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                         Sunday, April 23

DEVON came a cropper by 15 runs in yesterday's 50-over friendly with the University of Exeter at Topsham – hardly the sort of warm-up they wanted ahead of Sunday's MCCA KO Cup opener against Cornwall at Falmouth.

   Eight of the Devon side are likely to be in the 12 to face Cornwall and skipper Bob Dawson was looking for a few performances ahead of that game.

   But the star of the show was university all-rounder Jordache Rawson, who scored vital runs when the students needed them then took five wickets for 19 runs as Devon were bowled out on the chase.

   Rawson has played Devon League cricket for Bovey Tracey and latterly Exeter over the past three seasons – and turned out in Somerset before that while at Millfield School.

   Devon were interested in his services last season – and were even keener to sign him up after yesterday's performance.   

But the Zimbabwean told them no-can-do as he doesn't have a UK passport, which means he won't satisfy the same qualification criteria that allowed Devon to register Paignton's Aussie all-rounder Neil Hancock three years ago.

   Devon pace bowler Ian Bishop had four university wickets for 35 runs while Somerset's Mike Parsons (pictured) collected three for 18 from seven overs for his newly adopted county as the students were bowled out for 154 – a total skipper Paul James felt was 20 short of posing Devon problems in the overcast conditions.

   Opener Graham Noble top scored for the university with 40 of the first 65 on the board while Bishop and Parsons were making regular breakthroughs at the other end.

   Bishop was on a hat-trick at one stage after removing Budleigh Salterton and Devon team-mates Sandy Allen and Robbie Newman with successive balls.

   The students stuttered to 85 for seven before James (34) and Rawson (20) stopped the rot with a stand of 44 for the ninth wicket. Bishop came back for a second spell and needed nine balls to wrap up the tail.

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