Matchday six took the boys to the Welsh capital for a T20 'double header' against Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan at Cardiff Cricket Club. With the pitch looking a belter and a very dry fast outfield the day was set up for a runfest and a testing day for the bowlers.
Game 1
Cardiff & VoG won the toss and asked Devon to bat.
Devon's opening partnership of Alfie Mason and Jack Martin started positively with a low dot count, rotation of strike and executing good boundary scoring options. At the 10 over drinks break the score stood at 58-0. A good platform to post a challenging score in the second half.
Jack Martin (28) was caught in the 11th over with the score on 67. Tobias Alsop (2) and Mason (42) were dismissed in the the 12th and 14th overs to leave Devon on 82-3 with 6 overs to go. Fletcher Byrne (15) and Rory Oram-Evennett added 18 for the 4th wicket and another partnership of 31 between Oram-Evennett (17 no) and Harry Witcher took the score to 131-4 in 20 overs.
Devon needed to start well and maintain pressure throughout the innings to be in with a shout of victory. Freddie Wolfgang struck second ball with a gun barrel straight delivery bowling the Cardiff & VoG opener. Unfortunately this early success was followed by a period of ill disciplined bowling and the score rocketed to 36-1 after 5 overs. The 6th over brought a 'double strike' with a neatly executed run out by Oram-Evennett and a Elijah Pyne yorker changing the scoreboard to 41-3.
The boys need to regain control of the run rate, but unfortunately the opposite happened as Lewis Popple, the Cardiff & VoG Captain produced a scintillating innings of 92 no to take the game away at a rate of knots. A 7 wicket victory was completed in just the 17th over!
Game 2
As in previous T20 day's it was agreed at lunch that the toss would be forfeited and the team batting second in Game 1 would set a target in Game 2.
Devon need to put their bowling woes behind them and get back to the basics. The coaching team of Heardy and Bricey could be seen shaking their heads as Cardiff & VoG blitzed away in the opening overs to be 76-1 at drinks. Too many boundary balls and little intent by fielders was not a great combination. The only highlight was Ed Wilson pinpoint throw from the boundary which allowed Witcher to convert a easy run out.
The chat at the break was a reboot and a polite request to raise the standards and regain the initiative to hold the opponents to a score around 130. It was a good talk, but it just panned out to be a talk as the second half of the innings followed a similar pattern.
Theo Walker (68 no) and Will Carnell (60) put on 120 for the 2nd wicket to take the score to 130-1 after 15 overs. Carnell was bowled by Mason and Henry Squire struck another blow in the 19th over, but a imposing score of 161-3 was finally posted. Fielding twice in the heat and humidity certainly had some effect but this was not a collective effort which was disappointing.
Redemption could be made by a solid batting performance. Things didn't start well when Oram-Evennett (0) was on the receiving end of a grubber in the first over. Devon batted positively without really getting back into the game. Good contributions from Wilson (17), Wolfgang (27) and Archie Shawcross (22) took the score to 99-5 after 13 overs.
Alsop (10) was bowled in the 15th over with the score on 104, before a totally crazy period play saw their last 4 wickets fall for only 13 runs in 3 overs. All four wickets were run outs and can be certainly be classed as 'school boy'. This made five run outs in the innings as Squire was earlier run out in a mix up.
Not a great finish to the day which had started so brightly.
No need for a post match inquest as the squad knew the basic errors made during the day. Plus it was time to get on the road and listen to England claiming World Cup glory - every cloud has a silver lining!
Our next matchday is a 40-over match against Cornwall at Menheniot-Looe CC on Sunday 28th July. This match will provide a great warm-up for the Kings'College Festival from the 4th - 9th August.
