BRADNINCH skipper Joel Murphy has backed opening batsman Richard Foan to come good in the second half of the Francis Clark Devon League season, after a nightmare start second time round at the club.

Foan, last season's skipper at nearby Sandford, rejoined Bradninch this term after ten years away. His old club were newly promoted to the Premier Division and lured him back in a squad-strengthening move.

It looked a good move for Bradninch as Foan scored 503 Premier runs last season, 534 in 207 and 537 in 2006. This year he has totalled 28 runs in eight trips to the wicket – three of which failed to produce a run between them.

Foan dropped down the order from opener against North Devon last time out, not that it made any difference. He got another duck.

Bradninch face second-in-the-table Bovey Tracey today, which will be another test for Foan as best mates Pete and Chris Bradley play for the opposition and will be keen to put one over on their pal. No doubt Foan will have other ideas.

Murphy's second-from-bottom side could do with a run injection from Foan, which the captain believes is just around the corner.

"Richard Foan is a tremendous player who is having one of those lean runs everyone experiences once in their career," said Murphy.

"He is scoring plenty of runs in the North Devon League on Sundays, and when he bats on Saturdays he looks in good form, even though he isn't getting any runs.

"Good players get it back sooner or later, and when Richard does the bowlers are going to suffer."

With leaders Sidmouth apparently running away with a second Premier Division title – they are 26 points ahead of Bovey Tracey – there's more interest in what's going on at the bottom than the top.

Only four points separate the bottom four clubs, most of whom are as close or closer to Bovey than Bovey are to Sidmouth. "That tells you something about the league, that everyone can beat everyone this season, which is why I am not worried about being bottom at halfway," said Sandford captain Adrian Small, whose side are at home to North Devon today.

"By now you expect teams to be stringing out a bit, but that's not happening. Why's that? Look at how many teams have won two games. Seven out of 10 – including Bovey in second – that is why it is so tight. One win will get any team at the bottom moving up; two and you could be in the top five. All we have to do is win a couple."

Torquay travel to Exeter in good spirits – and out of the bottom two – after taking the best of a draw off Budleigh Salterton last time out. "I would have been happy with six or seven points at one stage, so to take 14 was a great result for us," said Torquay skipper Justin Yau.

"We played well against a good team and we will have to do that again. Since we last met Exeter, they have got Glen Lammonby back after the problems over his registration, and their batting is stronger because of him being there. With the people they have got, Exeter are a top-four side, so this will be a hard game for us," he added.

Budleigh Salterton, at home to Plymouth, are looking to bounce back after a disappointing display at Torquay.

Budleigh skipper Ian Bishop said the game was there to be won by his side, and they blew it. "It was not a great performance all round, really. We bowled adequately, nothing more, and our fielding was OK," he said. "If we want to achieve anything this season, we have to up our game."

Sidmouth skipper Will Murray is sticking to his line that the Premier title is not in the bag yet, despite what his opponents are staying.

Third-placed Plympton go into today's meeting with Sidmouth 47 points behind them. It is hard to see where the challenge is going to come from in the second half of the season, unless Sidmouth's form drops off alarmingly.

Murray doesn't see it that way, though as he spies banana skins lying in wait.

"We are at a crucial stage which started last week when we played Exeter and have Plympton (third), Budleigh (fifth) and Bovey Tracey (second) in the next month," said Murray. "We got the result we wanted against Exeter, but still have to beat the other three teams."