Devon Under 11 captain Jack Moore continued where he left off last season with another match winning performance in his team’s first game of the season against neighbours Cornwall. Winning the toss and putting the opposition in to bat Moore soon saw his bowlers on top with Cole Harford taking two early wickets on his way to figures of 4-22. Max Hancock (3-9) picked up three cheap wickets with his well controlled spin and Cornwall were all out for 80. With the score on 21 Devon lost opener Sam Read LBW for 7. Enter Moore to play the innings of the game, hitting the ball beautifully to all parts on his way to an unbeaten 31 as Devon romped home in just 16.3 overs for the loss of only three wickets.

Devon coach, Jason Degg, was delighted with how his team performed in their first game of the season. “We bowled and fielded well with four catches taken and Jack played like we have seen him play over the last two seasons to knock off the runs without any problems which was very pleasing.”

Result:

Cornwall: 80 all out (C Harford 4-22, M Hancock 3-9)

Devon: 81-3 (J Moore 31*)

Devon won by 7 wickets.

Ben Steer’s Under 15’s to Victory

Devon Under 15’s had a good start to the county programme with a great win against Wales: something they had not managed to do in previous years. Having  lost the toss and been asked to field the first hour saw some  accurate bowling  by Plymouth’s Dan Goodey and newcomer Tallan Burns from Lewdown who were ably  supported by some  excellent fielding which reduced Wales to 46 for 5 off 15 overs The highlight being an absolutely stunning catch by Brad Causey to send back Thornton, the Wales captain for four off the bowling of Burns.
 Wales made a good recovery in putting on 92 for the sixth wicket.  However they were unable to sustain the recovery and some more accurate bowling by Dan Wolf and Toby Codd saw them dismissed for 169 in the 41^st over.
 Devon always looked favourites to score the required runs something which was ensured by an excellent unbeaten innings of 54 by captain Ben Steer who was well supported by Dan Wolf (36) a confident 20not out from Charlie Barriball.

Result:

Wales: 169 all out ( Wolf 3-23, Steer 2-11, Codd 2-20, Burns 2-43)

Devon: 170-6 (Steer 54*, Wolf 36, Barriball 20*)

Devon won by 4 wickets.

Under 14’s thrash Gwent

Wright hits a century in record stand with Sargent

The Devon Under14’s travelled to Newport to play Gwent and came away with a resounding victory by 171 runs. Batting first Devon racked up 276-2 off 45 overs. New captain Joe Hagan-Burt from Plymouth CC set the tone with a quick fire 51 off 70 balls but it was the unbeaten partnership of 187 between Harvey Sargent and Noah Wright that was the highlight of the day.  Opener Sargent batted all the way through for 91 not out whilst Wright smashed 104 off only 72 balls. Gwent struggled against all of the Devon bowlers but especially against the spin twins of Petherbridge and Osborn. Cornwood’s Petherbridge took 3-6 off 6 overs on his Devon debut whilst Osborn took 3-7 off 7 overs. Gwent were all out for 105 off 35 overs.

Manager Jon Mears said, “The team showed a great spirit and there were some terrific individual performances. This victory should give the team a fantastic platform to build the season on.”

Result:

Devon: 276-2 (N Wright 104*, H Sargent 91*, J Hagan-Burt 51)

Gwent: 105 all out (Petherbridge 3-6, Osborn 3-7)

Devon won by 171 runs

Devon Under 10’s Open the Season in Style

The Devon Under 10’s had a fine win in their season opener against Dorset at Exeter School.  Bowling first, Devon were in a strong position at drinks with Dorset reeling at 51-4. There was a fine knock from Dorset opener T Prest (72*) as they accelerated after drinks to post a score of 133-5.   Devon made light work chasing down Dorset’s final total setting off at a run-a-ball pace and never looked back as they won with 10 overs to spare.  Will Scott-Munden was the bedrock of the run chase making a measured 59* including 8 fours whilst Elliot Hamilton came in and blasted 22* from 13 balls as Devon raced to an early victory.

Result:

Dorset: 133-5 (T Prest 72*)

Devon: 134-3 (W Scott-Munden 59*, E Hamilton 22*)

 Devon won by 7 wickets.

                                                                             2012 Season

 Week ending 26^th August 2012

Weather Disrupts Devon Under 13’s At Their Taunton Festival

Game 1: Devon Under 13’s v Hampshire Under 13’s

Devon began the festival at King’s College with a tough opening game against Hampshire.

The cause wasn’t helped when Devon lost the toss and were asked to bat on a wet wicket with rain in the air.

The battle was made even harder when openers Harvey Sargent and Noah Wright went without Devon putting a run on the board in the face of some quick Hampshire bowling.

But Finlay Marks (21) and Billy Rudolph (24) dug in to give some hope for Devon as they put on 40 for the third wicket.

After they went, however, it was pretty much downhill for the batting side with only Harry Ward, who scored 16 from 59 balls, showing any kind of resistance as Devon were skitttled out for just 113 in the 48^th over.

Ward gave Devon a glimmer of hope with his leg breaks and a return of 2 for 31 from five overs but Hampshire eventually made light work of the total which was never going to be enough, winning in the 22^nd over with the loss of just three wickets.

SCOREBOARD:  Devon 113 (Marks 21, Rudolph 24).  Hampshire 114-3 (Ward 2-31). Hampshire won by six wickets.

Game 2: Devon Under 13’s v Lancashire Under 13’s

Some harsh words and home truths were dished out to the squad after the poor performance against Hampshire the day before – and they responded in brilliant fashion giving Lancashire a real run for their money.

Devon won the toss and asked Lancashire to bat on the small pitch six at King’s. A spirited fielding performance backed up with some tight and straight bowling had Lancashire on the back foot. Two catches and a stumping from wicketkeeper Kingsley Latham led the way. So, too, did fine spells from quickies Will Christophers (3-38 from 10 overs) and Ollie Reed (1-15 from 10). There was an edge to Devon in the field for the first time as Lancashire were held to 216-9 from their 50 overs.

Opener Noah Wright’s treatment of the Lancashire opening attack was a joy to behold with an array of drives to all parts of the ground. Unfortunately, he was out caught behind, chasing a wide one for 33 but by that time he had put on 55 for the first wicket with Finlay Marks. Marks went on to anchor the Devon innings with 36 from 97 balls. Christophers (17) tried to up the momentum but the rest of the batting failed to fire and Devon were bowled out for 177 in a game they deserved to win and certainly not lose. The transformation from the Hampshire game had been remarkable.

Scoreboard – Lancashire 216-9 (Christophers 3-38), Devon 177 (Wright 33, Marks 36).  Lancashire won by 39 runs.

Game 3: Devon Under 13’s v Cumbria Under 13’s

This was a rain-reduced 20-20 game and a big test for the players to see if they could fulfil the promise and sustain the improvement showed in the previous day against Lancashire – and they did with our first win of the tournament.

Devon were asked to bat and got off to the worst possible start when they lost openers Harvey Sargent and Noah Wright and third-in Finlay Marks cheaply. But Billy Rudolph (20) and Jack Lockwood (34) turned things around for Devon who settled on 121-8 from their allotted overs.

Will Christophers (3-8) and Rudolph (2-11) made early in-roads into the Cumbrian batting. Then Cumbria looked as if they may be in for a shout until Pieter Keenan (2-22) and Marks (1-10) turned the game Devon’s way. With the support of some spirited fielding Devon bowled out Cumbria for 104 with two balls to spare to win by 17 runs.

SCOREBOARD – Devon 121-8 (Rudolph 20, Lockwood 34), Cumbria 104 (Christophers 3-8, Rudolph 2-11, Keenan 2-22).  Devon won by 17 runs.

Game 4: Devon Under 13’s v Surrey Under 13’s

It was a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show for game number four on the main number one pitch at King’s.

Devon won the toss and asked Surrey to bat. Pieter Keenan (2-26) was the pick of the Devon bowlers with some useful contributions from Will Christophers (1-13) and Billy Rudolph (0-23), but Surrey were allowed to gain momentum towards the end of their innings and a total of 170-4 from 40 overs was always going to be a challenge, albeit achievable.

Openers Harvey Sargent and Noah Wright found the going tough as the Surrey bowlers got on top from the word go. Suddenly Devon were 28-4 and well off the pace. Finlay Marks (21) tried to move things along and there was a contribution lower down the order from Ben Phillips (26no).

But Devon found themselves up against the run rate clock and lost wickets at the wrong times to finishing disappointingly on 81-8 - well beaten and not even enough runs even for a losing draw.

SCOREBOARD –Surrey 170-4 (Keenan 2-26), Devon 81-8 (Marks 21, Phillips 26).  Surrey won by 89 runs.

 Game 5: Devon Under 13’s v Worcester Under 13’s No play – rain.

Of the festival and season, manager Jim Parker said: “There was some highs and lows which was a reflection of the season. But I and Coach Julian Wyatt have now worked with this group of lads for two years and they have come on in leaps and bounds both as a squad and as individuals. They have been a pleasure to work with and we wish them all the very best for the future. Some of them have shown the potential to go on and become very good cricketers. Their attitude has been first class.”

Singh On Song For Devon Under 16’s

It was an eventful first two day game for Countess Wear’s Parminda Singh whose bowling for Devon Under 16’s against Worcestershire Under 16’s was quite exceptional. At the home of the current Birmingham League Champions, Barnet Green, he took 6-57 off twenty-one overs, which was the tenth best return at Under 16s. Skipper Sam Wyatt-Haines won the toss and his side posted a below par 253 all out with his innings of 57 being the top score. Tom Richardson, Jack Maunder and Dan Powell all reached the forties but were unable to bat on. Their hosts were bowled out for 174 with Ollie Sale and Luke Ansell picking up a couple of wickets apiece to go along with Singh’s magnificent effort. When batting for a second time Devon were unable to build up the momentum needed to set a target but Powell and Sale put on seventy-eight for the eighth wicket (just two short of the record) and both reached forty before time ran out. Devon won on first innings lead.

Result:

Devon: 253 all out (Wyatt- Haines 57, Richardson 47, Powell 47, Maunder 44)

Worcestershire: 174 all out (Singh 6-57, Ansell 2-19, Sale 2-32)

Devon: 166-9 (Powell 46*, Sale 45, Skeemer 30)

Devon won on first innings lead.

Under 14’s Finish season With A Defeat Against Yorkshire

 Yorkshire won the toss and decided to bat on a beautiful Exmouth pitch and  openers Barnes and Brown comfortably put on 134 for the first wicket in 24 overs before Dan Pyle, the 6th bowler used, made the break though having Brown (53) caught by Dan Goodey. Ben Steer took the first of his 4 wickets by having Barnes caught by Goodey for 73.Two runs later Steer took another wicket, this time caught by Jake Reddick and then Reddick took the next wicket when he had Walmsley LBW.  At 161-4 Yorkshire then staged a recovery before Toby Codd took the first of his two wickets and Yorkshire were soon 197-6. Goodey, who had bowled a good opening spell, then took two wickets to have Yorkshire 224-8. The tail wagged a little before Steer finished the innings off by taking two more wickets and Yorkshire were finally all out for 247.

Given the excellence of the pitch Devon felt 247 was achievable if they batted to their potential and had a good start, something which they have struggled to do all season. Jamie Telford showed the grit determination and character he has all season by battling hard for an excellent 45. Unfortunately he lost Dan Pyle and Jake Reddick early and Devon were 9-2 in the 3rd over. Telford and Ben Green then put on 88 in 19 overs to put Devon in a good position. Telford was out stumped but Green started to bat like has the majority of the season before he clipped a ball to mid wicket for a well made 36. Ben Steer and William Thompson put on 40 in 5 overs until Thompson was bowled by a straight well pitch up ball. Charlie Barriball was next in and he and Steer put on 51 in 12 overs but when Barriball tried to hit over mid on he failed and was caught for 16. Soon after Steer perished for a well played 60 and it was more or less game over but the Devon lower order fought hard and they finished all out for 229, just 18 runs short.

Manager Jon Mears said, “I have really enjoyed the season and the lads company and they have done themselves, their parents and Devon cricket proud. We have played some good cricket, when it finally stopped raining, and I wish them all well for next season.”

Result:

Yorkshire: 247 all out (Steer 4-43, Codd 2-36, Goodey 2-37)

Devon: 229 all out (Steer 60, Telford 45, Green 36)

Yorkshire won by 18 runs

Devon Under 12’s season culminated in victory at the ESCA County Festival at King’s College, Taunton. In a strong group with First Class Counties Lancashire, Hampshire, Surrey, Gloucestershire and South African side St. Stithians they remained unbeaten throughout the week.

Day one saw Devon put in to bat against Lancashire. The weather forecast was poor, and the pitch already wet from heavy overnight rain.  Devon struggled against tight Lancashire bowling and only Ashley Causey with 35 scored heavily.  When the heavens opened, and play was abandoned, Devon were 78-4 with only 8 of their overs left.

Result:

Devon 78-4 (Causey 35)    Lancashire DNB
Match Abandoned

Day 2 and heavy early morning rain put paid to any hope of playing a 50 over game on grass, but the Astroturf was playable. A 20 over game ensued against St.Stithians. The strong South African side scored 170 from their allotted overs with leggie Leon Horn being the pick of the bowlers with 2-18 from his 3 overs. There were two wickets each for Kazi Szymanski and Monty Crowe. Bowling the opposition out meant full bonus points and a victory would give the team maximum points. Mikey Cooper set the tone with a 6 from the first ball.  He went on to score a quick 43 and Kazi Szymanski showed his hitting power with an imperious 72.  It took an exceptional catch on the boundary to dismiss him.  James Bovey, visibly nervous, then entered the fray and hit the fourth ball of the final to the midwicket boundary for a four and an excellent four wicket victory.

Result:

St.Stithians: 170 (Horn 2-18)

Devon: 171-1

Devon won by 9 wickets (Szymanski 72, Cooper 43)

Next up were Hampshire who had already beaten Devon earlier in the season. In a game reduced to 40 overs a-side a fine bowling and fielding exhibition saw Hampshire restricted to 127-7. Leon Horn again impressed with 2-17 from 8 overs and was well supported by Jack Gibbs (2-18). The Devon response looked in tatters at 14-4, but two of the previous days heroes came to the rescue. Bovey and Szymanski resisted everything and took the score in to the 80’s before Bovey was dismissed. Skipper Sam Maunder (17*) joined Szymanski (57*) to see his team home.

Result:

Hampshire 127-7 (Horn 2-17, Gibbs 2-18)

Devon: 128-6 (Szymanski 57*)

Devon won by 4 wickets

Thursday’s game against Surrey was key.  Neither side could afford to lose if they wanted to challenge for the trophy.  In another game restricted to 40 overs Surrey batted first and constructed a challenging 147-5 from their 40 overs. Szymanski was the pick of the bowlers with 2-22 from 7 overs, with off spinner Chris Yabsley frugal with 1-24 from 8.  In reply a 2^nd wicket stand of 82 between Tom Williams (43) and Tom Lammonby (35) set Devon up with a run chase of 55 from the last 10 overs, with 8 wickets in hand. This proved too big. Under pressure the side subsided to 131-8.  This meant that the final day equation was simple. Devon had to win, with maximum points and hope that Surrey beat St. Stithians on the adjoining pitch.

Result:

Surrey: 147-5 (Szymanski 2-22)

Devon: 131-8 (Williams 43, Lammonby 35)

Draw

Gloucestershire were the opponents.  They too had beaten Devon this season. Put in to bat Devon needed, they thought, 175 to get maximum points in 50 overs. The outfield was very slow and scoring quickly difficult.  Openers Monty Crowe (26) and Causey (22) laid the foundation.  Cameo knocks from Tom Lammonby (32), Sam Maunder (21) and the in form Szymanski (27*) saw the final total reach 171-5. At lunch Devon discovered that, because of wet conditions, maximum bonus points for runs were awarded at 150. This, along with the news that Surrey had dismissed their opponents for 127, meant there was hope in the Devon camp.

Gloucestershire were soon behind the run rate and intent on achieving a draw. With 14 overs left, they were 67-4 and looking comfortable. It took a stunning slip catch by Maunder, off Szymanski, to change the game. Tom Williams then changed ends and took 3 wickets with his left arm spin, aided by Mikey Cooper behind the stumps. The momentum was with Devon and they wrapped up victory with 9 overs to spare.  There was a nervous wait as the points were checked.  Surrey had won their game and Devon were presented with the Festival Shield by former England bowler Andy Caddick and Somerset’s Craig Meschede.  This was first time this trophy had been won by Devon Under 12’s. A hat trick as this squad had won the U10 and U11 Festival in the last two years.

Result:

Devon: 171-5 (Lammonby 32, Szymanski 27*)

Gloucestershire: 116 all out

Devon won by 55 runs

Huxtable and Davies Outstanding for Devon Under 19’s

For every coach and manager of any cricket team there are days when you wonder why you give up so much time and effort for what seems little reward. Most of the Devon managers this year have had games cancelled or curtailed due to the awful weather, seen simple catches dropped, many wides bowled and batsman give their wicket away when well set. Even Andy Flower has a player causing him distress after scoring 149! For Martin Webb he has to book B&B’s for overnight stays, drive the mini-bus and keep the scorer (Elizabeth his wife) happy as well! But there are days when they are reminded why they do the job and the Under 19 game against Wiltshire at Axminster was one such game for Martin.

On a beautiful summer’s day and on a belter of a pitch he saw his Devon side rattle up a score of 324-2 off 50 overs at a rate of 6.48. The Exmouth pair of Barney Huxtable and Rhys Davies put on 216 for the 2^nd wicket, just ten shy of the all –time record for the Under 19’s. Captain Huxtable scored a majestic 123 not out off 138 balls, hitting sixteen fours and two sixes. Davies was even more explosive in hitting his 112 which included twelve fours and six cleanly hit sixes off 120 balls. Wiltshire gave the chase a real good go and were finally all out off the last ball of their 50 overs for a very commendable 296.  George Yates took 3-47. “It was Devon Youth cricket at its best,” said a delighted Webb.

Result:

Devon: 324-2 (Huxtable 123*, Davies 112, Bryan 29*)

Wiltshire: 296 all out (Yates 3-47)

Devon won by 28 runs

Devon Under 11’s Lose to Wiltshire Under 11’s

Devon Under 11’s dodged the showers at Exmouth to get a game in against Wiltshire before they went off to their Taunton Festival. Devon won the toss and decided to bat first on a covered dry wicket.  A good steady start was gained for Devon as opener James Degg capitalised on the few bad balls bowled.  At the halfway stage all ten Devon wickets were intact. Degg went LBW for a well constructed 27 and Captain Max Mezjner came and went for a quick-fire 15 which brought Devon Under 10 captain Jack Moore came to the crease.  On the back of his 96 against Cornwall for Devon Under 10’s he quickly moved the score on and aided by Jonty Walliker Devon posted a decent target of 134-5.

Wiltshire started very positively and posted 38 after just 10 overs. Moore removed both openers in successive overs to pin back the onslaught and continual bowling changes were made to unsettle the Wiltshire line up. At 99-6 after 25 overs the game was in the balance.  Devon unfortunately were unable to take a couple of chances and Wiltshire went past the Devon total with 4 overs to spare.

Result

Devon: 134-5 (Moore 38, Degg 27, Walliker 27)

Wiltshire: 135-6 (Moore 2-13)

Wiltshire won by 4 wickets

Devon Under 10’s Too Strong For Herefordshire

The Devon Under 10’s travelled to Pentland Gardens to play Herefordshire.  The hosts won the toss and asked Devon to bat. This seemed a good decision as they soon struck in the 5^{th over}. It was further reinforced by two more wickets in the 7^thand 8^th overs.  Devon slumped to 47-4 in the 12^th and knew they had some rebuilding to do to hold onto their unbeaten record this season. A steady partnership for the next wicket saw Devon back on track and another half century by opener Luke Medlock restored some respectability to Devon’s score.  A super cameo from wicketkeeper Freddie Ford helped to push Devon’s total to 156-8 off their allotted 35 overs.

Herefordshire made a steady start and reached 33-0 off 10 overs. It was the introduction of left arm spinner Will Oxland that changed things and two quick wickets changed the game. Thereafter wickets fell at regular intervals and Herefordshire struggled to make any headway and reached just 83-6 after the 35 overs failing to reach 2/3 of the Devon total.

Manager Ted Ashman said, “This was a gutsy performance from the Devon youngsters on a hot afternoon.”

Result:

Devon: 156-8(Medlock 57, Ford 29)

beat

Herefordshire: 83-6 (Oxland 2-12)

Green and Fitzroy’s Partnership The Key as Devon Under 14’s Beat Cornwall

On a difficult pitch at Paul CC, Cornwall, it was a 6^th wicket partnership of 60 between Ben Green (60) and Charlie Fitzroy (26) that proved to be the decisive one of the match as Devon complied 157 all out. Coming in at 34-5 Fitzroy proved why he deserved his place in the side as a newcomer this season by supporting the in-form Green with skill and determination. With some good runs for the tail as well Devon probably scored 30 or 40 more than they expected at the halfway stage.

Captain Codd was the pick of the Devon bowlers as his off-spin took 3-23 and he was backed up by some excellent catching including a stunning effort by Jake Reddick as Cornwall subsided from 50-4 to 109 all out in the 40^th over.

 Devon Under 17’s Lose Two Day Game v Worcestershire but get Revenge in 50 Over Clash

The Devon Under 17’s travelled to Worcestershire to take on their Under 17 counterparts in a two day game followed by a 50 over one day game. Chasing Worcestershire’s first innings total of 255 all out Devon were bowled out for 217 and therefore lost out on the first innings lead rule and only picked up eight points to Worcestershire’s nineteen. Notable performances came from Jack Popham with 3-45 and Dom Bess with 3-52 whilst Samuel Wyatt-Haines continued his good form with 59. Worcestershire had time for a second innings and finished on 155-6 with off-spinner Jack Stephens taking 2-45.

Result:

Worcestershire: 255 all out (Popham 3-45, Bess 3-52) & 155 for 6 (Stephens 2-45)

Devon: 217 all out (Wyatt-Haines 59, Dart 37)

Worcestershire won on first innings lead

In the 50 over game Worcestershire were restricted to 199-8. Quick bowler Hallam Kerton took 2-29 whilst Bess spun his way to 2-28 off his ten overs. Chasing down the total was not a problem as Devon won with more than eight overs to spare. Wyatt-Haines top scored with an undefeated 49 whilst Rhys Davies scored a rapid 45 off 40 balls which included three big sixes.

Result:

Worcestershire: 199-8 (Kerton 2-29, Bess 2-28)

Devon: 200-4 (Wyatt-Haines 49*, Davies 45, Higgs 32)

Devon won by 6 wickets

Devon Under 10’s Remain Unbeaten

Devon Under 10’s won the toss of their penultimate game and on a hard track asked their visitors, Hampshire, to bat. Hampshire made a good start and were 33-0 after 8 overs. Captain Jack Moore brought himself on to take the first wicket and then he handed over to the spinners.  Max Hancock led the spinning attack superbly and was helped by Will Oxland and Will Scott-Munden.  Between them they bowled 20 overs and took 6 wickets ripping the heart out of the Hampshire innings.  Oliver Hannam came on to finish the tail and Hampshire closed on 73all out in the 32^nd over. With a low total to defend Devon lost quick wickets due to some poor running between the wickets and they quickly found themselves 37-4 after 9 overs.  Once again Moore steadied the innings and carried Devon past the finishing line without losing any further wickets with solid support from Hannam.

Manager Ted Ashman said, “This was another good, solid performance by the side.”

Result:

Hampshire: 73 all out (Hancock 4-11, Hannam 2-5)

Devon: 74-4 (Moore 38*)

Devon won by 6 wickets

 Devon’s final game in the ECB Championship against Wales was reduced to 40 overs per side after heavy rain at Heathcoat CC. Wales were put in by Devon and made a good start and got to the first drinks break after 20 overs with 81 for 3 on the board. 
Devon took 10 catches - some excellent - to keep Wales to 126 all out in their 40 overs. Devon's bowlers shared the spoils, with Matt Skeemer taking 3 for 15. 
Devon made hard work of reaching their target but a splendidly resilient 51 by Jack Maunder, a cameo by Reid Mawdsley (23) and a dynamic 16 by Ollie Dawe at the end got Devon home.  The winning runs coming via a huge last over 6 from Ollie Dawe which cleared the pavilion.

Alan Swift felt his team deserved to finish runners up to Hampshire in the Championship. “In the end this was a well merited win which ensured that we finished second in our group behind a very good Hampshire side. Jack Maunder not only kept well all season but also finished with an average of 49 so he can be very pleased with his season,” said the delighted manager.

Green Prolific at Under 14 Festival

Ben Green had a Taunton Festival to remember as he racked up 365 runs over five games at an average of 91.25. He started off with a brilliant 96 as the Devon Under 14’s tried to chase down Derbyshire’s par score 247-8. After a disappointing bowling and fielding display with only Bradley Causey having any control Devon couldn’t have got off to a worse start as they were soon 2-2. Green’s partnerships off 53 with Charlie Barriball (4) for the 4^th wicket and 41with Jamie Telford (20) for the 7^th stopped the rot but it was a magnificent 83 run partnership with Charlie Fitzroy (25*) for the 9^th wicket that got Devon down to 12 needed off the final 12 balls. Unfortunately Green’s dismissal saw Devon having to settle for the draw 5 runs short with 1 wicket in hand at the end of a brilliant fight back.

Result:

Derbyshire: 247- 8 (Causey 2-19)

Devon: 242-9 (Green 96)

Devon losing draw with Derbyshire

Day 2 saw Devon batting first against Gloucestershire. After a steady start a partnership of 62 between Toby Codd (25) and Ben Steer (74) and then one of 83 between Steer and Green (67) allowed Will Thompson to free his arms and smash 44 off 22 balls to get Devon up to a competitive 265-6. Causey again had a good game with the ball as he took two early wickets in two balls to have Gloucestershire reeling at 14-3. Gloucestershire did well to re-build their innings but could never get up with the run rate required thanks to a much better performance in the field from Devon and they finished 84 runs short with 2 wickets in hand as Devon ran out with the bulk of the points in their winning draw.

Result:

Devon: 265-6 (Steer 74, Green 67, Thompson 44*)

Gloucestershire: 181-8 (Causey 4-28, Pyle 2-21)

Devon winning draw with Gloucestershire

Devon came up against some very talented Yorkshire batsmen on day 3 of the festival as the Tykes complied an imposing 258-5. The opening Yorkshire bowlers were impressive as well and soon had Devon 32-3. Again Green (31) steadied the ship and Fitzroy (35) played his best knock for Devon so far but it was the in-form Thompson who again impressed with a hard hitting 70 not out that got his team up to a respectable 188-7 and another losing draw.

Result:

Yorkshire: 258-5 (Codd 2-37)

Devon: 188-7 (Thompson 70*, Fitzroy 35, Green 31)

Devon losing draw with Yorkshire

Dropped catches cost Devon dear as Worcestershire scored 231-6 in the penultimate game of the week. Good bowling from Dan Goodey and Brad Causey (again) kept things in check and Devon felt that with a good start they could get close to chasing down the total. Unfortunately they again had a poor start to the innings and only Green got to grips with the tight Worcestershire bowling in scoring a mature 65 not out. Devon ended well short on 157-8 and had to be content with another losing draw.

Result:

Worcestershire: 231-6 (Causey 2-21, Goodey 2-45)

Devon: 157-8 (Green 65*, Telford 23, Codd 22)

Devon losing draw with Worcestershire

An exciting last game saw Dorset pull off a thrilling victory with an over to spare against the unbeaten Devon team. Earlier Green had finally brought up his maiden county hundred his form had so richly deserved. Not for the first time he had to come in and re-build the innings after another sticky start and he batted with great skill in his chanceless innings of 105. He was finally run out going for a quick single as Devon finished on 228-9. With Thompson (23) being the only other batsman to score more than 20 it put in to context what a fine knock it was from Green. Devon’s bowling lacked a cutting edge apart from Ben Steer’s three wickets as Dorset’s Will Caldwell hit a classy 86 not out to see his team home to a well deserved victory.

Result:

Devon: 228-9 (Green 105, Thompson 23)

Dorset: 229-5 (Steer 3-37)

Dorset won by 5 wickets.

Pyle and Green’s Partnership the Difference in an Excellent Victory Against Gloucestershire

With only three days rest the Devon Under 14’s were again in action, this time in an ECB County Championship game against Gloucestershire. On a difficult Bovey Tracey pitch it was the partnership of 96 between Dan Pyle (53) and Ben Green (49) that in the end proved to be the difference between the two sides. Pyle’s 50 was his first for the county and couldn’t have come at a better time as eight Devon batsman failed to score double figures. With only 181 to defend it needed a good bowling performance from the team and thanks mainly to skipper Toby Codd’s 4-19 and some excellent fielding which included a stunning reaction catch form Dan Wolf Devon ran out easy winners in the end by 72 runs.

Manager Jon Mears was delighted with the win so soon after a gruelling week at the Taunton Festival. “I was delighted for Dan to score his first fifty for the county. He has been given a new role as an opener this year and is growing in to the role nicely and Ben just continued with his fine form that he has shown all season. Most pleasing was the energy in the field considering how tired the boys were.”

Result:

Devon: 181-9 (Pyle 53, Green 49)

Gloucestershire: 109 all out (Codd 4-19, Goodey 2-19, Steer 2-26)

Devon won by 72 runs

Wales Woe As Devon Under 14’s Lose in Newport

Devon Under 14’s seventh game in twelve days proved to be a disappointing performance against their Wales counterparts in another ECB championship game. Devon won the toss and inserted Wales but despite two direct run outs Devon’s fielding, not surprisingly, lacked energy and too many singles were allowed. Devon lacked penetration with their faster bowlers, with Ben Green’s bad back not helping the cause, meaning he had to bowl off spin. Medium pacer Dan Wolf had his best game of the season with the ball and most of the bowlers were economical but overall there was a lack of wicket taking potential which allowed the Wales batsmen to compile a competitive but gettable target. What followed was a very frustrating batting display as again the early order struggled to keep up with the required rate which put too much pressure on the middle and lower order. William Thompson (29) hit a couple of sixes but was caught in the deep going for another and apart from Charlie Barriball, with 34, the rest of the batting couldn’t get going.

“This felt like a game too many in such a short period of time for the lads,” said a disappointed manager, Jon Mears.

Result:

Wales: 187-6 (Wolf 1-14)

Devon: 147 all out (Barriball 34, Thompson 29, Codd 24)

Devon lost by 40 runs

A Great win for the Devon Under 12’s against Berkshire

 The Devon Under 12’s put in a fine all round performance against Berkshire. The victory was based around an excellent 106 run opening partnership between Woodbury's Michael Cooper and Ashburton's Ash Causey. This was Cooper's maiden county fifty. And there were also useful contributions from Maunder and Szymanski which helped to get Devon to a challenging total of 199 off their 40 overs.

In reply Berkshire were 73-0 at the halfway stage but Devon exerted huge scoreboard pressure and James Bovey took two vital wickets before Cooper effected two run outs from his wicket keeping position as Berkshire tried to run everything as they tried to chase down the total but on the end Devon ran out winners by 25 runs.

Manager Nigel Ashplant was particularly pleased for Cooper who is in his first season for Devon. "Mikey has threatened a big score and today he delivered.  He also showed hitherto hidden talent when he took the keeping gloves for the last 20 overs.  The whole team responded well under pressure today, and it was a fine team performance."

Result:

Devon: 199-8 (Cooper 66, Causey 44, Maunder 30, Szymanski 29)

Berkshire 174-7 (Szymanski 2-28, Bovey 2-11)

Devon won by 25 runs

Devon Under 10’s Thrash Cornwall

Batting first at St Minver CC the Devon openers had a steady start putting on 48 before the partnership was broken. This brought captain Jack Moore to the crease who played magnificently. He soon lost opener Max Hancock for a very good 29 but that didn’t slow down the scoring rate as he was joined by Cole Harford and the innings changed up another gear.  The pair ran extremely well between the wickets and both played shots that were a joy to watch.  In 16 overs the pair added a partnership of 96 to the Devon total before Cole went for a well constructed 33. Moore continued to play some incredible shots all around the ground and marched on to 94 with one over to go. A maiden century look assured but Moore missed the third ball and was bowled for a magnificent 96. Moore departed to a standing ovation disappointed to have missed his hundred but pleased to have surpassed his previous Devon best of 58 against Cornwall last year. Devon finished on 207-5 off their 40 overs. Cornwall’s reply got off to a sticky start as in the third over William Oxland took two wickets in two balls which Oxland repeated two overs later. This left Cornwall reeling on 5-4 after seven overs. Cornwall did well to bat 35 overs but could only manage 59 runs before being bowled out. 

Manager Ted Ashman was full of praise for his captain Moore. “Jack is a very fine cricketer for his age and it was a pleasure to watch his innings. I’m sure a maiden century will come very soon and will be the first of many.”

Result:

Devon: 207-5 (Moore 96, Harford 33, Hancock 29)

Cornwall: 59 all out (Oxland 4-6)

Devon won by 148 runs

Kerton Keeps Devon Under 17’s On Track To Win Their Division

A brilliant maiden Devon fifty by opening bowler Hallam Kerton, followed up by two wickets, helped Devon Under 17’s to draw with Wales and to maintain their chances of winning their division. Going in at 202-6 Kerton hit eight 4’s and one 6 which guided his team to 285 all out Kerton built on good work from skipper Josh Mailing who stroked a classy 67 and ‘keeper Rhys Davies’s 46 compiled in his usual positive manner but it was a record 9^th wicket stand of 66 between Kerton and his new ball partner Jack Popham (17*) that took the total to a defendable one. Wales finished on 229-6 when the overs ran out which meant that both teams obtained eight points from the match. Jamie Stephens again bowled his off-spin with great control to take 3-60.

Harrison-Hooton and Richardson Put on 171 as Devon under 16’s Win by 9 Wickets

Macaulay Harrison-Hooton and Tom Richardson put on one hundred and seventy-one runs for the second wicket to lead Devon to a nine wicket win against Cornwall at Cornwood Cricket Club. On winning the toss Cornwall batted and due to two rain breaks the game was reduced to thirty-eight overs a side. They posted 192-3 and for the third time this summer the Devon side struggled to take wickets. It was three fine catches, one spectacularly good by Ollie Sale that took the three that fell. Opener Harry Choules was dismissed with Devon on twenty-five but the second wicket pairing scored at a tremendous pace. Harrision-Hooton's strike rate was 108.14 and Richardson 72.48. This was the third highest Under Sixteen second wicket partnership in Devon history. Harrison-Hooton was on target for a maiden county ton (93 off 86) whilst Richardson (79 off 109) provided excellent support. Devon had seventeen balls to spare when the winning runs were hit.

Devon Under 11’s beat Gloucestershire Under 11’s Convincingly

A lovely warm sunny day welcomed only the third game from eight scheduled this season to be played for Devon Under 11’s due to the appalling weather.  A great opening spell from openers Kersley Sutton and Jonty Walliker left the visitors 18-0 after 10 overs.  Captain Max Mezjner took the first wicket and this was supported by Sam Carpenter who took the next.  At the midway point Gloucester were 40-2 after 20 overs.  The bowling was rotated between spin and pace and wickets fell at regular intervals with Jack Moore taking two wickets in two balls aided by keeper James Degg who bagged 2 stumpings and a catch in the innings. 

Devon responded positively to the run chase despite an early run out and quickly found themselves on 29-1 after 10 overs.  Jack Smyly and Max Mezjner put on a partnership of 35 runs before Mezjner was bowled. This brought Jack Moore to the crease who stayed at the crease for an hour ensuring Devon got home with 8 overs to spare. 

Result:

Gloucestershire: 90-9 off 40overs (Carpenter 3-14, Moore 2-10)

Devon: 91-6 off 31.5ov (Moore 30, Mezjner 21)

Devon Under 13’s Walloped by Wiltshire Under13’s

Devon Under 13’s suffered a heavy and disappointing defeat in their latest ECB championship game against Wiltshire.

Devon were asked to bat at the picturesque Steeple Langford CC ground.

A couple of heavy showers made batting a little difficult on a wet and sometimes low wicket but that was no excuse for some of the shot selection as the visitors were skittled out for just 89 in the 31^st  over. 

Only Billy Rudolph, who grafted for 110 minutes and faced 83 balls for his 32, showed any real application. Next best was 17 from Ben Phillips. No other Devon batsman reached double figures.

Wiltshire made light work of the run-chase winning with 21 overs to spare and for the loss of just one wicket.

Manager Jim Parker said: “This was an extremely disappointing result. We made great strides and showed some real spirit against Berkshire the week before. We seem to take one step forward and two steps back but just hope the group are learning by their mistakes.  Credit must go to Billy.  We probably had the worst of the conditions but the boys know we should have done a lot, lot better. That game has gone now and we must pick up ourselves for our last ECB game against Gloucester and the forthcoming festival at King’s College, Taunton. “

Result:

Devon: 89 (Rudolph 32)

Wiltshire: 90-1.

Wiltshire won by nine wickets.

Devon Under 12’s Lose Tight Game Against Gloucestershire Under 12’s but are soundly beaten by Hampshire Under 12’s

On a boiling hot day the Devon Under 12’s pushed their Gloucestershire counterparts all the way but lost with only eight balls to go. Batting first Devon owed their total of 180-2 thanks mainly to a 96 run partnership for the third wicket between Ashley Causey (71*) and Sam Maunder (47*). Although opening bowler Kazi Szymanski bowled with his usual accuracy to take 3-16 Devon’s spinners could not contain the Gloucestershire batsmen as they got home with four wickets to spare. Manager Nigel Ashplant said, “It was a disappointing end to a day which promised much.  There were several plusses including the partnership between Ash and Sam and the bowling of Kazi. We also ran between the wickets very well. There are things to work on such as rotating the strike against good spinners and learning how to bowl to batters who sweep and managing our fielding under pressure.”

Result:

Devon: 180-2 (Causey 71*, Maunder 47*)

Gloucestershire 181-6 (Szymanski 3-16)

Gloucestershire won by 6 wickets 

Devon elected to bowl first on a damp wicket against Hampshire Under 12’s, but were unable to exert any early control.  Hampshire reached 74 without loss before off spinner Chris Yabsley dismissed both openers. With leg spinner Leon Horn taking 3 wickets at the other end Devon reduced the visitors to 131-7 but the rest of the bowling was unable to press home their advantage and Devon allowed Hampshire to reach 197. Devon shuffled their batting order to give opportunities to those who have been limited by the wet summer and despite a belligerent 32 from James Bovey it needed Sam Maunder and Tom Williams, who had both dropped down the order, to give the score some respectability.  They put on 52 for the 9th wicket but Devon eventually succumbed to 128 all out.

Result: 

Hampshire: 197 all out (Yabsley 3-19, Horn 3-39)

Devon: 128 all out (Maunder 24*, James Bovey 32)

Hampshire won by 69 runs

Devon Under 17’s lose 50 over game v Somerset Under 17’s but get the best of a draw in the 2 Day Game

The appalling number of wides bowled by the Devon Under 17 bowlers came back to haunt them as they lost by 43 runs as they tried to chase down the 239- 7 set by Somerset. The 37 wides plus 3 no balls were basically the difference between the two sides as Devon finished 43 runs short in their run chase. Bowling first Devon had Somerset under the cosh at 131-6 but an excellent 7^th wicket stand of 94 off 16 overs saw the home side to a competitive total. Once again Samuel Wyatt-Haines was Devon’s main run scorer as he continued his excellent run of form with a fine 68 but with only skipper Josh Mailing and Ryan Rickard scoring more than 30 Devon couldn’t make up for their wayward bowling effort and they were finally all out with more than 3 overs to spare.

Result:

Somerset: 239-7 (Mailing 2-46)

Devon: 196 all out (Wyatt-Haines 68, Mailing 33, Rickard 30)

Devon lost by 43 runs

A much improved bowling performance from the Devon backed up by some exceptional slip catching saw Somerset slip to 101-9 in the following two day game at Taunton Vale CC. What followed was a truly remarkable last wicket partnership between Godmon, who was on thirty-one, and Veal. Nearly four hours later on the second morning they were still together! Astonishingly 231 were added for the last wicket with Godmon finishing on a magnificent 173 not out and Veal finally out for a brilliant 73. Somerset were all out for 332 off 115.5 overs. Devon’s best bowling figures were Hallam Kerton’s 4-87 who was backed up excellently by newcomer Jamie Stephens from Tavistock who bowled his off-spin with great control to take 2-52 off 23.5 overs.

Devon had 88 overs to try and get a first innings lead, which would earn them a 10 point bonus and they fell agonisingly 18 runs short with 2wickets in hand when time ran out. It was a good all-round batting scorecard with nine batsmen all getting in to double figures but it lacked the one big innings needed with the top score being 45 from Rhys Davies.

Result:

Somerset: 332 all out (Kerton 4-87, Popham 3-61, Stephens 2-52)

Devon: 314-8 (Davies 45, Higgs37, Mailing 35, Penrice 35)

Devon 11 points, Somerset 9 points

Super Ben Steers Under 14’s to Victory

Thanks to the incredible hard work from Thorveton CC, after another appalling week of weather, Devon Under 14’s were able to get a full game in against Berkshire and were delighted to come away with a 23 run victory in a low scoring but hard fought game. Having been inserted Devon found batting difficult and no batsman was able to score more than Jake Reddick’s top score of 19 in a final total of 121 all out. At 52-1 it looked liked Berkshire were cruising to victory until captain Toby Codd brought himself on and his off spin proved to be the key to breaking the back of Berkshire’s batting line up. With Jamie Telford executing a brilliant leg side stumping of the medium pace of Dan Wolf Berkshire were soon 59-6.  Ben Steer raped things up with 3 wickets in 2 overs to leave manager Jon Mears delighted with his team’s fighting spirit.

“We bowled straight, only one wide, our fielding was intense and of a high standard, something we had practiced over the winter, which together applied the pressure which in turn led to wickets falling and us winning,” said Mears.

Scorecard:

Devon 121 all out ( J Reddick 19, D Pyle 18)

Berkshire 98 all out ( B Steer 3-24, T Codd 3-20)

Devon won by 23 runs.

Magnificent Maunder’s Innings in Vain 

Devon Under 12’s game against Dorset at Axminster saw an exciting game finish with Dorset winning narrowly by 2 wickets as they chased down Devon’s 162-8. The home side’s innings was built around a tremendous innings of 78 from captain Sam Maunder. Maunder batted from the 8th over until the last ball of the innings and controlled the game. He was well supported by Ashley Causey in a stand of 68. In reply Dorset reached their target with 10 balls to spare. Kazi Szymanski was the pick of the bowlers with a hostile spell of 3-26 but Devon were left to regret that the top scorer for Dorset was extras with 51!

A disappointed Devon manager Nigel Ashplant said, "We batted well and Sam Maunder played superbly. His partnership with Ashley Causey was full of mature cricket and put us in to a position to control the game. Unfortunately we bowled poorly. 31 wides is too many at this level, and those runs, along with the 5 extra overs this gave Dorset, was the difference between winning and losing. It was especially disappointing as we had bowled so well, and with great control in our previous game.”

This is a good team, with a desire to do well, and I am sure they will go away and work on their bowling disciplines.  I look forward to an improved performance in their next game on 15th July."

Result:

Devon 162-8 (Sam Maunder 78, Ashley Causey 21, Mikey Cooper 19)

Dorset 163-8 (Kazi Szymanski 3-26)

Dorset won by 2 wickets

Devon Under 19’s Defeat Worcestershire Academy

After winning the toss Devon Under 19’s elected to field against the Worcestershire County Academy side but did not field to the high standard they normally set themselves and chances were missed which would have been expected to have been taken. Debutant Will Squire entered the attack in the sixteenth over and with his eleventh ball he removed Worcestershire’s second team opener Carasco with Josh Mailling taking the catch. The Worcestershire captain Rhodes was holding his side together as Squire took his second and the side’s third wicket in the twenty-eighth over when Matt Kidd held Clarke on the rope. This brought another of a number of county second team players, Ollie Steele, to the crease. He had scored a century against the county at Exmouth in 2011. He is another talented player but lasted only twenty-three balls when Kidd took his first wicket with Rhys Davies taking a skyer. Four down with 115 on the board and nine overs left. The home side then scored at just under four and a half an over losing five more wickets as Devon dictated the play. Kidd took the next two wickets bowling Harris and trapping Joshi leg before. George Yates then took the remaining three wickets including the vital one of Rhodes caught by the ever reliable Matt Golding. His contribution had been an outstanding seventy-six ball sixty-two. This was the top score of the game. In the same over Yates then bowled Charwood and in his next over he dismissed Underwood in an identical fashion. The last pairing put on another couple of runs as Worcestershire finished on 156-9.

With captain Barney Huxtable going early Josh Mailling and number 3 Zack Bess then compiled the best partnership of the game putting on fifty-five. They looked in total control until Bess chanced the arm of mid wicket and was run out by a whisker with a direct hit. Mailling was batting very sensibly but lost a decidedly unwell Golding with eight still needed for the hundred. Devon reached three figures in the twenty-seventh over but in the next over Mailing went bowled trying to sweep and missing. With Rhys Davies batting intelligently he and Harry Booker comfortably put on the remaining fifty-two and the game was won. Davies struck a couple of trademark straight sixes which both ended up in the car park behind the pavilion. Davies was unbeaten on 35 and Booker 18 not out as Devon ran out decisive winners by 6 wickets.

Result:

Worcestershire CCC Academy: 156-9 (Kidd 3-22, Yates 3-29, Squire 2-29)

Devon Under 19’s: 157-4 (Mailing 33, Davies 35* Bess 26)

Devon won by 6 wickets.