WHAT a wash-out! The final round of matches in the Tolchards Devon Cricket League across all 17 divisions was virtually written off by bad weather.

Of 80 matches on the fixture list from the Premier to the H Divisions, only a handful actually got underway. And of the few that started, just two were played out to a finish. North Devon 2nd XI defeated Shobrooke Park and Upottery won at Sandford 2nd XI.

Bovey Tracey’s hopes of finishing in the A Division top five were scuppered by a rain off at C Cullompton, who were the team they wanted to overtake.

Bovey Tracey 2nd XI’s home game against B Division champions Budleigh Salterton failed to get away from the start line.

Ipplepen are facing the prospect of a double relegation after a rain-off at Braunton condemned the 1st XI to a place in the B Division bottom two.

Braunton, who were also in the relegation frame, were 83 for five when the rain came in.

Not only will Ipplepen’s 1st XI go down, so will their 2nd XI due to a Devon League regulation.

Clubs are not allowed to operate two teams in the same division, which is bad news for Ipplepen 2nd XI. They have to surrender their place in C Division West to accommodate the arrival of the first team.

As Ipplepen 2nd XI finished 22 points clear of the relegation zone in the C Division West, there is huge disappointment about going down. Paignton 2nd XI, who finished second from bottom, can expect a reprieve.

Ipplepen officials were hoping for a sideways move perhaps with one team placed in the C Division East and the other in the C Division West.

The league will have to swap one team from West to East as relegations mean 11 geographic candidates for 10 places. Something similar occurred in 2023 when Teignmouth & Shaldon were shifted West.

Nick Rogers, the league chairman, has explained why that cannot happen.

“It is always the case that a club’s 1st XI will be in a higher division than the club’s 2nd XI,” said Rogers.

“For clarity, East and West regionalised divisions are considered to be the same division – ie, at the same level – for the purposes of this rule.”

The likelihood is that Teignmouth & Shaldon will be moved East again to balance up numbers in the two divisions.

At the C Division West summit are Ashburton and Cornwood 2nd XI, the former claiming the title ahead of the South Hams side.

The aforementioned T&S, South Devon and Chudleigh ended up third, fourth and eighth respectively, at that same level.

In the D Division West meanwhile, with seventh-placed Yelverton Bohemians (205 points) and eighth-placed Barton 2nd XI (204) facing each other on the final day, ninth-placed Kenn (201) could have escaped the bottom two with a victory of their own but it wasn’t to be.

Nobody could rain on Abbotskerswell 2nd XI’s parade at the top of the E Division West mountain- they are pictured celebrating a successful season that saw them finish 40 points clear of their closest challengers.

T&S 2nd XI are another of the sides who could well have stayed up had they been given the opportunity to take to the field.