DEVON’S quarter-final prospects in the NV-Play Trophy have been put on hold after they went down by 24 runs to Wiltshire.
Devon arrived at Warminster on the back of wins over Herefordshire and Berkshire, with the stated intent of skipper James Horler to go on and win Group Three undefeated.
Wiltshire slipped past Devon into top spot by beating them, but only fractionally on net run rate. As Wiltshire and Berkshire immediately behind Devon have a game in hand, nothing is certain yet.
Horler remains confident of qualifying, although the advantage of a home draw in the last eight will go out of the window unless Devon finish top.
“All we can do now is beat Hertfordshire in the last game, which would give us three wins out of four,” said Horler.
“Three wins should be enough to qualify, although it is possible other results could leave three teams on six points. We cannot do anything about that: we just have to win our own game and see where it takes us?”
Wiltshire opener Tom Cheater was finally dismissed in the 49th of the 50 overs for 122, which underpinned a team total of 252 all out.
“We dropped Cheater twice on nought and, as they say, catches win matches,” said a rueful Horler.
Cheater put on 111 for the first wicket with Jack Mynott (52) and was still there to mount a rescue mission after Wiltshire dipped from 146 for two to 186 for seven. Will Brown (19) was involved in the 50-run stand that turned things round.
Spin was king for the third game running for Devon as Callum Harvey (3-28) got into the top four – Cheater excepted – and there were three more wickets shared between Sam Read (2-44) and the frugal Matt Whalley (1-34).
“Considering it was a good pitch and a small ground, we did well to pull it back from 127 for one to 252 all out,” said Horler. “If anything, I felt it was slightly below par.”
Devon opener Ben Privett made 48 of the first 74 on the board, then Horler (47) moved the score along to 140 for five at half way.
Read, the batting hero of the round-one win over Herefordshire, looked like the man to see Devon home and with support from Harvey (25) the target came down.
Twelve overs out the target was 43 to win, Read was on 51 and Devon had three wickets intact. Then Read hit a width ball from returning pace bowler Chris Aubrey straight to point.
Aubrey – one for 25 in his first spell – finished with five for 51 as Devon subsided to 228 all out.
Said Horler: “What we needed was someone to bat through for 80, 90 or 100, and no one did.
“And we are not batting our overs – we haven’t in any of our three games yet – and that is absolutely criminal.”
Horler have nearly two weeks to address the work-ons before the final group game against Hertfordshire at Sidmouth on May 17.
