The County Ground, Taunton<br>credit: @ppauk | no re-use without consent of copyright holder

By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

DEVON are joining forces with Cornwall and Dorset to take on Somerset in a two-day pre-season friendly.

Somerset have invited the three-counties team to Taunton on March 18 for the warm-up fixture.

The counties will be asked to provide three or four players each for the match squad, which will be large enough to allow for player substitutions if needed.

Dave TallDave Tall, Devon’s director of cricket, said the game is a good opportunity for players to start preparing for serious cricket in April, although there may be logistical problems.

“Being a Thursday and Friday in mid-March availability is a bit patchy and we might have to go with players who can play one day or the other, but not both,” said Tall.

Devon, Cornwall and Dorset all have partnership arrangements with Somerset covering a wide range of cricket issues, including player development.

Godfrey Furse, the long-serving team Cornwall team manager, said the fixture revived a custom from the early 1990s.

“When I was Cornwall captain in the early 90s a game like this was played every year for three seasons,” said Furse.

“I remember it as a one-day game then and we did not have a lot of luck with the weather either. One game was rained off completely.

“Somerset put out good sides – Caddick, Trescothick and Mushtaq Ahmed all played – and you knew you were in a game.Godfrey Furse

“It is nice to see the game back again, especially now that we ourselves, Devon and Dorset all have partnership agreements with Somerset.

“We are very happy in Cornwall to be working closely with Somerset and delighted to see them taking an interest in our players.”

Another product of the partnership arrangement in 2020 should have been a 40 or 50-over game between Devon and a Somerset 1stXI at Exmouth.

Covid-19 put paid to any hopes of a game, but Devon are trying to rearrange it for the summer ahead.

“It could be played at Exmouth on either July 20 or 22,” said Neil Gamble, the Devon chairman.

Gamble also confirmed a change to Devon’s previously published fixture list which had Somerset 2ndXI visiting Sidmouth on April 11. Somerset have another commitment on the same day that has forced them to pull out. University of Exeter will take their place.