DEVON Lions wind-up their season over the next two days (Sunday and Monday) with a four-innings game against Cornwall at Cornwood.

League cricketers in Devon don’t experience any other format apart from limited-overs with restrictions on bowlers and no scope for declarations.

Three-day cricket, which is the format for NCA Counties Championship games, is a two-innings affair with no limit on bowlers and requires captains to either bowl the opposition out, which can depend on the timing of a declaration, or chasing under pressure against the clock on the last day. 

Although players who go through the Devon Cricket Foundation age-group process do play old-fashioned ‘time cricket’, they are in the minority.

And as Devon’s batting in three-day games this season has looked like one-day stuff at times, games like this are valuable as part of the preparation process for aspiring players.

Devon have two more three-day games to play – Cheshire then Oxfordshire – both of which are must-win matches after defeats by Berkshire and Cornwall that have anchored them to the foot of the Western Division One table. Relegation is a real threat.

Batters who catch the eye against Cornwall could find themselves promoted to feature against Cheshire at Sidmouth next time out.

Tim Western, who runs the Lions development programme, said: “This fixture provides players with a different format to what they experience on a Saturday and is a stepping stone towards three-day cricket.

“I am sure that all the players will be keen to put in a strong performance ahead of the final rounds of National Counties’ three-day games.”

Ten of the 11 players in the Lions side have appeared in either 20-over or 50-over fixtures already this season.

The odd one out is Exeter batsman Charlie Clist, whose Premier Division form has earned him a Lions call-up.

Clist is averaging more than 40 in the league for Exeter with an unbeaten century against Sidmouth the highlight so far.

The cricketing CV of the former Millfield School student makes interesting reading as he was talent spotted at an early age and was playing WEPL Premier Two cricket for Taunton at the age of 15.

A place in the South West squad for the 2015 Bunbury Festival at Malvern College followed, where Clist was in the same team as Devon’s Tom Lammonby and Kazi Szymanski.

Counties are always interested in Bunbury players, which led to time on the Somerset Emerging Player Programme as well as 2nd XI outings for Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Worcestershire.

Clist also has form as a record-breaker, at school and club level. Record number one was the 254 Clist struck for Millfield School against Canford School (Dorset) in 2018.

Record number two was set in 2023 when Clist was part of a 314-run opening stand with Cameron Edwards for Exeter in a 206-run win over Abbotskerswell. The previous first-wicket record for the division of 313 was set by Exmouth openers Jamie Horler and Jason Niemand against Kilmington a year earlier.

Heathcoat’s Tom Hatton was initially pencilled into the side. When work commitments forced him to pull-out, Clist was offered his place at the top of the order.

Devon Lions: C J Clist (Exeter), A J Small (Sandford), S J Elstone (Sidmouth), B A Beaumont (Cornwood), T J Haffenden (Plymouth), H J Passenger (Torquay & Kingskerswell), T W Mitch (Plymstock), J A W Ford (Bideford), J L Farley (Bradninch & Kentisbeare), E J Guest (Bridestowe), M R Jeacock (Sandford).

Cornwall (probable): D Phillips, H Phillips, W J J Rowe, C J Kent, M Harding, M Bond, F Wilkinson, S Kellow, P M Kent, J Cockings, R Tonkin, C Johnson.