BIDEFORD thrashed relegation rivals Cockington by 187 runs at Westward Ho! but events elsewhere conspired to send them down to the Francis Clark Devon League C division.

While Bideford did their best to beat the drop by taking 20 points from the division's bottom side, Clyst St George produced one of the most eye-opening results of the season to make their own great escape.

Going into Saturday third from bottom, Clyst looked the most likely of the trio to be relegated. They were, after all, playing away to the champions elect, Shobrooke Park.

But they conjured up a four-wicket win to finish one point ahead of Bideford, who go down with Cockington.

Pete Waterman, who is standing down as Bideford captain, said: "That was a bit of a shock. I didn't see any way Clyst would get a result there.

"It doesn't come down to one game. We only got 49 points in the first nine games and more than 110 in the last nine, which tells a story.

"To get as close as we did was a brilliant effort. You think 'if only', but you could drive yourself mad if you tried to analyse every game, every dropped catch and missed run."

The pressure on Bideford to get their win would have been eased when they saw the visitors had only managed to get nine players together for the decisive match.

After the home side had rattled up 266 for nine, they went down like nine pins for just 79 to take their leave of the division.

Bideford had to wait for news from Shobrooke and, when it came, it was not good.

The leaders had been restricted to 171 for seven and, despite a wobble mid-innings which saw three wickets fall for three runs, Clyst made it to the target.

James Ford top scored with 69 in Bideford's 266 for nine from 46 overs, a total boosted by a stand of 60 between Chris Luxton (38no) and Ian Hayter (35no).

Peter Needham scored more than half Cockington's runs with 40, but they were no match for Josh King, who took three for 23, while Luxton and Martin Stewart took two wickets each.

It was a hollow victory for Bideford, while there were celebrations all round at Shobrooke, who did enough to secure the title.

Barnstaple and Pilton will be North Devon's only representative in the B division next summer.

They finished sixth, slipping out of the top half with a defeat to Chudleigh.

Three Barum players were out first ball — Mike Paine, Ed Yeo and George McEndoo — as they limped to 51. Mark Metters avoided the same fate and made 25 not out.

Yeo (2-22) and Steve Moore (2-20) ensured Barnstaple got a couple of points, but Chudleigh ran out six-wicket winners.

The league's disciplinary panel will investigate the match after a Chudleigh player was reported for comments made to the umpires at tea.

Filleigh finished their E division season in a creditable fourth place that could have been so much better but for a closing run of seven matches featuring just one win.

The last defeat was by six wickets to Kentisbeare after posting 120 for eight.

Martin Collier top scored with 20 before Sam Witheridge (2-20) and Gary Henry (2-30) took the Kentisbeare wickets to fall.