DAY THREE

DEVON finished a disappointing season on a hollow note when they completed a 187-run win over Wiltshire midway through the afternoon session on the final day at Corsham.

   Devon are used to winning the Western Division – they've won it for the past two seasons to reach the championship play off – but were playing for pride and places next season in this game.

   Defeat by Shropshire a month ago, coupled to a rained-off game against Cheshire at Bovey Tracey back in early July, left Devon playing catch-up cricket going into their penultimate game of the season against Berkshire at Torquay last week.

   Anything other than a win meant Devon were out of it, so the draw was no use to them and of little benefit to Berkshire as it installed Cheshire as champions in waiting.

   Beating Wiltshire put Devon top of the table last night, but it's only by a point from Cheshire, who have 24 to play for in their final game against lowly Wales.

Cheshire can't fail to finish above Devon – bonus points will ensure that – and their priority is to get a minimum of 13 points to guarantee Berkshire can't catch them by beating Herefordshire.

   That's all academic to Devon, who can't finish lower than third place irrespective of results elsewhere.

   Devon did the hard work on the first two days to leave themselves all the time in the world to win the game.

   A David Court century on the first day, followed by 84 from David Lye and 74 by Sandy Allen on day two, all helped contribute to a lead of 454 which as always going to be beyond Wiltshire's reach. If anything, the surprise was they made as many as 267 second time around.

   Wiltshire, 47 for one overnight, had Mike Coles to thank for stretching the third and final day's play after lunch as he made a good-looking 109 off only 110 balls.

   Spinner Arwyn Jones came in for some lash at times – one over went for 17 – and paceman Ian Bishop was drilled for three fours one after the other.

   Coles made 94 of his 109 in boundaries before he was fifth out to a catch at cover by Lye off the bowling of Procter.

   Syed Rizvi (27), who put on 68 with Coles, had already gone, as had skipper Russell Rowe, and with Coles out of the way Devon were into the bottom half of the order.

   James Hayward delayed the inevitable for a while with a bright and breezy 32 that was cut short out on the long-on boundary where Chris Mole was lying in wait.

   Wickets had been tumbling at the other end during Hayward's brief assault on the bowling and 12 runs later it was all over when last-man James Ashford-Brown was stumped by Sandy Allen to give Jones his fifth and final wicket.

   For Devon it was a good way to end a disappointing season which failed to hit the heights of the last two summers.

   Skipper Bob Dawson said the season turned on one rained-off game which went on to have serious repercussions for Devon, although they didn't realise it at the time.

   “If we had played to a finish against Cheshire I am convinced we would have won and the rest of the season might have gone differently,” said Dawson.

   “We needed 220 to win with a day to get them and all 10 second innings wickets in hand.

   “If might not have made us play any better against Shropshire – we had a poor game then – but it would have meant that defeat wasn't so important to us.

   “We weren't great for the first two days in the game before this one against Berkshire, but we didn't lose and you can afford one game like that every season.

   “It all comes back to the Cheshire game and what it cost us in lost points. Had we won we would be top now and Cheshire would be back in second or third wondering how they were going to catch us?”

Plus points for Devon over the season have been the consistent bowling of Procter and Jones and the emergence of Mole as an opening batsman rather than a keeper-batter coming in at five.

   Minus points have been a lack of penetration by the seamers – not helped by the type of wickets prepared to last three days on club grounds – and the lack of a settled opening partnership.

   Mole has done a good job there after taking over halfway through the season and is likely to carry on next year. Who with is anyone's guess as Aaron Williams, Matt Hunt, Richard Foan and Arul Suppiah have all had a go at least once this season.

   Don't be surprised if Dawson goes for a player with 100 per cent availability rather than outstanding ability next season in an attempt to get the opening issue sorted.

   Devon 323 (D G Court 115, D F Lye 84, A J Pugh 29; R D Bedbrook 4-97, J M Golding 3-43), & 321-8 dec (D F Lye 84, A W P Allen 74, A J Pugh 40, D G Court 31; J Hayward 5-93), Wiltshire 190 (D C Shirazi 38, K R Blackburn 30; J M Golding 35, R D Bedbrook 40; I Bishop 3-54, A Procter 5-50) & 267 (M S Coles 109, J A Hayward 32; A Jones 5-61). Devon (23pts) bt Wiltshire (4) by 187 runs

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DAY TWO

DAVID Lye showed he won't be giving up his Devon place again in a hurry by battering Wiltshire's bowlers for the second day running at Corsham.

    The Sandford big-hitter was left out of the 12 for the last game against Berkshire after a disappointing run of form had brought him less than 25 runs for the county in four matches.

    Lye got his chance to prove the selectors wrong sooner than expected when cry-offs left Devon without Paignton's Neil Hancock and Sandford team-mate Richar d Foan – and he has made the best of it.

    Having plundered 84 against Wiltshire on day one, Lye went out and made another 84 as Devon manhandled the bowling to make 321 for eight declared.

    Wiltshire were left a hefty 455 to win in three and a half sessions – around 125 overs – which looks a tall order for a side bowled out once for less than 200.

    By last night's close Wiltshire were 47 for one, still 407 behind, and looking at scraping a draw at best.

    The bottom half of Wiltshire's order didn't delay Devon too long after resuming on 132 for five overnight.

James Golding (35) and Richard Bedbrook (40) took the score to 176 before Devon got their first breakthough of the session.

    Golding was brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving David Court at mid-wicket off Andy Procter and once he went no one stayed long with Bedbrook.

    James Hayward fell lbw to Procter, who struck again four runs later to remove Neil Shardow with the aid of a diving catch under the batsman's nose by Ian Bishop.

    Paul Turk was bowled by Procter without troubling the scorers to give the Budleigh spinner five for 50 in the innings. When Bedbrook had his furniture rearranged by paceman Bishop, Wiltshire's last five wickets had fallen for 20 runs.

    Devon seemed in a rush to put runs on the board and played their shots from the off. Chris Mole made 29 of the first 48 on the board – Turk ending his fun – then Dawson came and went for six after charging spinner Hayward two balls running.

    The first one disappeared for four – the second whistled past a swinging bat presenting Shardlow with an easy stumping.

    Opener Aaron Williams (28) was third out at 74, Hayward snaring him lbw, which brought first-day centurion Court back to the middle. 

    Forty runs later Hayward got Court – who had hit 31 off the runs added off just 16 balls. Turk was delighted to see the back of Court, who hit him for 20 in one over.

    Andy Pugh (40) was also pretty tough on Turk, who conceded three fours and a six when the Exmouth batsman went after him.

  Court and Pugh set the tone for a stand of 134 between Lye and Sandy Allen that left Wiltshire captain Russell Rowe wondering who to bowl next..

    The part-time seamers of opening batsman D C Shirazi finally accounted for Lye, but only after he had hit 12 fours and a six from 109 balls faced. Allen was next out for 74 – a maiden Devon half-century in only his second game - when he prodded a return catch back to Shirazi.

    The declaration wasn't far away, although there was still time for Hayward to clean out Rob Newman to finish with five for 93 off 33.1 overs.

    Wiltshire's only casualty last night was opener Kevin Blackburn, who was run out by a throw-in from a prostrate Procter after Shirazi sent him back.

    Devon 323 (D G Court 115, D F Lye 84, A J Pugh 29; R D Bedbrook 4-97, J M Golding 3-43), & 321-8 dec (D F Lye 84, A W P Allen 74, A J Pugh 40, D G Court 31; J Hayward 5-93), Wiltshire 190 (D C Shirazi 38, K R Blackburn 30;, J M Golding 35, R D Bedbrook 40; I Bishop 3-54, A Procter 5-50) & 47-1. Bonus points: Devon 7, Wiltshire 4.

DAY ONE

DAVID Court slammed a maiden ton for Devon as the outgoing Western Division Champions dominated the first day of their Minor Counties game against Wiltshire at Corsham.

   Devon are playing second place behind champions elect Cheshire and need to beat Wiltshire to put pressure on Berkshire, who are currently in second place.

   And Devon certainly started as if they meant business with Court in awesome form as they hurtled to 323 all out inside 60 overs, then limited Wiltshire to 132 for five at the close with Plympton's Arwyn Jones picking up two wickets in the final session.

   Court's previous Devon best was 75 against Wales in the 2003 season – and his best since making 63 against Oxfordshire at Wantage earlier this season.

   Devon were making hard work of it at 98 for four when Court came out to join David Lye after Andy Pugh had just gone caught behind – the first of three scalps for James Golding.

   Already back in the pavilion were openers Chris Mole – he hit a four, a six and then got out in the second over, Aarron Williams for 20 and Bob Dawson for 11.

   Lye, recalled to the side after being left out following a run of low scores, was on 24 when Court arrived – and soon found himself lapped by the Exmouth big-hitter.

   Court biffed 16 in one over from spinner Paul Turk immediately after taking guard and carried on in the same vein accumulating 11 fours and five sixes.

   Exmouth's joint captain rushed to 50 in 45 balls, used another 45 to pass 100 and faced just 101 balls when he ran out of people to bat with on 115 not out.

Lye, dropped once on his way to 84, shared a stand of 151 with Court that occupied just 22 overs.

   When Lye went to a catch at deep mid-wicket, followed by Sandy Allen and Rob Newman in the space of 15 balls, Devon lost a bit of momentum before Court and Andy Procter (26) injected it again.

   Ian Bishop (2-47) and Jones (2-18) then made the breakthroughs that had Wiltshire on the back foot last night.

   Former Someret IIs man Kevin Blackburn was first out lbw to Ian Bishop, who produced a similar ball to claim the wicket of Wiltshire captain Russell Rowe.

   Jones was four balls into his spell when he had Mike Coles caught by a back-peddling Dawson at mid-off.

   The Procter got in on the act by bowling Syed Rizvi for six. The last man out before close of play was opener D C Shirazi, who was lbw to Jones for 38.

   Devon 323 (D G Court 115, D F Lye 84, A J Pugh 29; R D Bedbrook 4-97, J M Golding 3-43), Wiltshire 132-5 (D C Shirazi 38, K R Blackburn 30; I Bishop 2-47, A Jones 2-18). Bonus points: Devon 5, Wiltshire 4.