Devon Cricket Board - DCBYA U14s 2010 King's College Festival

DCBYA Under 14s King's Taunton Festival Reports 2010

Day 1 Worcestershire Pitch 3
After a close run game, on the Sunday evening against the Under 10s, the first day of the annual Taunton Festival was greeted by glorious sunshine by a Devon side who were keen to start their new season. The pitch was very green and winning the toss important. We lost it!
Put into bat Worcestershire bowled a controlled line outside the off stump and took the pace off the ball from ball one and David Ackford and Alistair Chilcott found it difficult to score runs. Overs ticked by but the run rate did not and pressure mounted. Ackford missed a slower ball in the 15 over and was bowled and Samuel Wyatt-Haines joined Chilcott. The scoring rate immediately picked up and a very substantial partnership of 150+ developed. Wyatt-Haines reached his half century and soon after a superb sweep Chilcott went for a two and didn’t quite make the second run and was run out. Wyatt-Haines was by now approaching his long awaited first County century and in typical fashion went for it. He slightly miss timed the shot and there were anxious moments as the ball passed through the boundary fielder’s hands and crept over the boundary rope - “Six” and a well deserved first century! There will be more. Not surprisingly, tired, he then top edged another big hit and was out caught for102, with 11 4s and 5 6s in an innings of 85 balls. With overs running out wickets tumbled as runs were chased and Devon ended on 212, a reasonable score given the cautious start, but unless we bowled well probably 30-40 runs, at least, short. Don’t tell the players.

Devon’s bowlers, from the start again lacked consistency, other than for good spells from Gillam Crouch, David Ackford and unusually this season, two bowlers at the same time, Ollie Sale and Ben Holmes, and with the by now normal unacceptable amount of extras (63) and modest fielding, Worcestershire under no great pressure scored at about 6 an over (3 off the bat and 2 extras an over!) and although two wickets were taken, they scored the necessary runs and won in the 39^th over. Devon lost by 8 wickets.

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Day 2 Gloucestershire Pitch 2
After a good evening with lots of micro conversations, a long selection and fines meeting plus many home truths, the players woke up late, well some did, and after the usual hearty breakfast it was off to Pitch 2. It was overcast with light rain in the air and rain threatening later in the day. “Jon that was the best warm up game of this season”, the rest of the warm up went well with the players enjoying themselves and Jack Williams and Ben Holmes deciding they were not fit enough to play – good team ethos. Billy Barriball and Peter Taylor step up. There is much more togetherness, team spirit – brilliant! There is a good feeling. We win the toss and insert Gloucestershire. Excellent!
Ollie Sale and Gillam Crouch continue where they left off the day before and bowl really well. The early introduction of Luke Ansell plays off and he bowls a good spell as does Alistair Chilcott and the dependable David Ackford. Players who struggle in the field to dive are seen diving, even if they miss the ball and others field so much better than usual. Overs skip by and lunch arrives with only 5 overs left to bowl and Gloucester 187-6. Keeping them down to below 220 is asked for and Crouch and Sale bowl 3 overs for very little before the tail wags and Gloucestershire end up on 218-7, an excellent effort. What has going on? This was a far better performance one which we have been waiting for all season, one which hopefully will be repeated from now on.

218 was a very gettable score if we batted sensibly, 4 and a bit an over. Ollie Higgs and Billy Searle open, look to score 3 an over for 10 overs, singles, rotate the strike and the bad ball will come. 6 extras off the first ball set the tone. Both bat sensibly before Billy misses a ball that jags back and bowls him leg stump. Samuel Wyatt-Haines and Higgs take the score on with an imposing partnership, 49 in ten minutes, before Wyatt-Haines stretches forward and lifts his back foot to a leggie and is very well stumped by Gloucestershire excellent young keeper who batted so well earlier. Alistair Chilcott then joins Higgs. Higgs soon passes 50 and powers onto towards a hundred, punishing the loose delivery. Surely we cannot get two centurions in two days, two lads who share the same room! Ollie’s bat breaks and he uses Samuel’s spare. He passes his hundred with a shot to fine leg and doesn’t know how to celebrate! This was really deserved and a great knock. Ali Chilcott for the second day running is involved in a 100+ partnership and he finishes the match off in style hitting a punched lofted off drive for four in the over. Devon win by 8 wickets. Chilcott 32 no and Higgs 129 no a marvellous innings. The team’s potential released? I hope so.

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DAY 3 Yorkshire Pitch 1
Blue sky, a nip in the air at 6.00AM, showers forecast. The warm up goes well but not quite as the day before which perhaps is to be expected. Jack Williams is not fit and Gillam Crouch rested as he has bowled 20 overs. We loose the toss and not surprisingly are inserted. Yorkshire open with a spinner one end and Billy Searle misses a straight one and is bowled. Samuel Wyatt-Haines, Monday’s centurion joins yesterday’s centurion and together they start to build another partnership. In an hour and a half they put on 117 with Higgs reaching his half century before he knicks one behind for a super 66. Alistair Chilcott and Wyatt-Haines take the score on but going for a two Wyatt-Haines is magnificently run out by a great throw over the top of the stumps for 49. Ollie Sale and Chilcott put on 40 for the 4^th wicket before Sale is out. With the overs rapidly running out, Theo Thomson plays a big shot but is bowled and as hard as the lower middle order tries the innings peters out, 208-9 off 50 overs - the players are not told it but this is probably 40-50 runs below par again.

Ben “Bono” Holmes opens down the hill and David Ackford up the hill and they both bowl excellently. A sharp chance screams through the slips off Holmes who gets just reward for his spell by bowling Goldthrop all ends up. After their 12 overs the score is 28-1 with Homes 6.1.15.1 and Ackford 6.2.13.0 - outstanding. Despite good Devon bowling from Chilcott, Wyatt-Haines, Thomson and Ansell, there are partnerships between Lockett, the batsman of the Festival and Gibson 68, Gibson is then out LBW Wyatt-Haines, Lockett and Budge 43, Budge caught and bowled Thomson and Devesher and Lockett 54, Devesher LBW Ackford and Eliot stumped Harry Choules bowled Thomson. There was the odd half chance along the way and Lockett was actually bowl on 93 by a beauty by Ben Homes but it was a no ball but he carried his bat and ended up 93 not out and Yorkshire won in the 46^th over by 6 wickets.
This was another very good display by the Under 14s who competed with one of the strongest County Youth sides. See you at Exmouth on the 2^nd August.

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Day 4 Oxfordshire Pitch 1

It was back on Pitch 1 for the Thursday match against Oxfordshire, down the bottom of the square this time, and it looked as if the weather might actually interrupt the day and it did. Heavy thundery showers were forecast and when they came they were heavy but we played through them. Once more this season the opposition had the best of the conditions and ultimately it may have affected the result. Oxfordshire batting first in the wet turned out to be easier as Devon’s bowlers found it difficult to hold the ball and stand up in the field. Samuel Wyatt-Haines with an inspired piece of fielding broke the first wicket partnership, pity I didn’t see it, I did get fined! Peter Taylor keeping to let Harry have a rest then stumped Hammond off Billy Barriball. 85-2. Oxfordshire did not then loose wickets until 128 when Samuel Wyatt-Haines came on and took 4 wickets for 12 runs in a 3 over spell and David Ackford took his second wicket as Oxfordshire closed on 163-8 off their reduced 40 overs.
Devon’s innings did not get off to the best of starts Ollie Higgs with the score on 1, and Ackford, Chilcott, Wyatt-Haines, Taylor and Sale all followed with the score only having crept up to 22! Although no instructions were given, Billy Searle and Theo Thomson then batted cautiously, Billy only scoring 2 runs in 48 deliveries and they batted through the overs, accelerating towards the end, with Billy finishing 36 not out off 103 deliveries and Theo 40 not out off 65 deliveries. Devon ended 107-6 drawing with Oxfordshire.
That evening Ben “Bono” Holmes won the Players’ Player of the Year Award, just, from the ever smiling Harry Choules.

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Day 5 Dorset Pitch 2
Dorset had had a good week and were clearly much improved from our earlier fixture and so we expected a hard match. We lost the toss, Dorset opened with a spinner and we soon lost Peter Taylor caught in the gulley. Wyatt-Haines got a ball that lifted and was also well caught in the gulley of Jones and at 38 Ali Chilcott played down the wrong line and is bowled leg stump. Ollie Higgs all the time is batting well and with Theo Thomson, batting at 5 due to his ability, they put on 114 for the 4^th wicket with both players passing their 50. Trying to take the score on Higgs (65) then gets out caught at mid on and Ackford follows immediately as does Thomson (52), shortly followed by Harry Choules. Ollie Sale and Luke Ansell chip in and with Billy Barriball hitting a 6, Devon finish on 214 all out in the 50^th over. This may this time be enough as the pitch is worn and we have started to bowl and field much better.

Gillam Crouch takes a smart caught and bowled to set this rolling and David Ackford take another wicket and Dorset are 7-2. Webb and Jones repair the situation before a fired up Ollie Sale has Webb LBW with the score on 55. Dorset then have a middle order stumble with Billy Barriball bowling well taking two wickets, Sale another and Luke Ansell two, one a great slip catch from Ali Chilcott which made up for an earlier miss! Dorset 108-9. I must mention the sportsmanship of one of the Dorset batters who kindly walked having not been given out by an umpire. With the field in and overs slipping by where was the last wicket going to come from. Ben Holmes, dehydrated or a migraine, got off his sick bed and tried an over and then went back to bed and with a 3 overs left, Ollie Sale rapped things up, taking his third wicket of the match, bowling Vitali neck and crop. Devon won by 86 runs.

This was a great end to a Festival where the team had worked hard on and off the pitch andcome together and started to play together and for each other. Ollie Higgs was unlucky not to win one of the Festival Awards for his Batting and on day 4 we had three players in the top five batters and bowlers. Ollie Higgs, Samuel Wyatt-Haines and David Ackford. A significant achievement. Well done all.

After the Presentation, Devon were third, it was off home for some rest before Gloucestershire on Sunday. Thank you to Dennis White for travelling every day to score for us, Malcolm Broad, Ted, Ian, Dennis Breakwell and their teams, together with the King's Taunton staff, for a marvelous Festival and week.

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