Having called off the last three fixtures due to rain and teams being unable to raise a side, Stoke Fleming were delighted to get back to business with a trip to Harberton for a reverse of the last fixture they played.
In that game Harberton had won the village shield in a close-fought encounter at Venn Lane and this match proved to be just as tight.
Ed Church won the toss for Stoke and opted to bat on a fine day, with the wicket looking good.
However, as openers John Hardy and Steve Edmonds soon found out, looks can be deceiving and the wicket turned out to be very slow and low, making timing the ball very difficult. Coupled with tight bowling, Stoke struggled to dominate the home bowlers.
In the 10th over Edmonds was bowled for 13 with the score on just 26, and was soon followed a couple of overs later by the returning Dan Hardy.
Church joined Hardy senior at the crease and the pair tried to up the run rate. It still wasn't easy, though, and eventually Hardy was bowled for a well-crafted 29. With the score at 71-3 at the drinks break, the match was evenly poised.
Two quick wickets reduced the visitors to 77 for 5, as first Church was adjudged lbw, swiftly followed by Darren Holmes. Three overs later Mark Edmonds was also given out lbw despite seemingly getting an inside edge – Stoke were now in real trouble at 92-6 with just 13 overs remaining.
Clive Clarke was settling in well, and when Colin Wilson joined him at the crease both men slowly started to find some rhythm.
With Clarke playing the anchor role, Wilson hit four sweetly struck boundaries, which prompted Clarke to take 17 off one over from Sleep, and all of a sudden the pressure was on the home side.
When Wilson was bowled for 18, the pair had put on 54 in seven overs, taking the score to 142 with six overs remaining, giving Stoke the chance to post a decent total. Simon Holmes came to join Clarke, who was now finding gaps and the boundary regularly.
He passed his 50 with another boundary and the pair managed to keep the run rate at seven an over right up until the last over when Clarke was caught behind for an invaluable 67, with Holmes unbeaten on 11.
Stoke finished on 184 for 8, a total that had looked out of reach for most of their innings.
Mark Edmonds and Dan Hardy shared opening bowling responsibilities, and immediately the home side's batsmen found the going just as tough as Stoke's did, with some good line and length bowling proving tricky to get away.
Edmonds in particular bowled superbly, removing the top three of the Harberton line-up before the score had reached 60.
Sleep at number four had assumed the anchor role by now, but with the run rate required gradually increasing, the pressure mounted on the incoming batsmen.
When Edmonds clean bowled home skipper Tobias, Stoke were really in the hunt, and Edmonds finished his spell with fantastic figures of 4-11 off eight overs. At the halfway stage Harberton needed a little more than five runs per over with six wickets remaining.
Clive Vallance bowled with great control after the drinks break, tying up one end for most of the second half of the innings, and although he was unlucky not to get a wicket, the pressure he brought about aided the bowlers at the other end.
The returning Dan Hardy picked up the wicket of Thomas, who had been Harberton's match winner in the previous fixture, and as the running became more desperate Tobias senior was run out by Mark Edmonds and Church attempting a second run.
Church brought himself on and bowled five steady overs, picking up the wicket of Tregelles, and Steve Edmonds had Lester caught in the deep by Dan Hardy, having seen four edges from dangerman Sleep fly through the slip cordon.
With two overs to go Harberton needed 22 with two wickets in hand. Sleep connected with a couple off Steve Edmonds, taking the equation to 11 off one.
A quick-run two was followed by exactly what Stoke needed, as Dan Hardy bowled Sleep for a very good 93.
Hardy contained the last two batsmen and the home side finished eight short on 176, meaning that Stoke reclaimed the Mills Shield.
This Sunday Stoke are away to East Prawle, 2pm start.