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.

Cornwood did start at Heathcoat, but only four balls were bowled at the visitors before umpires Paul Smith and Kevin Jacobs decided it was too wet to continue.

Among the other casualties was the B Division promotion decider between Ivybridge and Plymstock at Filham Park. No play at all robbed third-placed Plymstock of the chance to get past Ivybridge into second spot.

Ivybridge spent the majority of the season chasing Plymstock and Budleigh for a promotion place. They only made the top two with a couple of rounds to go.

Josh Zimmerman, the Ivybridge skipper admitted to some sympathy for long-time leaders Plymstock, who missed out completely.

"Plymstock will feel unlucky after the incredible first half of the season they had, but the table doesn't lie after a long season,” said Zimmerman.

"I'd expect them to be pushing for the promotion slots again next year.”

Stoke Gabriel’s B Division game at Bideford failed to get out of the starting blocks.,

Cornwood 2nd XI’s slender chance of overhauling Ashburton for the promotion place out of the C Division West vanished when they were rained off against Teignmouth & Shaldon.

Ashburton will be accompanied up from the regional C Divisions by East champions Seaton, who edged out Heathcoat by just two points.

At the other end of the table, there was an attempt for ninth-placed Ipplepen 1st XI and already-relegated Abbotskerswell 1st XI’s respective fixtures to go ahead but to no avail.

With the ‘Pens away at eighth-placed Braunton, they will feel particularly hard done by with their all-or-nothing clash falling foul of the rain.

When it rains it pours for Ipplepen as a wider club. Their 2nd XI avoided the drop in the C Division West but league rules state that two teams from the same club can’t play at the same level, thus, the 2nd XI are set to be relegated to accommodate the 1st XI’s move down.

Kingsbridge, Ivybridge 2nd XI and Cornwood 3rd XI all suffered total rain-offs.

Kingsbridge were set to host South Devon but there was little to nothing riding on that one anyway, the same can be said for Ivybridge 2nd XI in the D Division but not for their prospective opponents.

If ninth-placed Kenn had beaten the Bridge, they would almost certainly have escaped the bottom two as seventh and eighth were facing off elsewhere.

Cornwood 3rd XI could have caught eventual E Division runners-up Tavistock 2nd XI but Abbotskerswell 2nd XI already had top spot secured no matter what.

Dartington & Totnes were 23 for none in the seventh over against fellow strugglers Teignmouth & Shaldon 2nd XI when rain stopped play. D&T finished rock-bottom with a points tally of 157, 26 worse off than ninth-placed T&S.

F Division West was won by Stoke Gabriel 2nd XI and H West by Ivybridge 4th XI.