Back

 

Cameron White and Craig Keiswetter celebrate the fall of a Devon wicket. Photos: Al Stewart

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2007

CHASING 242 to win proved too tall an order for Devon as they went down by 106 runs to Somerset in the annual M J Baker Foodservice Twenty20 challenge match at Exmouth

   A crowd of around 1300 ringed the seafront ground in the early evening sunlight to see some crash-bang-wallop cricket and, while Somerset were batting they were not disappointed. Neither were the Devon Cricket Board, whose coffers were swelled by several thousand pounds from last night's gate receipts

   Devon had their moments as well – notably when Neil Hancock and David Court were putting bat to ball – but were always behind the clock and were bowled out for 136 in the final over

   Somerset's total of 242 for five was constructed around big innings from local favourite Matt Wood, who made 69 on the ground of his home-town club, and 75 by Ian Blackwell

   Openers Wood and Neil Edwards had a good look at the white ball for the first couple of overs – the score was a modest 14 for two at that stage – then they cut loose in a big way

   Devon paceman Ian Bishop won't have been hit for 36 in an over too often, but chuck in a couple of no-balls and some lusty blows by Edwards and he did

   Smashing one no-ball free-hit for six – and being ‘caught' by Neil Bettis when it wouldn't count off another – only rubbed it in for Bishop

   Edwards was on 30 from 14 balls when he picked out Adam Gribble at cover to give Devon a fifth-over breakthough. As the score was 70 at the time, they could have done with it a bit sooner

   Wood took centre stage after Edwards went, hitting some delightful shots as he reached 50 off 33 balls with seven fours and two sixes. The crowd had come to see some lusty blows and in Wood's stand of 72 with Ian Blackwell (pictured, right) they had plenty to enjoy

   After Cameron White swung across the line and was bowled by Adam Gribble for 19, Wood and Blackwell got to work

   Wood took the back seat behind Blackwell, who raced to his half-century in just 22 balls and brought it up with a six off Richard Foan

   In the same over Foan finally removed Wood, who faced 49 balls in total and smacked eight fours and three sixes, when he had him caught at deep mid-wicket by a leaping David Court

   Blackwell holed out in the penultimate over when he aimed down the ground for a seventh six and was caught by Trevor Anning to give Bishop some compensation for his earlier pounding

   Blackwell only faced 31 balls for his 79 and off his six sixes the one high over mid-wicket of Gribble into the beer tent was easily the shot of the night

   Devon lost openers Neil Bettis and David Lye more cheaply than they would have wanted if they were going to mount a serious assault in Somerset's total

   Edwards made a difficult catch at slip look easy to remove Lye, then Bettis was bowled by Gareth Andrew having dispatched the previous delivery through extra-cover with one of the shots of the match

   Hancock whacked 28 in quick time then got out slogging the ball up in the air over Jon Francis, who waited an age for it to come down

   Devon captain Bob Dawson drove on the up for White to take the catch at wide mid-off – that left the score 65 for four – leaving Court to take the fight to Somerset

   When Court departed for 38 – Ian Blackwell bowled him swinging across the line – the entertainment was almost over

   Richard Foan batted with determination to make 24, forsaking the slog in favour of a nudge here and stoke there, and detained Somerset for an over or two before Blackwell (2-23) and Wood (2-3) polished off the tail enders with the minimum of fuss

   Somerset 242-5 (M J Wood 69, I D Blackwell 75, N J Edwards 30; N D Hancock 2-29), Devon 136 (D G Court 31, N D Hancock 28, R J Foan 18; I D Blackwell 2-23, K A Parsons (2-40, M J Wood 2-2). Somerset bt Devon by 106 runs