DEVON will take on holders Berkshire at Exeter on Sunday (11am) eager to get their NCCA Trophy campaign off the mark.
Devon were 36-run losers against Cornwall at Truro on Bank Holiday Monday in the first of four pool games leading towards qualification for the quarter-finals.
Anything other than a win over Berkshire will make it tough for Devon to finish in the top two, which is the criterion for a place in the last eight.
Dave Tall, Devon’s director of coaching, said the team will need to play better than they did at Truro to overturn Berkshire.
“The reality was we let Cornwall score too many runs as our concentration with the ball was not what it should have been,” said Tall.
“Only Max Shepherd and Will Christophers bowled really well, but the rest were good at times but lacked consistency.
“It was a difficult pitch to score runs on – Cornwall’s early batters were really slow, which showed what was possible when we bowled well – and we knew chasing 300-plus was going to be difficult.
“We lost by 36 runs and the reason was Cornwall did not give us as many freebies as we gave them.”
Cornwall opener Jack Paull top scored with 63 off 66 balls and was involved in a 102-run stand with Will MacVicar for the second wicket. MacVicar’s half-century came off 80 balls.
Xavier Clarke (31) and skipper Paul Smith (60) put bat to ball more robustly as Cornwall accelerated their innings.
Kian Roberts (32) and Tommy Sturgess (32) upped the tempo alongside Smith as Cornwall added 98 in the final 10 overs to reach 303 for eight.
Devon were 45 without loss 10 overs into their reply with debutant Josh Thomas well on the way to a maiden half-century.
By the 20-over mark skipper James Horler had gone for 21 and the asking rate was approaching seven an over.
Matt Thompson was in and out for 23 Thomas went for 70 off 80 balls and Elliot Hamilton (16) missed out. Although Calum Haggett sped-up to make 60 off 49 balls, the pendulum was swinging Cornwall’s way.
A combination of MacVicar and Max Tryfonos bowled Cornwall into the commanding position of having Devon 60 runs short with five overs to go and two wickets in hand. Although Tryfonos had his first five-wicket haul for Cornwall, the two wickets in for balls taken by MacVicar – Ansley and Haggett – probably settled the game.
Tryfonos completed his five-for-38 haul by snaring Shepherd lbw in the last over.
Devon have named a 13-man squad for the game against Berkshire. Exeter skipper Joe Gore, who was 12thman at Truro, drops out. In come Dan Goodey and Jonty Walliker.
Devon (from): J D Horler (Exmouth), J F Thomas (Taunton Deane), E H Hamilton (Plympton), B A Beaumont (Cornwood), W R Christophers (Taunton St Andrews), K B Szymanski (Swansea), M W Thompson (Congresbury), J E B Walliker (Plympton), S O Read (Exeter), C J Haggett (Shapwick & Polden), D J Goodey (Bashley), M B Shepherd (Cheltenham), S E H Ansley (Bovey Tracey).
