On a perfect summers day at one of Devons really outstanding cricket grounds, Heathcoat, Devon Under 17s played the County Age Groups first competitive white ball cricket match. The only real disapointment was the result as Devon top order folded in a most unexpected way. It was evident that the home side were ring rusty and they have much ground to make up over the next four Sundays if they are to make an impact in this years one day competition. There were some real pluses in the performances of Lammonby, Ward , Maunder and debutant Khan.
The first game of any season is normally one of great expectations but due to the under 17 season starting six weeks earlier than normal the players have not had many opportunities to show their mettle. This change is the result of separating the one day game from the two day to allow for the new format of three day cricket. Another major change has been the introduction of white ball cricket and coloured clothing to the one day game. For both sides this was their first attempt at the white ball game and Worcestershire responded better than Devon.
Billy Rudolph won the toss and his sided batted. Unfortunately by the eighteenth over the home side had lost half their team with just fifty-one runs on the magnificent Heathcoat electronic scoreboard. Much discussion in the winter had centred on going hard in the first PowerPlays but Devon scored at less than threes for the first ten overs also losing the important wickets of Phillips for three and Wright without contributing. Twenty-eight for two had already put the home side under pressure but whilst Sargent and Lammonby were batting together there was real hope that once stabilised Devon could then go through the gears. Unfortunately Sargent departed in the fifteenth over with the score having advanced to forty-nine. However by the start of the nineteenth Devon were in one of their bigger holes having lost the vital wickets of Hagan-Burt and Rudolph. Silently the question was asked how were Devon going to get even near a competitive total. In fact such a target was not achieved but total humiliation was avoided as first the two under sixteens Tom Lammonby and Jamie Khan, on his debut, put on ninety-four. They batted well together showing the benefit of coming through the age groups and once Khan smashed a four off a free hit he looked totally at home. Until the fateful second ball of the thirty-sixth over they ran well and then there was total confusion and either batsman could have been run out but Khan fell on his sword. It was an incredibly disappointing end to an excellent stand. The pair faced one hundred and twelve balls in a minute under the hour and demonstrated what a flat track the host club had provided that had produced over six hundred runs the previous day. Respectability had been achieved but a big enough total still seemed out of reach. Lammonby was past his fifty and Khan was nine short of a deserved one. Lammonby was next to fall caught down the leg side by keeper Fitzmaurice for an outstanding 79 off one hundred and seventeen balls of which seven were fours. Eight balls later Maunder pulled and skied a simple caught and bowled and it was left to Harry Ward and Jack Gibbs to try and utilise all of the remaining forty-eight balls and get well past two hundred. They took the score up to one hundred and ninety-six and the final pair of Oli Reed and Ward reached two hundred. Gibbs showed some batting potential scoring an unlucky thirteen when he tried to work a straight ball to be bowled. Reed was the third Devon batsman not to disturb the scorers, Ward remained unbeaten on twenty-six and just reinforced his value to the side as a recognised batsman having helped take Devon from one hundred and forty-five to two hundred. Twenty-eight balls were unused but this time it is unlikely they would have been sufficient to make a difference but on another occasion............
The Maunders pulled out all the stops for the first Lasagne of the summer setting an exceptionally high standard and for some the first strawberries of the summer were thoroughly enjoyed.
The difference in approach of the two sides was shown by the first three Worcestershire partnerships. After six overs they were scoring at five and a half when Jamie Khan held an exceptional diving slip catch off Hagan Burt to remove Johai. The Haynes brothers took their side up to ninety-five in the twelth over when Lammonby held another good catch to give Gibbs his first under seventeen wicket. The brothers batted with a very professional positive intent and did not allow the Devon bowlers to settle. They have a high quality pedigree being sons of the counties stalwart Gavin Haynes. In the thirteenth over the visitors were in total command two down with ninety-five on the board scoring at just under eight. Matt Petherbridge had perhaps his shortest county spell and Worcestershire kept up the tempo. Harry Ward entered the attack and gained some control, albeit too late, for his side. He had Hassan brilliantly stumped leg side by Maunder and watched Sam Maunder take a straight forward catch off Hagan-Burt to see Worcestershire reduced to one hundred and sixty-nine for four after twenty-six overs. The run rate was now six and half but Ben Phillips who had patrolled the boundaries with great skill took a good catch to give Ward a second. The game had gone as the Midland side were just eighteen short with one hundred and twenty-five balls remaining. Sam Maunder took an exceptional catch to give Ward his third but by then only fourteen were needed. This was a heavy defeat but not the thumping it appeared earlier but there were big differences between the sides with the wide count just one example - 16/7. It would be easy to make the obvious excuse about lack of cricket but that also applied to their opponents and it is now up to the players to put in the practice and start applying the principles that have been agreed. Heathcoat in the sun is one of the joys of cricket and a fitting ground for the first appearance of black sight screens in CAG cricket.
