DEVON'S soggy season in the Minor Counties Championship continued yesterday when the first day's play against Wiltshire at Bemerton failed to go the distance.
Early morning rain meant a late start – and the clouds were back again shortly before tea.
In between Devon managed to bowl 49.2 overs at Wiltshire, who were 131 for six at the close of play.
The weather was certainly true to form as Devon haven't managed to get through a single Minor Counites match this season without losing some time to rain.
For once, though, Devon didn't really suffer because of the weather as they took the spoils from the brief amount of cricket played.
Skipper Bob Dawson called correctly and put Wiltshire in once the flapping ground sheets had been tidied away.
Wiltshire promptly slipped to 11 for three in the first 10 overs as Trevor Anning picked up two wickets and Plymouth's Dave Burke a third.
Anning bowled Damian Shirazi and had Simon Macey caught at slip two balls later. Burke dispatched Jayden Levitt with the help of a catch at mid-on by Chris Metters.
Ben Waker went next, caught behind off Josh Bess, who followed up by bowling James Hayward as Wiltshire wobbled at 50 for five.
From then on Wiltshire took the safety first route with Eddie Abel in particular taking no risks at all while putting on 46 with skipper Jamie Hibberd.
Abel's contribution to the stand was a dozen runs scored in four minutes short of two hours. Abel, playing on his home ground, was so determined not to give anything away he took 45 minutes to go from eight to nine!
Anning (3-45) put everyone out of their misery when he squirmed a ball through Abel's defences early in his second spell.
Skipper Hibberd, whose 56 not out off 72 balls was brisk in comparison, was still there when umpires Steve Bishopp and Phil Ratcliffe took the players off.