| We should have listened and taken notes. First our proposed route was closed, Bewdley was eventually found but it was the wrong post code. We got to know the Bewdley centre well as we separated. Sight screens were visible, Mailling did a recce but it was found to be a private road and more three point turning practice with adjacent brick walls. The coach arrived followed by the scorer, contact was made by phone and there was a welcoming party at the end of the drive we had missed twice. Bess asked for an off games note but the coach would not have any of it. The start was delayed by fifteen minutes to give us a chance to calm down. Worcestershire were giving opportunities to some of their fringe players and confidence was high we might win our first one day game for over two years. Bewdley was another attractive ground with a very caring membership. The lady responsible for the excellent food had a very close connection with Devon have lived there for a number of years. Worcestershire again won the toss and batted. At the first drinks break, with Bess resplendent in his fluorescent jacket that the umpire insisted the twelve player should wear there was justifiable confidence that Devon would be on the road early. Half of the home side were out with sixty-five scored. Their openers started confidently scoring at fives when Davies held his first catch of the day off Popham -27-1. The second wicket was taken by Heard with yet another slip catch, this time at first by Wyatt-Haines. Without doubt the slip catching by Wyatt-Haines and Dart had been exceptional all summer probably the best in twenty-two years. Kerton and Davies combined to remove Westbury 47-3, Dart took a skyer in the covers off Mailling 58-4 Wyatt-Haines held another splendid one off Kerton – 65-5. This was Darts tenth and final catch for the seventeens as he disconcertingly then went off far from being a hundred percent. The sixth wicket added sixty-two off ninety balls and Devon were back in a game. Worcestershire had scored 127 with twenty-overs left in their innings when the two off spinners combined White caught Stephens bowled Bess. With ten overs left Worcestershire were on 142 when Bess bowled Couzens. Ryan Rickard was introduced in the forty-five over and his slow left arm proved to be a secret weapon hidden all summer. He might have been useful in the two last wicket partnerships. Smith had been holding the innings together coming in at four he was the last wicket of the innings caught by the captain off Rickard for sixty. The ninth wicket pair took their side up from 168 to 199. Kerton took 2-29, Bess 2-28 and Rickard 1-5 off three. Devon needed 200 before they chased they were well fed.
Rickard was caught in the second over for one less than he had conceded. Davies and Mailling added fifty-one when Mailling was bowled having scored forty percent of his sides runs – 23. Davies and Wyatt-Haines got up to nine short of three figures when Davies was bowled for forty-five. He reached a magnificent hundred the next day. He hit three sixes and two fours batting for forty balls. Ollie Higgs joined the Bovey all rounder and the pair nearly took their side home. They put on seventy-seven off ninety-eight balls when Higgs was leg before to Darren for thirty-two. Penrice and Wyatt-Haines added the final thirty-two off fifty-four balls in twenty-eight minutes. Wyatt-Haines was unbeaten on forty-nine and Penrice had added eight. Our hosts had been generous contributing forty-one extras of which thirty-one were wides. Devon completed their task with eight overs and a ball to spare. Departure to the motorway was delayed due to some confusion with regard the nineteens game the next day. If only the phone had been left on. The mini-bus was returned to Roborough and there was still ample time to catch up with Gabby Logan on the Olympics at Woodbury. |
