Devon Cricket Board - Gloucestershire Two Day

Devon departed from Cornwood to travel up the M5, across the Severn Bridge and into Gloucestershire. Three satnavs seemed to disagree about the best route to the Littledean House Hotel. Its owners had changed from our previous visit in 2011 and it did not have the same ambience. Dominic Bess had not been required by Somerset twos and became available and thanks to Gloucestershire’s co-operation we were allowed to play thirteen. Devon was again playing at the high scoring Newent Ground. In his last appearance as captain Marcus Hoddinott won the toss and batted. As normal, the intention was to score a very large total (428 in 2011) and take some wickets before close. The best laid plans etc resulted in Devon being in the field by five to four with 279 runs to play with. The openers Matthew Skeemer and Marcus Hoddiniott put on forty-eight when the captain was caught in the thirteenth over. Dan Pyle joined the Cornwood all rounder and played his best innings of the summer. He batted for four minutes under the hour and faced forty-three balls but was back in the pavilion below lunch. He was not alone as Devon also lost the key wicket of Skeemer who was dismissed for fifty-four. At the interval Devon had scored 139-3 off thirty-three overs a situation that both sides could be satisfied. The initiative started to move towards the home side as early as the third ball after the interval when Reid Mawdsley was out. Bess joined Dan Wolf who was working hard to stabilise his sides innings. They put on twenty before Wolf was caught. He had demonstrated an excellent versatility in his batting. Henry Gater joined Bess and they put on fifty-four off fifty-seven balls. Gater was out going for yet another big leg side shot in the forty-ninth over with Devon now past two hundred on 214-6. Devon were scoring at a rate of nearly four and a half but losing wickets at critical times. Gater's partners approach to his demise was interesting as Bess smote three of the remaining four balls in the over for four! This immediately took off the pressure for the minimum partnership. Seb Ansley and Bess took Devon up to 248 off fifty-four overs when Ansley was bowled. The final three wickets put on thirty-one off forty-nine balls. Bess was last out for an exceptional 81. He had faced only eighty-three balls hitting thirteen fours. He reached his fifty off fifty-three balls.

Hugo Whitlock struck with his third ball having Bracey caught behind by Mawdsley. The keeper then held the other opener Lezar off Jack Thomas in Gloucestershire’s fourth over – 16-2. Devon kept taking important wickets and with the home side on thirty-three Bess caught Hawkings off Whitlock. In the twentieth of potentially thirty-nine overs before close Mawdsley snuffled his third catch this time off Skeemer. Jack Thomas ran out Pascel in the twenty-seventh over. Four overs later Bess trapped Rajh in front. Gloucestershire were 112-6 and Devon had still not finished. Wolf ran out Collins and Codd trapped Ireland as Gloucestershire finished the first day on 127-8 an exceptional performance from Devon. The evening meal was enjoyed even though there was a shortage of some deserts.

Despite taking a wicket in the fifth over of the morning when Reid Mawdsley held his fourth catch again off Whitlock. The Gloucestershire tenth wicket batted for a minute under the hour facing one hundred and twenty-five deliveries in putting on an annoying twenty-six runs. Matt Skeemer's catch gave Toby Codd a second wicket. Devon decided not to enforce the follow on and at 12.29pm Skeemer and Hoddinott were back at the crease. Hoddinott was out in the fifth over of the second innings but Devon reached lunch having increased their lead to one hundred and thirty-eight. It was then proposed to accelerate to enable an early post lunch declaration but the home side had other ideas. The declaration came eventually at thirteen minutes past three with the target a substantial 285 off at most forty overs. Skeemer had got within five runs of a second fifty and Pyle, Wolf, Mawdsley and Ansley had reached the twenties. With nine overs available before tea Gloucestershire started sedately scoring twenty-one for no loss. After tea they tried to increase the tempo but after a vain attempt accepted that they would not reach their target. They lost their first wicket four short of three figures when Codd bowled Bracey. Ansley caught the second opener Pascal off the captain two runs past the three figures and the two off spinners combined to remove Lezar, Bess the catcher, Cobb the bowler. The final Gloucestershire wicket to fall was identical to the second. After twenty-seven overs the home side were still 155 short with six wickets remaining.

Scorecard