DAY ONE REPORT

ANDY Procter (pictured, right) claimed his second haul of five wickets or more of the current campaign as Devon secured maximum bowling points and not a lot else on day one of the game against Herefordshire at Torquay.

   Procter's five for 67 helped bowl Herefordshire out for 284 after Devon skipper Bob Dawson had won the toss and asked opposite number Chris Boroughs to bat first.

   Conventional thinking always has it that you only bat second at Torquay if there is moisture in the air to make the ball wobble about before lunch.

   It was certainly damp, if not very dismal at Torquay yesterday morning, but any advantage Devon had hoped to obtain evaporated by lunchtime as the sun came out, creating perfect conditions to bat in.

   For Devon's seamers it soon became a case of grin and bear it as there was little for the to exploit in the pitch well before lunch.

   Paceman Ian Bishop (pictured, left) managed to find enough to pick up the two wickets he needed to take his Minor Counties tally to 150 – no mean feat as he has played most of his Devon cricket in an era of six matches a season. Previously, the programme was nine.

   Harshad Patel was number 149 – he gave Richard Foan catching practice at extra-cover – then Boroughs brought up the landmark by obligingly getting out lbw.

   The only other action of note before lunch was a yes-no-sorry interlude between opener Richard Hall and Henry Langford that ended with Procter's throw to keeper Sandy

   Allen beating Hall back to the stumps.

   Langford was first to go after lunch when Trevor Anning (pictured below), who had been awarded his county cap before play started following his five-wicket demolition job on Berkshire in Devon's previous game, had him caught behind for 52.

   Langford faced 131 balls for his 52, hitting eight of them for four, and took no risks that weren't necessary until he got out wafting a ball which should have been left alone.

   Herefordshire dug in for the session between lunch and tea – a 42-over sweatathon on a sticky day by the seaside – during which David Exall and Ashley Nahorniak put together a stand of 95 for the fifth wicket.

   As stands go it was modest rather than spectacular, although it was notable for Herefordshire as being their best for the fifth wicket since fixtures stared against Devon. The old record of 88 had survived since 1995 when Steve Watkins and Mark Abberley chalked it up at Exmouth.

   Exall was first out for 69 – safely caught at slip by Dawson to give Procter his first scalp. Morgan Rushbrooke came and went for 11   - a tumbling catch by David Court giving Richard Foan a wicket – and those were the last breakthroughs prior to tea.

   Nahorniak was out straight after tea with the score   on 266 for   seven when Procter bowled him for 53. He had faced 128 balls and his seven of them for four.

   With the 90-over first innings cut-off point fast approaching, Herefordshire had to take a few risks if they wanted to add up the batting points and Procter cashed in.

   Procter had Simon Crump caught under a steepler by Dawson, did away with the middle-man by bowling Duncan Willetts then claimed wicket number five when Peter Scott walked inside the line of the ball and was given out lbw.

   It was Procter's second-best return of the campaign as he had seven for 62 to bowl Dorset out in the Championship at Bovey Tracey.

   Devon had to bat out the final 30 overs last night and reached 103 at the close with Foan on 57 not out and Chris Mole unbeaten on 26.

   Foan reached his half-century century in a hurry with a six and two fours as spinner Simon Crump went for 18 from this first over in Minor Counties cricket.

   Herefordshire 284 (H J Langford 52, D J R Exall 69, A M Nahorniak 53; A J Procter 5-67, I E Bishop 2-85), Devon 103-0 (R J Foan 57no, C M Mole 26no). Bonus points: Devon 4, Herefordshire 3.