After two reasonably easy days on Monday and Tuesday and a hectic but beneficial T20 the previous day it was time for the annual two day game with the Surrey Academy eleven one of the more difficult fixtures of the summer but always a useful one. Under fourteen captain Jack Moore made his debut and it was Kazi Szymanski's last game of the summer. Sam Maunder was due to play but his hip was still playing up so Tom Oxland very kindly agreed to keep wicket so Maunder could test his hips elsewhere. We were back at the outstanding Exeter ground with the hope that they would like to become one of our Championship three day grounds. The day did not start well with the season's outstanding batsmen Jamie Khan leaving for a scan on a painful wrist which transpired to be a nasty sprain and had important consequences on this game and the two against Nottinghamshire the following week. His conversation is way above average and this was a most definite plus. Jack Gibbs won the toss and Ashley Causey and James Bovey, who were both to sustain fractures in their hands over the next few days, opened and put on an outstanding ninety-five. It was a shame they did not register a century opening partnership. Causey, who has the ability to bat longer than he tends to, was bowled by Boys in the twenty-fourth over having contributed another thirty - this time two short of forty. James Bovey had reached his fifty the previous ball. Ben Abrahams, who we still have to discover his correct role in this side - off spinner, top order batsman or indeed an all rounder joined his Exeter club mate Bovey and they took Devon to one hundred and two when in the thirty-first over Abrahams was caught by Aravinthan off Hadfield. This created a difficult pre lunch twenty-three balls for Jack Moore and Bovey. They navigated this potentially tricky situation to take Devon to lunch on 110-2 - very much a par score for both sides. Bovey was undefeated on fifty-six.

Curry and cheesecake for lunch and unfortunately Moore was caught and bowled Singh third ball after the interval - 110-3. Seventeen balls later Bovey was caught behind to give Boys his second wicket. He had scored fifty-nine off one hundred and fourteen balls in four minutes over two hours with twenty-eight runs scored in fours. A major problem this summer which was to continue is the inability to build meaningful partnerships. Sandy Allen asks every game for one of a hundred and two of at least fifty. This is a box that does not get ticked that often. Unless it does the side will really struggle to get the really big totals needed at this level. A strapped Jamie Khan joined Kasi Szymanksi and completed an innings that will create nightmares to this exceptional batsman twenty-one dots two scoring shots and increased agony to the wrist. He was bowled in the forty-sixth over 138-5. Devon now had their backs to the wall, Szymanski fell next stumped - one hundred and sixty-one for six off fifty-one. Fortunately Tom Williams and Jamie Lathwell got their heads down and provided the second fifty plus partnership of the day. They took Devon to tea on two hundred and forty with Williams on twenty-two and Lathwell on sixty-four a partnership of seventy-nine. An outstanding performance from these two all-rounder's. The tea interval came at the wrong time and in fact destroyed the home side's chance of posting a reasonable total. First ball after tea Lathwell was caught of Boys, next ball captain Gibbs was caught behind, Oxland avoided the hat trick Devon now were on 240-8. Williams and Oxland added twenty when Oxland fell in an identical manner to his captain. Four were added for the final wicket as Tom Williams was last out for thirty-seven leaving Adam Creasey unbeaten on four. Devon were all out for a very below par score of two hundred and sixty-four.

Surrey would face twenty-eight overs before close and they reached three figures in the final over of the day. They lost two wickets - Szymanski having Ratnasabapathy well caught by Abrahams and Chris Yabsley bowled the second opener Singh. Nathan and Boys were at the crease and setting themselves up for the second day. This was another brilliant day and the overnight batters took Surrey up to one hundred and sixty-nine, a partnership of one hundred and seventeen. On noon Williams had Boys caught by Gibbs for sixty-three with Nathan two from his fifty.  The fourth wicket pairing took the game away from Devon as Nathan and Ganella added one hundred and sixty in one hundred and fifteen minutes off double nelson in balls. Surrey were closing in on a first innings lead at lunch - lasagne - when after sixty-six overs they were on two hundred and thirty-nine for three. The partnership was ended in the eighty-third over when Bovey held an exceptional catch turning to take an overhead skyer to remove Nathan for one hundred and thirty-five. The new ball had been taken and Szymanski was the bowler. Surrey were now on three hundred and twenty-nine. The sides brilliant but reluctant slip fielder Ashley Causley then held another top effort to remove Ganella off Gibbs. He had scored seventy-one. The importance of having the right fielder in the right position has to be appreciated by all as a simpler slip chance had been missed shortly before and a problem that has to resolved by a general improvement in fielding standards. The warm up is a critical ingredient in improving standards but individuals should work at this aspect at their clubs. We seem to be going backwards on this element. Surrey did not prolong the home side's agony as they declared one hundred and four ahead. It was now for Devon to bat out approximately forty overs. This they achieved despite losing openers Bovey and Causey for thirty. Lathwell and Williams added forty. Williams contributed another useful thirty and Jack Moore seemed to be coming to terms with the cricket before he was bowled. Szymanski helped Lathwell add twenty-eight but it was the Bideford all-rounder who was holding it all together. He added twenty-six with Tom Oxland taking Devon up to one hundred and thirty-four a lead of thirty. Lathwell reached his second fifty of the innings but it was fifty and out as he played his first totally inappropriate shot, particularly in view of the circumstances, of the innings - head up drive on the up and unsurprisingly he was bowled. His batting is becoming an important part of contributions to the side but he had missed an opportunity of facing another fifty-two deliveries to set his county best at eighty plus. Our batters have to learn to bat and bat. He should have been very pleased with his performance if not his dismissal. Oxland and Ben Abrahams added an unbeaten forty-two to extend the home sides lead to seventy-two, A reasonable recovery. Exeter were excellent hosts with their splendid facilities and ground team led by Andy Ellett. Bruce Coleman was the perfect host.

Scorecard