If this proves to be the last Board game at Axminster for some time we could not have finished on a better note. The game was to be played on one of the best days of two thousand and twelve and on one of the best tracks of the year. With a number of the Devon squad playing in the Twenty20 at Cornwood two excellent sides put on their own brand of crash, bang and wallop in a run feast. Wiltshire won the toss and as they had in the earlier fixture they invited Devon to bat. At tea they may well have regretted the decision as Devon had scored 324 at a rate of nearly six and a half an over. This was the third highest one day score by the nineteens having only been bettered in 1988 – 327 and in 1989 – 330 but both had been off sixty overs. Zack Bess, who had unselfishly given up an opportunity of some T20 cricket, was out in the fifth over with Devon’s score on 25. The Exmouth pairing of Barney Huxtable and Rhys Davies then put on 216 off 233 balls. This was the highest second wicket partnership beating Ian Gamble and Alex Bailey’s 118 at Wellington College against Shropshire in 1998 and the second ever highest under nineteen partnership, thirty-five short of the Court/Anning partnership at Dean Park in 2000. By a large margin this was the highest one day under nineteen partnership. The shot selection was extraordinary as the pavilion roof was clattered and cleared. Davies reached his fifty off forty-six balls, his hundred off one hundred and fourteen. He reached his hundred with a straight six (see gallery below) hitting altogether twelve fours and six sixes. Considering this was watched by his family, who have not the best track record particularly at Kidderminster this was an amazing onslaught. We have enjoyed Davies cameos for some time but this was what he can and should achieve regularly a master class. He has showed us all what he can do – he must now do a Murray and perform to this level regularly. At the other end the captain was on his way to another hundred. He last county ton was against Worcestershire at Ombersley two years previously. Barney reached his fifty off sixty balls, no slow coach, and his hundred off one hundred and twenty-eight balls. He hit sixteen fours and two sixes and was unbeaten on 123 as the overs ran out. Davies had been bowled in the forty-first over with Devon on 241. Connor Bryan then helped add eighty-three off fifty-four balls in thirty-three minutes. His contribution was a typical twenty-nine off twenty-seven balls. Helped by forty-two wides and fifty-two extras in all Devon were very well placed at the interval. A typical Geoff Enticott tea was devoured and it had been good to catch up with Les Haynes and Phil Spong during the afternoon.

  For the first time in the summer it was ice cream time and Wiltshire batted. They went for it with real gusto and in fact did not stop until they were all out off the last ball of the final over. They had reached two hundred and ninety-six so the excellent Brian Prior track had produced six hundred and twenty-one runs. Unsurprisingly Wiltshire had always been slightly behind the clock despite sixty-four from the captain Davies, sixty-one from Renyolds and other useful contributions. Devon also contributed forty-nine extras including twenty-eight wides. Holmes bowled Clark in the fourth over, Davies and Reynolds put on one hundred and nineteen off one hundred and fifty-four balls. They were well placed at 140-1 when Squire ran out Davies. On the same score Jack Mynott was brilliantly caught at slip by Wyatt-Haines off Booker. Renyolds and Patrick added fifty-one when Dan Powell held Reynolds off Will Squire, under fifteen Dan Powell had put on another polished performance behind the stumps. Zack Bess took his first wicket with the first ball of his second over when he bowled Patrick. George Yates then bowled a key spell taking 3-47 off an illegal 10.2 overs. All three were bowled Haines, Goodwin and Mitchell on the second ball of his eleventh and the final over of the day. Greenway then took over for the last four balls. Zack Bess took 2-31 off six and it was reassuring to see him bowling again after all his back problems. Greenway took the final wicket bowling Richards – the sixth time the stumps had been struck. Devon had fielded well, marshalled exceptionally by their captain and despite the late departure time it was a most enjoyable day tinged with sadness at the thought we might not be playing at Cloackham Lawn again in the foreseeable future.

Scorecard  |  Gallery