the closest matches of the night, Bradninch RBL edged out Tim’s Princes 363–361. Catherine Wheel carried on their winning momentum from last season, beating The Hounds 397–349.
Mooners impressed with a 423–385 win over Pistol Knights, while Tim’s Booze Cruzers proved too strong for The Agri-Nuts, 393–350. Prince B finished the round in style, taking a 421–400 win away at River Rebels.
Division C
In Division C, The Globe Inn produced a strong team performance to beat Bell Ends 384–358, with Adrian Hills top scoring with 65. Redwoods just lost out to Bickleigh 387–378, while Barley Mow got their campaign off to a flyer with a 340–328 win over Rose and Crown.
Tiverton Chiefs, looking to improve after last year’s struggles, battled hard but were beaten 417–381 by Bullocks. Ashill Inn just squeezed past Huntsam A 351–346 in one of the closest games of the week.
Hotshots of the Week
•Division A: Mike Colins (Bellies) – 79
•Division B: Reece Wiggins (The Travellers) – 79
•Division C: Adrian Hills (The Globe Inn) – 65