With the game finishing early at Stafford the side travelled across to Leamington enjoying various rainbows and again appreciating the benefits of road pricing and the M6 Toll. A local radio alerted the scorer of a nasty accident on the M42 and an appropriate detour was undertaken. The Holiday Inn was as welcoming as ever and The Anchor were pleased to see us again. Desperate Dan Pies still were an obsticle and Twitter alerted problems for the nineteens on Thursday. The weather for the following day was reasonable although Midlands Today indicated a potential shower at noon. We had hardly driven through the gates of Leamingtons Cricket Club when we received the customary warm welcomes. Warwickshire were coached by Steve Rouse the former Warwickshire player and Edgbaston groundsman. He had been at the County Ground man and boy and witnessed all the comings and goinings over a liftimes relationship with the Beers. For the fourth successive year the squad has been reduced to eleven, this year with a plastered Dom Bess on the sidelines reducing his side down to the bare five bowlers.

  Sam Wyatt-Haines won the toss and apart from getting out too soon did not put a foot wrong in what was an outstanding team performance. It did not go totally to plan as Cornwoods Matt Skeemer was run out with two on the board both contibuted by the departing opener. Choules, now in his lucky thirteen shirt did not last his shirt number of balls as on his third legal delivery he departed – 7-2. The captain and Tom Richardson put on twenty-nine when in the eighth over Richardson was caught for a twenty-four ball fourteen. Higgs and Wyatt-Haines staberlised their sides innings taking the score up to ninety-three, a partnership of fifty-seven the highest of the innings and game. In the nineteenth over the captain was smartly stumped down the leg side having lost his balance. Such is the benefit of modern technology within seconds there was an enquiry from Devon whether he had been charging. Wyatt-Haines, who had some personal objectives in his sights, was out four short of another fifty. His average of 77 for the summer was a new record beating Neil Bettiss record of 2000. He also scored ninety-nine runs more than his mentor. He had scored at a rate of 100% and had batted an hour. Higgs departed shortly afterwards bowled for an important twenty-six. Jack Maunder had joined Higgs but the pair had only batted together for twenty-seven balls and Devon were now not well placed at 110-5 with one hundred and fifty-nine balls remaining. Maunder now held the lower order together seeing his side advance from one short of Nelson to 177 all out. Devon did not utilise twenty-three balls which is always a dissapointment and the final product was well below par although twenty years ago would have won more fifty over games than lost them. First Declan Lines and Maunder put on 38, Lines who by his own admission has had a difficult second half of the summer gutted it out and his twelve proved to be very useful. He fell in the thirty-seventh over and so did Mauculey Harrisson-Hooton who played his dab shot first ball and was bowled by spinner Clements. With his previous ball he had caught and bowled Lines. Gillam Crouch in his only innings of the summer dug in. With Jack Maunder they took the score up to one sixty-three. Crouch was Beaumont-Darks first victim. A grandson of a Birmingham MP he bowled Crouch with fifty balls still in play. This was an opportunity for Parminda to show his batting prowess but Beaumont Dark also undid him, bowling him for two. Devon were now 167-9 with plenty of balls remaining. Enter Ben Holmes, who had been decidely unwell all week. This was an opportunity for the 2012 non batter to stake a claim for a batting berth in 2013. The pair added ten runs when Holmes chipped back a simple catch to Beaumont –Dark. Perhaps Holmes, if he is selected, will leave his pads at home next year! There had been an eghteen minute rain break at half past one and more rain came in the luncheon interval which lasted another half hour. Fortunately no overs were lost.

   Warwickshire faced three hundred balls including no balls but fell nine runs short as Devon completed their third successive win at Leamington Spa. Holmes and Crouch built up the pressure with Warwickshire scoring at 1.7 for the first nine overs when Skeemer pouched a catch at second slip off Holmes. The Warwickshire second wicket pairing added thirty-five when Wyatt-Haines took the second wicket with the first ball of his fourth over when Maunder started a rather special performance behind the stumps by catching Lamb. Warwickshires best partnership of the innings was completed for the third wicket as captain Clements and Clifford added thirty-nine. The pair faced seventy-two deliveries and the hosts were 89-3 off thirty-overs. Parminda Singh had entered the attack in the twenty-second over and this off spinner who gave as good as he got all week in witty banter played a leading role. With eighty-nine on the board he caught and bowled Clements who had faced one hundred and eight balls in a one and three quarter hours at the crease. Six runs later he bowled Clifford and one short of three figures he had Phagura brilliantly stumped by Maunder. Haley got out his sweep as twenty were added for the sixth wicket. Singh took his fourth successive wicket with the second ball off his final over catching Hughes. His figures of 4-30 off ten were very impressive. Matt Sckeemer who had had a difficult trip now came into his own as he tied down the Warwickshire batters with a spell of six overs for twenty runs. He finished with ten overs nought for 31, another most important spell. Crouch had come back into the attack and in his third over removed the potentially dangerous Haley simply magnificently caught by Maunder diving away to his right. Warwickshire were now 124-7 off forty-two overs. Warwickshire last three wickets chanced their arm but Wyatt- Haines took his second wicket with a stumberling Holmes taking the catch. In the forty-seventh over Holmes bowled keeper Brosnan with the home side now on 150-9. The captain, had manipulated his depleapted bowling resourses exceptionally well was to bowl the final over with thirteen still needed. He started with a wide and the target was reduced to nine off three when Joy of Joy the under 16s completed their one and only run out of the summer with Higgs completing the throw. Most exceptional fielding sides create pressure in the field that result in run outs. Although the 2012 sixteens had some exceptional fielders they are out numbered by less gifted ones. However every single member of the side gave 100% in the field and kept up the pressure throughout the innings. This made a huge difference and was a major contibution to the final result as was the performance behind the stumps which was as good as it gets.

  Warwickshire were looking forward to revenge in their under 19s game against Devon the following Sunday at Kings Heath and indeed beat the Lions by ten wickets. The navigator took us home via Evesham in an uneventful journey with mixed standards of music but communal singing has returned. The bus driver was looking forward to returning to the Military Wives whose album has been covered by Adele, Cold Play and the real Bono.

   This had been a very beneficial trip; much had been learnt with one disappointingly preferring pre season rugby training to cricket. The nucleus for next summer is now in place and there will be real competition for places in 2013.