Devon Cricket Board - DCBYA Under 14s Somerset Match Report 2014

It was a lovely morning driving up but rain, heavy showers were forecast. On arrival the outfield is lush and the pitch slightly tinged. It is good to see old friends. At 11.00 with rain threatening we loose the toss and are put in. We would have bowled. Before play we have a light shower one of two for the day and Lammers and Ash open and we score 4 off 1st over. Excellent. The second over their keeper is up to the stumps and the ball swings and seams. It is not easy. Lammers plays a lovely shot off his legs, 4 but do we miss a couple of early singles which given the conditions might prove important? 10 off 2. Ash who plays with nice soft hands, smart hair cut Ash, unlike in previous matches struggles a little as Somerset give him no width and the score slows down, 13 off 4. It is not helped by the first of Lammers 3 straight drives hitting the stumps and we also keep hitting the fielders. Somerset continue to bowl good lines and their captain leads by example in the field diving and saving runs and quietly they apply pressure. Lammers late cuts 2 and then hits another lovely shot off his legs 4. Another good shot follows but then excellent fielding - there's a pattern developing and we are still missing the odd single. Ash 3 to backward point and after 10 overs its 28 without loss. This is harsh, and I am only saying it because we all need to learn, but given how well these two have batted this season was it one of our best first 10 overs? Okay the pitch was doing a bit and Somerset bowled straight and fielded well but did we use our heads and look to rotate the strike enough, take every scabby run? The big bonus on a difficult pitch we had not lost a wicket. Ash 9 off 42 then tickles one behind and at drinks, 15 overs, its 46 -1. Nick says, it's a difficult pitch but look to take the singles more and if we can score around 200. Shortly afterwards Sam does not move his feet or play with a straight bat and plays on. 47-2 off 16. Gibbsy in. Lammers is then bowled through the gate. Kazi in and he edges/ guides a 2 and Gibbsy takes 1 to mid wicket. 54-3 off 19. Gibbsy is batting well but hitting the fielders. 56-3 off 20 overs. Somerset's offie comes on and Gibbsy hits a 4. The Kings partnership builds 74-1off 25.

Somerset's slow left armer comes on and Gibbsy plays forward and the ball runs down his bat face, (where is it?) and gently rolls back onto his stumps. Jamie Khan in and after a couple of balls he starts to play positively and hits some lovely 4s through the covers, straight using his feet and pulling anything short square. Together with Kazi they run well and the partnership quickly develops. Under pressure Somerset's fielding is not quite as good and heads drop with more quick singles and boundaries. Could we have been more positive like this beforehand? Kazi reaches his well deserved 50 and then the score slows down a little as Jamie fails, even though he takes an off stump guard, to get bat on widish deliveries. 166-4 off 41. Perhaps slightly frustrated, Jamie's little cameo comes to an end when he yorks himself and is bowled for 39, a 95 partnership. Excellent knock Jamie. 169-5. We are fortunately to have Mikey in next and he immediately gets on with it and hits a lofted drive 4 and another 4 but he is soon run out going for a 3rd. Willow joins Kazi and after 45 overs Devon finish on 189-6. Great knock Kazi - again- another not out- wonder what your average is?

After a light shower and another fantastic tea, thank you parents/ Felicity and Andy Maunder - our normal successful opening partnership Kazi and Parks open. Unusually Parks who has been ill most of the week, gets that bit of fortune when Mikely takes a super catch at short mid wicket. With the score still on 3 Leon picks up and with a magnificent piece of fielding cooly throws the ball over the stumps for a run out- brilliant. Somerset 3-2. He nearly pulls off another run out with more splendid fielding and an inside edge off Kazi nearly makes it 3 wickets. There is then a huge appeal for caught behind, there was quite a snick but it is not given - the batsman later said he hit it! Gibbsy then nearly hits the stumps with another piece of great fielding. Our fielding has been excellent and set a real standard and we don’t even have AB playing! Great commitment guys. The Somerset batsmen try to consolidate but Parks then gets another when Mikey runs backwards at short mid on and throws out a hand and takes a stunning one handed catch. Next ball is full and Parks is up - LBW. 21-4! We have 4 slips and the hat trick ball is good but goes missing. We are bowling the odd wide guys- too many and the umpires were lenient! We then have a little incident about over zealous appealing- the umpire is correct- don’t! Parks then gets his 4^th wicket a gently lobbed catch to Kazi. 23-5 off 12. Lathers comes on for Kazi and bowls a great first ball but there is the odd loose delivery, literally and a wide. Willow replaces Parks, "I don’t deserve my wickets I did not bowl that well", take it - you have bowled beautifully at times this year with no luck and Willow bowls a maiden.

We have more excellent fielding from Leon and with all the pressure Somerset limp to 27-5 at drinks after 15 overs. Who said we’ve played like legends at drinks? Shortly afterwards Jamie is unlucky when a leading edge flies towards Lammers at mid wicket who takes off and almost gets his fingers under the ball. Willow beats the bat with one that turns and Yabbers comes on to replace the birthday boy. Good captaincy Sam. Proudly sporting his Team Sally cap Yabbers unusually spears a couple down the leg side- was it a plan? We haven’t taken a wicket for a little while and then -don’t play back, Willow strikes. With all the excitement the field starts to creep in, hold firm lads. We are in that tricky phase of the match where Somerset are not really going to win and we start to relax. This is where we need to be clinical, go for the jugular and finish the opposition off. If we don’t learn to do this it will come back to haunt us as a side, if not now at sometime in the future. I accept we tried to get others into the match, and Nick and I are as much at fault here too, but how often does it work? There is the odd great stop/ piece of fielding but the match drifts a little and the Somerset batters start to get some confidence and play some extravagant shots and both Leon and Gibbsy suffer as a result. Not your fault guys its just the match situation and trying to give you an opportunity. Did we get the field right when they were on the hit? Unorthodox placings, three quarters cow for one would have got a wicket on a number of occasions? Fisher eventually miss cues and is caught behind and two balls later Yabbers bowls another. As we have lost our way and it is time to finish, ferries to catch and all that, Parks and Kazi come back on, again good captaincy and Parks picks up his 5^th wicket once more thanks to a fantastic catch by who else our goal keeper, Mikey! Somerset 122 all out. Another 4 points and we go to the Festival unbeaten. Great effort guys; great team work; if you didn’t contribute with the bat or ball it was in the field where we were excellent - fantastic - well done.

Thank you to the umpires, and Wendy and Derek for scoring; Thorverton CC for hosting us; the weather gods for being kind and the parents and relatives for their support, even if you were watching through the window when the tennis was reaching its final stages!

I keep saying this and I am right there will be tougher matches to come. Some of you don’t feel you are contributing as much as others, you are, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the moment. When it is your chance try not to get too anxious; Nick and I believe in you; relax enjoy it and you will be successful. Your day will come. See you at Taunton..

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