CONRAD SUTCLIFFE REPORTING
DEVON resume their Cluberly National Counties Championship campaign tomorrow when they start a three-day game against Oxfordshire at Banbury (11am).
Devon, the defending Western Division champions, got the new season under way first time out with an eight-wicket win over Herefordshire at Sidmouth. Victory took Devon straight back to the top of the table, where they hold a one-point lead over Berkshire.
The side travelling to Banbury shows just one enforced change of personnel in the batting order. Lawrence Walker, currently working in London, is unable to fit the game into his schedule and has been replaced by Sidmouth’s Sam Elstone.
Oxfordshire won’t be too disappointed to learn Walker is absent as he scored a century against them in the corresponding game at the same venue two seasons ago.
Elstone has been out of action for 14 months with a shoulder injury that required surgery to fix it.
Comeback innings for Sidmouth and the Devon Lions – for whom he made 88 against the Cornish Choughs at Plympton on Monday – have proved Elstone is back to full fitness.
Elstone has happy memories of the Whitepost ground at Banbury as, like Walker. he also made a ton there is the previous meeting between the counties.
James Horler, the Devon captain, accepts Oxfordshire could pose a stronger challenge than Herefordshire did. He feels his side are equipped to take on all comers.
“Although Lawrence Walker is a huge loss, the depth we have means there are experienced players like Sam Elstone to come in,” said Horler.
“If we bat the full 90 overs in all our first innings it will be difficult for us to lose too many games.”
“The strength of our batting was clear in the win over Herefordshire when we went from 144 for six to 393 because Matt Matravers at number eight made a hundred. 
‘Sam Read went in at nine and got 44. That’s another sort of batting depth, without including Matt Whalley, who has a Premier Division half-century next to his name this season.
Whalley, who went through the youth ranks at Plymstock and is now playing for Callington, goes into this game fresh from making two centuries in four days this week.
Whalley, who bats at ten for Devon, scored 123 for Devon Lions against Cornwall Choughs at Plympton, followed by 148 not out from 63 deliveries for Devon under-18s against their Cornish counterparts in a Twenty20 game at Exeter.
Oxfordshire, who were beaten by Berkshire in their opening match, have Sussex batter Harrison Ward back from Vitality Blast duty.
Seamer Jack Warner is set for his Championship debut with Sravan Konidena, batter Julian Laird and leg-spinner Henry Welch among six changes of personnel.
Oxfordshire: O H Armstrong, L B Hayes, V N S P Konidena, J J F Laired, M T G Mannering, L T Maslen. F E H Smith. G G Tait, H D Ward, J W Warner, H R Welch.
Devon: J D Horler, J R Matravers, C H Harvey, S J Elstone, M W Thompson., M G Whalley, S O Read, G H Daldorph, E H Hamilton, S J Linnitt, B H Privett. 12th: C J R Gaywood.
