Above: The victorious Devon team - and scorer Rachel Tozer - surround Devon captain Bob Dawson after he collected the Minor Counties Trophy. Below: Devon celebrate after Ian Bishop dismissed Steve Naylor.
MINOR COUNTIES TROPHY FINAL - AUGUST 6, 2008
Devon v Berkshire at Lord's
A FOUR-wicket salvo from paceman Ian Bishop put Devon on course for a 40-run win over Berkshire in the Minor Counties Trophy final at Lord's.
Devon had blazed away to 290 for four in their 50 overs – skipper Bob Dawson falling four runs short of a century – which always marked them as favourites to win the game.
Bishop took four for 40 and Neil Hancock three for 63 as Berkshire were dismissed for 250 in reply.
Berkshire came out all guns blazing – they had to faced with an asking rate of nearly six an over to win – and lost opener Dave Barnes to Bishop in the first over.
Mitchell Stokes (42) and Craig Crowe (21) set a blistering pace and at 67 for one Berkshire were ahead of the clock.
The game turned when Bishop picked off Stokes and Crowe in successive balls, then followed up with dangerman Jono McLean as Berkshire slipped to 82 for four.
Berkshire skipper Bjorn Mordt kept out the hat-trick ball, but Devon were in the driving seat now and eager for the next big wicket, that of McLean.
The South African took a ton off Devon earlier in the competition, but was in and out for four yesterday – caught out on the cover-point boundary trying to uppercut Hancock for six.
At 82 for four Berkshire's hopes of winning the game were pretty slender. When Bishop plucked out Naylor's middle stump it should have been game over. The target was 186 to win and half the side was already out.
With Naylor out of the way, closely followed by James Morris at 113 for six, the game should have meandered to its predictable conclusion. It didn't.
Berkshire captain Bjorn Mordt isn't the type to run up the white flag and gamely battled on when all seemed lost in a stand of 91 for the seventh wicket with Paul Carter.
Carter (31) was first to go to a one-handed pick-up and throw run-out executed from mid-off. Mordt perished on 215 for eight to a superb reaction catch in the cordon by James Hudson.
Richard Johnson was bowled first ball by Neil Hancock and it was game over when James Hudson induced Carl Crowe to chop the ball on to his own stumps.
There was nothing predictable about the way Devon batted as they accelerated away from a slow start to leave Berkshire without a clue how to get the brakes on.
Opener Sandy Allen went early and Mole could have gone for a single when he was caught at slip off a no-ball.
Mole went on to make 67 and saw the 100 and the 200 come and go before he got out. Along the way there was a stand of 182 for the second wicket with his captain.
Dawson and Mole started to get on top of the bowling once Lambert finished his 10-over spell, which cost a modest 30 runs – and former Somerset and England paceman Richard Johnson had gone off with a leg injury.
Dawson was making what appeared to be inexorable progress towards a century with a mixture of carves through the covers and singles here and there. Maybe his concentration went in the face of the erratic bowling from Craig Crowe, but he chased a wide and which would have been better left alone and was caught behind for 96.
Ten runs later Mole's long vigil ended. He stepped out to drive Carl Crowe and was brilliantly caught at full sprawl at short cover by Barnes.
With five overs to go Devon were 211 for four having just lost David Court to a catch at mid-wicket. Then the fireworks really started as David Lye and Hancock savaged Berkshire's flagging bowlers.
The pair added 79 in the final five overs – 41 of them in the 49th and 50th as Hancock raced to one of the quickest half-centuries the old ground has ever seen.
Hancock, dropped on 31, slammed 53 not out off 26 balls with five fours and three sixes.
Devon 290-4 (R I Dawson 96, N D Hancock 53no, C M Mole 67), Berkshire 250 (B H D Mordt 79, M S T Stokes 42, P R Carter 31; I E Bishop 4-40, N D Hancock 3-63). Devon bt Berkshire by 40 runs.
Lost ton doesn't bother Dawson | Hanks' shares credit
Tim Lambert bowling to Chris Mole at Lord's in the Minor Counties Trophy final
