HOLSWORTHY’S six-year stay in Division Two East of the Cornwall Cricket League is over following a final day abandonment at home to St Austell Seconds on Saturday.

Their defeat at Tintagel a week earlier coupled with Menheniot-Looe’s comfortable success at bottom side Bude meant the Trees knew they had to win on the final day and hope for help from champions Wadebridge Seconds at Fourgates.

While Menheniot’s clash – like the majority in the East – was called off by late morning, Holsworthy gave themselves a huge chance by being able to get underway at 2.45pm in a clash reduced to 30 overs.

After winning the toss, they started superbly as spinner Jack Greening dismissed key man James Carter and young wicketkeeper Tom Mallet in the space of three balls before Steve Raven and Qasim Jamal fired the bowling to all parts.

Then came inspired spells from spinners Graham Wild and Aiden Gerry.

Wild’s left-armers accounted for Raven (26) and youngsters Theo Osborne (10) and Henry Johnson (5) as the Saints slipped from 82-2 to 106-5.

Gerry’s flat darts then also went to work as he had the dangerous Jamal (54) caught by Bilal Darbar before new man Ben Carter edged behind to skipper Ryan Walter in the same over.

Ryan Bennetts (16) and skipper Tom Rosevear (20no) halted the home side’s momentum in a stand of 22 before Bennetts was taken by Walter off Wild who ended with figures of 4-23 from his six.

Gerry ended with 2-24 from his full allocation, but with the weather worsening, the players went off at 149-8 with two overs remaining, and never returned.

It completes a tough campaign for the whole club who also saw their second team relegated from Division Five East.

They ended with an eight-wicket defeat at Gunnislake having been dismissed for just 54.