It was an early start for an early meet but the sky was already deep blue and the sun warming up, a South African morning. Just one absent at Exeter, he had not read the match details and was on his way down from Tiverton. Hopefully he did not receive an excess ticket. Tractors appeared programmed every twenty minutes to slow our way, a false alarm allowed all the large trucks we had passed to get in front of us, we will add a bottle to the essential list and we arrived about fifteen minutes late which was a disappointment as we had planned to arrive half an hour early. The coach took over fours hours to get to the ground, an inaccurate post code had not helped, and summer had arrived.

  Our reversion to nineteen’s has resulted in our playing older sides from our neighbours but … well you have read the benefits of pressure elsewhere!! We were confronted by a mature side, some with close connections to Hampshire, without any of our seventeen’s who were resting up for three tiring days in Taunton. This and the last two cancelled games without travelling resulted in debuts for a number of players – Billy Searle, Dan Powell, Ben Holmes and George Greenway. The captain had been pressing for the inclusion of George all summer and at last the weather had relented to allow him to join us. We had been due to play at Urchfont last year but it had rained. It is a typical attractive Manor House ground taking some back to the fifties and sixties! Former Test Match Special scorer Bill Frindall had a close association with this club. Huxtable called incorrectly but achieved his objective as Devon were invited to bat. With a relatively inexperienced batting line up a reasonable start was the target. All seemed to be progressing in that direction as the captain and Zack Bess looked in total control. They had put on forty-five in thirteen overs when on the second ball of the fourteenth Bess drove smoothly back to the bowler Richards who collected spun around and ran out Huxtable. Not an unfamiliar dismissal for this loyal North Devonian to Devon Cricket. Live streaming of games has a disadvantage as the captain’s phone had some immediate text messages. Harry Booker who had provided the music on the trip up joined Bess and the pair batted for eleven overs putting on 30. Booker was bowled by Dawson in the twenty-fifth over with Devon behind the clock on 75.. Another stalwart of youth cricket Paignton's Connor Bryan joined Bess and took Devon up to 121 when in the thirty-sixth over Bess was caught by Haggaty off Painter two short of his fifty off one hundred and two balls.. Billy Searle and Bryan put on Devon’s best partnership of the game scoring 69 off sixty-four balls. The consistent Bryan passed another fifty and Searl very nearly achieved scoring at a run a ball but his dismissal ruined it scoring thirty-two off thirty-three. Devon was now well placed for a final onslaught being on 190 with thirty-two balls and six wickets remaining. As always cricket never goes to plan as Bryan, Eaves and Booker were lost with the addition of just four runs. Eaves was caught, Kidd leg before and Bryan sacrificed his wicket on a dodgy run. George Greenway will remember his first innings for the wrong reasons -197-8. Under fifteen Dan Powell and George Yates contributed another thirteen taking Devon with the help of twenty extras up to 214-9. The last pair had batted sensibly and fluently. Ben Holmes did not have a chance to bat but he got on well with the Heifers in his quest for lost balls.

 Wiltshire got off to a flyer as Alsop and Clark put on 125 in twenty-two overs. The Devon bowlers had taken a pounding and it was the introduction of Will Squire who started to turn the game. With his first ball he had Alsop caught by Eaves and started to turn the screw. Booker was now bowling in tandem and he took the next wicket six overs later Ben Holmes holding the catch. Wiltshire now needed sixty-two with seven wickets in hand with one hundred and twenty balls available. Squire took the next two wickets, one leg before and a smart stumping from Powell -156-4. Huxtable caught Reynolds off Booker 176-5. Squire completed his outstanding spell of 3-32 off ten. Matt Kidd now started an exceptional second spell bowling with real pace and determination. On 184 he trapped Hawkins leg before, George Yates joined in dismissing Richards in a similar manner, Kidd bowled Mitchell and Yates bowled Roberts 202-9. Twelve needed, one wicket and twenty-five needed. This was now an excellent game of cricket and demonstrated what Devon cricket is all about - believe, character and determination personified by their captain. Wiltshire came out on top scoring the winning run off the last ball of the penultimate over. Extras had contributed too many – thirty-two and the twenty-seven addition balls particularly in the last six few overs were critical. An excellent game of cricket. Greenway received some tuition on DJing from the unlikely Kidd, Bryan rested his shins, there were some more tractors and burgers halfway.