Devon Cricket Board - Premier - Plymouth and Cornwood clash

Premier - Plymouth and Cornwood clash

PLYMOUTH are riding on the crest of a wave going into the derby clash with Cornwood at Oak Park.
The city side are fourth in the table and fresh from back-to- back wins over champions Sidmouth in the league then Paignton to reach the semi-finals of the Devon KO Cup.
And to cap it all opening batsmen Callum Whittaker and James Toms have both been selected for Devon’s Minor Counties game against Wales at Usk starting on Sunday.
“What a week we have had,” said Plymouth captain Matt Hooper.
“Firstly we had the two last-over wins; Saturday against Sidmouth and Sunday against Paignton in the cup. They were both great performances.
“Our bowlers had to hold their nerve on Saturday and our batters had to hold theirs on Sunday. It was remarkable that some really young players did that so well.
“Then to top it off we have two players selected for the Devon side this weekend as well. Everyone is so pleased for them both, it has been a while since Plymouth had two Devon players but it is the sign of how well they and we are playing.
“We have also had a couple of lads contacted for Lions, which is also great news.
“We are just hoping to keep the morale high, we will do this by winning matches.”
With leaders Bovey and Sidmouth (3rd) playing each other, there is a chance Plymouth can gain ground in them by winning at Oak Park.
“We are hoping to be right in the mix. We just want to give ourselves the best chance of winning the league,” said Hooper.
Cornwood haven’t locked horns with Plymouth for a while so everyone at Oak Park is looking forward to renewing old rivalries;
“It's been a while since we've played Plymouth in a league game and they were really enjoyable competitive games,” said Cornwood skipper Craig Harris.
“Lots has happened in that time and teams have changed ,so it looks to be an interesting prospect. “
While Plymouth are in a good place, Cornwood have only won twice this season and need a pick-me-up after losing to North Devon.
“Last week we slipped on some standards and we know that we need to sharpen up and fire all at once to get a result,” said Harris.
“Plymouth are playing some good cricket at the moment, but on the day anything can happen.”

FAST bowler Tom Allin is set to return to the North Devon side after being given the go-ahead by Warwickshire.
Allin is under contract until the end of September and remains available for Warwickshire.
Warwickshire have agreed to let Allin travel home at weekends to help out his home club - great news for North Devon skipper Matt Dart as he tries to haul the team out of the Premier Division basement.
“Tom is a key player and has a big role to play with bat and ball,” said Dart.
Dart knows Exmouth will be looking to bounce back in a hurry after losing to Bovey Tracey last Saturday.
“Exmouth have the best batting line up in the league and it is all about restraining them,” said Dart.
“Spin will play a massive part at Instow, as always.”
Exmouth, still second despite losing to Bovey, feel the cricket gods aren’t exactly smiling on them .
Title rivals Bovey and Sidmouth have already played North Devon and beaten them on days when neither Allin or Zimbabwean all-rounder Glenn Querl were not available.
“It is a bit harsh, but that is the way it goes sometimes,” said Exmouth skipper Richard Baggs.
“Don’t forget we played Plymouth on a day when James Toms wasn’t around and he scored a 100 the following week against Sidmouth.”

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