SUNDAY, JUNE 22
DEVON captain Bob Dawson will be hoping lapses in the field don't come back go haunt his side over the remaining two days of the game against Berkshire at Torquay.
Berkshire recovered from a painful start that saw them 37 for four to reach 288 for nine when their 90-over limit arrived. The batsman who did the damage was Steve Naylor, who helped himself to a century.
Devon had to bat out the final five overs last night and were 21 for one at stumps. The man out was opener Rob Holman, who was lbw to Tim Lambert.
Devon have had better days with the ball than this one as they bowled with too much width – as a succession of cover drives kept on proving - and had trouble holding on to the red, shinny thing when it was in the air.
While Naylor didn't push his luck too much, a series of catches went down at the other end from him, generally off the edge of the bat.
Had the catching been sharper, Naylor and James Morris wouldn't have put on 76 for the fifth wicket to rescue Berkshire from 37 for four.
For the first time this season, Devon realised how much they have relied on David Court and Neil Hancock for close catching in recent seasons. Neither is playing in this game.
“Catches win matches and they can lose you matches if you don't hold on to them,” said Dawson.
Berkshire had laboured at first for runs in the face of nagging line and length of Trevor Anning and Ian Bishop.
Anning and Bishop bagged an opener each – Anning had Dave Barnes lbw, Bishop took a return catch the send back Dan Shilvock – then the double act struck again on 37.
Jonno McLean, who took a ton off Devon last month in the Minor Counties Trophy, was put down twice in quick succession before Anning dismissed him lbw.
Bishop getting Berkshire captain Bjorn Mordt without another run added, was a definite bonus for Devon, who had the Western Division leaders wobbling at 37 for four.
James Burke came up trumps to remove Mason to break the stand of 76. The 17-year-old paceman, called into the side at short notice, was wicketless in his first spell and had to wait until shortly before tea for a second chance.
Two balls into the second over of his new spell, Burke flung down a full-length delivery at Morris that clattered into the base of his middle and off stumps.
Naylor kept going to reach his century from 145 balls and carried on to reach 125 before Devon saw the back of him at 258 for seven.
Anning enticed Naylor into playing the pull and as he rocked back the ball shot through lower than expected and ripped middle stump out of the ground.
Naylor hit 19 fours from 171 balls faced and shared in stands worth 60 with Sam Woodward and 85 with Jonathan Trower.
Woodward contributed 24 before trying to drive Anning off the front foot and being beaten as the ball nipped back on him.
Trower was second top scorer with 42 and looked good for at least 50 when he pulled a short ball from Scott Barlow to Rob Holman at mid-wicket.
Anning, with three for 59 from 20 overs, took the bowling laurels for Devon, Burke (2-64) and Barlow (2-61) did their bit while Bishop had two for 45.
Spinner James Hudson went wicketless on his Devon debut, but had no luck at all with catches being spilled or balls dropping on the spot where a fielder had just been moved from, On another day he could have had figures of three for 30 off 18 overs, not none for 46.