This game was played at St Austell which has not been our most successful Cornish ground with regard the weather in the past but provided both sides with an interesting contest. The heavy rain earlier in the week and the rain encountered on the overnight trip from Taunton to Redruth and indeed on the morning of the game did not help the home club in their preparations but it was disappointing that the track had apparently not been covered overnight. Most encouragingly was the fact that the full complement from Devon were at the ground by the appointed time and an impromptu discussion was held on the season so far and thoughts for the remaining eleven days of the summer. The Clubhouse was opened and Sandy Allen requested a delayed start in order that his warm up could be completed. This was agreed and play started at eleven fifteen after Leon Horn had invited his opponents to bat. Jamie Lathwell struck in his second over with a fine catch from Tom Williams 6-1. His opening partner Ben Hayes struck nineteen balls later taking the important wicket of the home sides captain Alex Bone caught behind by Tom Oxland 11-2. Another key wicket was the removal of Toby May who was run out by Jamie Lathwell. At last in this season of above average dismissals at sixteens and seventeens of Devon batsmen both the sixteens and seventeens have started to change the balance, indeed they needed too! From 27-3 it became 56-4 in the nineteenth over with yet another run out this time from Chris Yabsley. It was Yabsley the bowler who took the next wicket when the captain caught Bolland who was Cornwall's top scorer with 17 - that is apart from an incredibly disappointing forty-one extras 35% of the home sides total. Tom Oxland then caught Adams to give Williams his first wicket - 72-6. One run later Williams took his second catch of Yabsley - 73-7. Devon were trying now to bowl out their opponents for under a hundred. They failed as eighteen runs were added for the eighth and fourteen for the tenth. Freddie Ford belatedly entered the attack in the thirty-third over and Chris Yabsley took his second catch this time off Ford. Yabsley was picking up Fantasy Points as if there was no tomorrow. Ford's well flighted off breaks then removed Netherway with another good catch from Abrahams at short fine leg.97-9. Williams trapped Mitchell in front off the final ball of the forty-sixth over -and Nelson had struck again in runs but Cornwall also benefitted from five penalty runs.
Devon needed 2.24 an over to win and some sensible batting. Williams and Causey put on twelve, Khan back fit from his successful rugby tour lasted ten balls 18-2, Ben Abrehams two balls -18-3. This was really disappointing as application was needed and fortunately was being provided by Ashley Causey. He was joined by Will Oxland, minus his phone and the pair added a critical thirty-five that turned the tide. It was disappointing when Oxland departed in the sixteenth over but the tide had now been changed. Devon needed fifty-nine with two hundred and four balls left and six wickets in hand. Causey was anchoring this innings brilliantly then he had a totally unnecessary rush of blood to be stumped for a sixty-two ball thirty. As Sandy suggested he could and should have been in at the end. Jamie Lathwell gave a return catch to Whiteford and Devon were taking two steps forward and one back. 64-6. Fortunately Tom Oxland and Ben Hayes nearly played it by the book as they took Devon up to 116 when Hayes was leg before. The pair had put on a match changing fifty-two off one hundred and nine balls and batted really sensibly.. Freddie Ford had been waiting patiently for forty-eight minutes strode to the crease and with consummate skill leg glanced the winning run off his first ball. Application in the end had won. The learning curve continued now increasing over the next three weeks, the Captain learnt some hard truths about the responsibilities of captaincy but will be wiser for the experience. He remains unbeaten. St Austell, as always looked after us exceedingly well and the sun shone.
