By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE at SIDMOUTH
MATT Thompson hit a century and Calum Haggett should have had one as well as Devon dominated the first day of their promotion ‘play-off’game against Wiltshire at Sidmouth.
Devon will go up if they win their last game of the season in Western Division Two –and Wiltshire have to win if they want to pip Devon or rival contenders Wales for the title and the single promotion place that goes with it.
Devon were a wobbly 16 for two when Elliot Hamilton strolled out to join Thompson in the middle – and a commanding 205 for three when Hamilton ran himself out.
A typically forthright 98 from Calum Haggett, plus Matt Skeemer’s 26 and a hefty 49 in extras, took Devon to 402 all out in the 89th of the 90 overs allowed for a first innings in three-day cricket.
Wiltshire had to bat for 18 overs in dusky conditions and were 50 for one when time was up.
Devon go into day two 352 runs ahead, still in command if not in control. Early wickets on day two could put Wiltshire under follow-on pressure. Their targe would be 253 to avoid batting again.
For Dave Tall, Devon’s director of cricket, it was a satisfactory end to a day that did not start that well.
“We were 16 for two after half an hour and things could easily have got worse,” said Tall.
“Matt and Elliot both battled through a tough session before lunch and I was so pleased for Matt that he went on to get a century. He worked hard for it.
“Elliot might have had another century, but had anyone offered him 84 when he want out to bat he would have taken it.
“Calum Haggett was unlucky to be run out late in the game for 98 when he really deserved to get to a hundred.
“We did not rotate the strike as well as we could have done in the last 10 overs, which is a sign of the lack of experience we have down the order. Had we rotated the strike better Calum could have got a ton and we probably would have been in 430-440 territory.”
Wiltshire seamer Matt Burton struck twice early on to dismiss Devon openers James Horler and Adam Small. Horler was well caught by a diving Matt Falconer square of the wicket and Small went lbw.
Thompson and Hamilton’s stand of 189 for the third wicket was neither chanceless or flawless. But it was effective.
Hamilton was out first when he risked calling for a single that was never really there to start with and was run out despite a sprawling dive into the dust.
Thompson, after completing his fifth three-day century and the third scored at Sidmouth, seemed freer to play his shots and was on 128 when he was caught three-quarters of the way to the boundary.
Haggett and Matt Skeemer added 54 in a hurry as the total crept up to 334 for four. A double-strike by Jack Mynott – Skeemer then Jamie Stephens three balls apart – slowed Devon briefly.
From then on Haggett did most of the run scoring on his way to what looked like an inevitable century. Sadly for him it was not to be.
With seven balls left before the 90-over cut-off point, Haggett and Max Shepherd committed the cardinal sin of trying to steal a run from a mis-field and it cost Haggett the chance of a ton.
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