The second stage of the summer – the two day programme got off to the worst of starts. There are good and bad days on and off the field. The first day of the two day game with Worcestershire was a disastrous twelve hours both on and off! Matt Wood, on his way down from Nottingham had car trouble, we were late getting to Thrifty who then tried to book us out on a fifteen seater. It didn’t get any better when we were then taken to an LDF 17 seater which had proved completely impractical in the past and the reason we always insist on a Ford Transit! It got even better as the battery was then found to be flat! After an exchange of batteries the mini-bus eventually arrived thirty-five minutes late at the Services. It proved impossible to make up any time but we made contact Worcestershire and advised them of our plight. The scorer and coach had arrived closer to the appointed start time and entered into negotiations and it was agreed that the game would start forty-five minutes late with intervals and close of play put back. We had enjoyed Kidderminster Cricket Club in 2010 and it was a welcome return to this well appointed and welcoming ground. However it did not extend to the cricket as, on winning the toss, Devon batted but were fielding at three twenty-five! At lunch they were 54-6. Mawgan Penrice had not bothered the scorer on his return to his family’s roots, Josh Mailling made two and Ollie Higgs was sent up the concrete steps leg before for three. Sam Wyatt-Haines had just reached double figures before he was fourth out and Elliott Rice had scored twenty out of his side’s thirty-five before he was dismissed. Davies fought his corner batting twenty-five balls for his ten but was out in the twenty-second and last over before the interval. A poor performance, even taking into account the circumstances and pressures that a flustered arrival can cause. This was the first time in the summer that the players who had been playing up with the seventeens had rejoined the team. In the twenty-six minutes after lunch, Devon scored twenty-six runs off the forty-five balls losing their last four wickets. With five more added, unfortunately the critical wicket of Jack Dart fell as he had been the most likely batsman to salvage something from this wreckage. Jack Cherrington watched from the non striker’s end as Dart, Dyer and Kerton all departed and then contributed all of the runs in the last wicket partnership with Popham. At ten past seven, with Worcestershire on 190-5, close of play was brought forward by heavy rain which also interrupted a very well supported colts evening. Devon had bowled 56 overs, more than twice the number they had faced. Paul Heard took two wickets, getting a leg before decision against Cordes and captain Turley caught behind by Davies. Jack Popham took his first wicket in the twentieth over, having Harris caught by Jack Dart. Elliott Rice caught Smith off Cherrington and the final wicket of the session fell at 174 when Rice took his second catch, this time off Hallam Kerton. At close the hosts were now 110 runs ahead with five wickets remaining, very much in the driving seat. The infuriating start to the day reinforced the need to travel up the day before for two day games. The down side is the additional cost on what is becoming an increasingly expensive game.

The second day started on time and Devon did well to bowl their opponents out thirteen minutes before lunch taking the necessary five wickets for ninety-three runs in twenty-seven overs but not without a second new ball. This should not have been necessary as Worcestershire were reduced to 224-9 but yet another exasperating last wicket partnership annoyed everyone, putting on fifty-nine in an hour and seven minutes The main destroyer was Jack Popham who ended up with the outstanding figures of 5-60 off 14.1 overs which attracted the attention of the Worcestershire management and an invitation to travel up to New Road. Elliott Rice comfortably faced the one over before lunch which was a maiden.

The afternoon session was an opportunity for some reputations to be built or rebuilt and fortunately Devon took the game to close of play with their hosts still in the field. It was unlucky thirteen for Rice, Josh Mailling again did not bat on scoring 20 but Mawgan Penrice and Ollie Higgs took Devon up to tea 93 still in arrears. The third wicket fell after a partnership of fifty-four of which Higgs had contributed thirty and Wyatt-Haines fell in the next over. Devon were now 131-4 and Penrice’s fine effort ended in the forty-seventh over two short of another fifty. He had batted for one hundred and fifty-five minutes facing one hundred and seventeen balls. He was now viewed as an early name on the team list, thus making his long term winter rugby injury even more disappointing for both player and team. At this stage an innings defeat still looked a possibility with sixty-four still needed. Rhys Davies and Jack Dart had added thirty-five before the keeper left for a stubborn twenty-seven and five runs later Jack Cherrington made himself available for scoreboard duty with two dozen still needed. Captain Dyer and Dart avoided an innings defeat with Dart showing a liking to the Worcestershire attack, something he was to continue at Exmouth the following week. He was caught for a sixty-nine ball forty with Devon now 221-8. The home side were still very much in with a chance of a rare outright win in a two day game as they still had overs and time in hand. The captain succumbed after fifty-eight minutes at the crease with Devon now thirty-six ahead and potentially thirty-six balls remaining in the day. Hallam Kerton, who was then on 14, would have none of it , putting on an undefeated twenty-nine with Jack Popham before both sides decided to call it a day three overs early. Kerton was thirty-eight not out off thirty-one balls, a man for all situations with just one approach, if it is up hit it! It works and he allowed Jack Popham to complete a useful two days. The side manned the scoreboard expertly without objections, unsurprisingly Wyatt-Haines won the Like-off. The injured Paul Heard gained two new initials, AC, and worked the white board and the coach led an interesting discussion on Countdown which had more to do with a former Oxford mathematician than the actual programme. The side had recovered well and some reputations had been enhanced. There were still three more games and six days cricket for the others to shine.