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TUESDAY, JUNE 24

LOSING five wickets for 11 runs, after they had been 83 for none, cost Devon the chance of a win over Berkshire at Torquay.

   Devon had already made life difficult for themselves by letting Berkshire wriggle off the hook when they had them seemingly skewered at 74 for seven in their second innings.

   The Berkshire tail-enders put on 115 for the final three wickets and Devon's failure to see off the rabbits came back to haunt them.

   Having left themselves 52 overs to make 167 to win, Devon ran out of time with 151 on the board and just two wickets left.

   The game turned on a dramatic collapse that saw four wickets fall in the space of 20 balls for just two runs added as 83 without loss became 85 for four.

    “That's a recipe for defeat and we did well not to loose after what happened then,” said Devon captain Bob Dawson.

   James Hudson nearly hauled it round with a gallant knock of 38, but when he got out with two overs to go and 18 needed the game was up.

   Openers Richard Foan and Rob Holman had the bowling under control as they accumulated 83 for the first wicket.

   Foan's demise when he smashed a James Morris full-toss straight to mid-wicket, sparked a collapse that put the game in the balance.

   Holman was bowled by Morris for 47 then Bob Dawson and David Lye went in the same over from Tim Lambert. When Lye got out, Devon had lost four wickets for two runs, a situation barely improved when Neil Bettis was lbw to Lambert on 94.

   It became a war of attrition after Bettis went with Devon grinding out runs where they could. Hudson was the pivot the rest batted round as the target came down in dribs and drabs.

   Devon's fortunes took a turn for the worse when Sandy Allen was run out by a direct hit, but they still like winning when they needed 20 to win off three overs; then Hudson holed out to Steve Naylor at long-on and the chase was over.

   Berkshire resumed in the morning on 54 for five – a lead of 31 - with Devon captain Bob Dawson about to bowl his hat-trick ball opposite number Bjorn Mordt. A half-tracker was clubbed away through mid-wicket and a place in the record books lost.

   Craig Crowe and Bjorn Mordt when close together and at 74 for seven an early finish looked likely. Then the tail started wagging.

   Sam Woodward (21) and Jonathan Trower detained Devon while they put on 40 for the eighth wicket.   The stand ended when James Burke found the edge of Woodward's bat and Foan took a tumbling catch at slip.

   Richard Johnson, the former Somerset and England fast bowler, joined Trower in a stand off 33 that took Berkshire up to lunch.

   Berkshire were 147 for nine when Johnson holed out with last man Tim Lambert the only impediment left. The final stand between Trower and Lambert was the best of the innings.

   Trower moved to 50 off 100 balls and towed Lambert along in a stand of 42 – more than any pair had posted before – which took the total earned from the last three wickets to 115.

   Lambert's fun ended when James Hudson trapped him lbw. Trower finished undefeated on 52.

   Berkshire 288-9 (S P Naylor 125, J Trower 42, J C Morris 28; T S Anning 3-59, I E Bishop 2-45) & 189 (J Trower 52; T S Anning 5-68), Devon 311-9 (J M Hudson 74no, A P W Allen 74, D F Lye 41, R J Foan 34; T L Lambert 6-87) & 151-8 (R J Holman 47, J M Hudson 38; T L Lambert 3-60). Match drawn.

  

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