The Under 17 2013 Season

ECB One Day National Semi-Finalists

The 2013 Squad

S.Wyatt-Haines (captain), C.Ashworth, S.Ansley, D.Bess, O.Dawe, B.Green, O.Higgs, B.Holmes, M.Harrison-Hooton, D.Lines, J.Maunder, M.Hoddinott, R.Mawdsley, D.Powell, B.Searle, P.Singh, M.Skeemer, T.Richardson, J.Thomas, H.Whitlock.

It was like old times with the sun more prevalent than the rain. The climate obviously helped but the 2013 season was another special one with a number of landmarks and memories that will last a very long time. It was interesting looking back to when this squad were Tens how many had lasted the process. Those attending the Taunton Festival and present at Maidstone amounted to ………..just two the Captain and Macaulay Harrison-Hooton. Although Henry Gater did play for the Sixteen’s. A year later at Elevens just the Captain which does prove to some of our critics that it is actually quite difficult to retain a place in a Devon youth side!

The season started on a splendid summer’s day with Seaton offering their traditional warm welcome. There was real expectancy in the air as Devon took on the South and West Under 15s. Devon had been invited to field a side against the Fifteens in a fifty over game as part of their preparation for the annual Bunbury Festival. Devon included four Under Seventeens, seven under Sixteens and the South and West allowed their squad member and subsequent captain, Ben Green, to play for his own county. What followed was a real surprise as Devon won the toss and inserted their opponents, fifteen overs later the representative squad had been bowled out for 32. Abbotskerswell’s Hugo Whitlock took 3-19 off his six overs, all bowled, Exeter’s Ben Green took 5-7 off his six; he hit the stumps three times, had a leg before and Jack Maunder took a brilliant tumbling catch. In his two overs Billy Searle took the remaining two wickets, with Dominic Bess taking a catch at short extra, and Searle wound up the innings with a leg before. The bowling had been outstanding with the uprooting of the stumps on six occasions being a real feature. The South and West’s captain, Thornton, top scored with sixteen and was their only batsman to reach double figures. Devon took 8.5 overs to reach their target, losing Richardson for a nineteen ball one and leaving Marcus Hoddinott unbeaten on fifteen with Matthew Skeemer contributing five. A wonderful Anderson brunch was enjoyed by all and a thirty-five over a side game started.

This time Sam Wyatt-Haines decided to bat but Devon had a disastrous start as they fell away to 13-3 off just twenty-three deliveries, which was food for thought with regard the Seventeens season proper. Richardson fell first, next over his partner Hoddinott brought in hot spot and two balls later Skeemer was back in the Pavilion. All three were caught in the cordon and could expect something similar or realistically of a higher standard in the Under 17 competitions. Fortunately Powell dug in, initially riding his luck but then he entered into a partnership of 167 with his captain, Sam Wyatt Haines. This was the ninth highest record Under 17 partnership but dropped down a place later in the summer. They took the score up to 180, with Wyatt-Haines fluency improving by the ball as he started smiting it all over the park. The captain’s fifty came up in forty-eight minutes off forty-one balls and he increased his record for hundreds at Sixteens and Seventeens, this one off sixty-six balls in thirteen minutes over the hour. He hit twelve fours and seven sixes and had started the season’s race for fantasy points, which he was eventually to win with ease. Equally importantly Dan Powell helped to build up the momentum in a summer when he was to become one of the side’s key players. He watched his captain caught in one of his favourite areas for a seventy-four ball 115. The former West of England captain had obliterated memories of his time in the South and West Under 15s. Powell and Maunder, who was not to appear for the Seventeens again, did not put on the obligatory minimum of ten, failing by eight as Powell’s fine knock ended with a tame caught and bowled. He had hit two fours and sixes. It was a great disappointment that his annual trip to the States resulted in him missing three games, otherwise it is likely he would have pushed Wyatt-Haines in the fantasy ratings. Maunder and Billy Searle then finished off the innings in a partnership of 54 off forty-six balls. Jack Maunder holed out at a strike rate of 94.44. It was unlikely that Ben Green suffered any sleepless nights but he was run out off the last ball of the innings without facing. His Exeter team mate, Searle, was unbeaten on 34 off twenty-four. A rate of 6.77 would be the Fifteens’ target.

Whitlock and Dawe opened up and on twenty-three Maunder caught Stevenson off Whitlock for one. With the score on thirty-nine, the South and West then retired their captain, Thornton, on twenty-five and this sparked a major collapse as seven wickets fell for nineteen runs. Ben Green was experiencing one of those very, very special days as, with the help of some fine catches from Maunder, Singh, Wyatt-Haines and Powell, he took six wickets. Billy Searle took the seventh. The last wicket pairing made the score more respectable with a partnership of forty-seven before the Singh/Skeemer partnership took the final wicket. Green finished with the figures of 6-11 the second best bowling return at Under 17s. His day had produced the remarkable figures of 11-18!! His place in the Bunbury squad was already secure but it is doubtful that anyone had reinforced their credentials in a more emphatic manner. On the down side it was obvious that a number of the Devon players had not yet enjoyed long periods at the crease and undertaken lengthy bowling spells. The coach’s message was simply - get some cricket in. Seaton had been their exceptional selves although a nasty injury resulted in one of their stalwarts being taken off to hospital. It has always been a pleasure playing at the Court Lane ground and the hours of labour and love put in by their curator, Peter Anderson and his team, is always very much appreciated.

The season started properly at a sunny Brixham Cricket Club, who again extended a very warm welcome. The previous evening there had been an eleventh hour loss of a player, which had a knock on effect of reducing the side to a basic eleven as our Exeter based off-spinner could not now get a lift. This actually resulted in a vital and very successful change for the summer as Paignton's Connor Ashworth responded at 7.30pm on the Sunday evening with a very willing to play response and his performance then earned him a berth for the summer. Sam Wyatt-Haines won the toss and Declan Lines, who had confirmed his right to a place in the side with his excellent performance in the two day game with Uplands, opened with Matt Skeemer, who had won a regular first team place at premier club Cornwood. This was to be a busy week for some members of the squad, since apart from the three days’ play against Worcestershire the Sixteens were playing Somerset over two days on the following Thursday and Friday. This resulted in some mix and matching and Skeemer playing just the one day for the Seventeens. The first over was a maiden but then the pair put on seventy-one off one hundred balls in fifty-nine minutes, which was to be the highest partnership of the innings. Indeed it was also the best opening partnership of the Seventeens’ summer. Lines fell in the fifteenth over making way for Ollie Higgs. He and Skeemer had advanced the score to 120 off twenty-nine overs when Higgs fell one short of Lines twenty-five. Skeemer had reached his fifty on the first ball of the over, it had taken seventy-eight balls. This had been an impressive debut by the Oak Park player. He only lasted a further six balls as Ahmed took his second catch of the innings. Captain Wyatt-Haines was then joined by Billy Searle, who we were hoping would play a full season but unfortunately he departed for Cornwall after the Hampshire trip. Devon was three down for 126 with one hundred and eight balls left; some consolidation and then acceleration was needed. The two Seventeens put on 69 off sixty-eight balls and the home side was just  five short of two hundred when the captain was out. He had batted for forty-four minutes, hitting four fours and a six and falling three short of his fifty off the last ball of the forty-second over. The previous ball the Ansley’s dog had demonstrated its exceptional ball finding skills, providing one of the off the field highlights of the day. Devon had another forty-eight balls to post a decent score. After seven of them, off which Searle had scored five and Powell two, the wicket-keeper was out. He left the following day for the States but when he returned he came fully of age as a county player. The ball finding dog’s master added 24 off twenty-three to be the third Devon batsman bowled. Devon was on 226-6. Searle fell on 232 for an important 35 and Bess and Thomas took Devon to a respectable 245.

Brixham provided an excellent brunch and Worcestershire needed just under five an over. They were a Darren less side in 2013 with the leg spinner now playing regularly for their twos. Billy Searle struck with his third ball, trapping Martin leg before – 4-1. Hugo Whitlock joined in with his ninth ball when he bowled the second opener Harris – 14-2. The third wicket put on the visitors’ highest partnership of the innings, contributing sixty-five. Jack Thomas took over from Searle and in his fifth over bowled Milton. With the penultimate bowl of his spell he took his second wicket in a similar fashion, removing the new batsman, Wynn. After twenty-two overs Worcestershire was in some difficulty on 91-4 and at the halfway stage they needed 146 runs off one hundred and fifty balls with six wickets in hand. They lost their fifth wicket in the thirty-first over when Skeemer ran out Jaswel. On the same score, 113, the Sidmouth pair of Powell and Bess combined to take the important wicket of Westbury, who had just reached his fifty. Off spinner, Connor Ashworth, entered the attack in the thirty-eighth over. His second over was a maiden and with his fourteenth ball in county cricket he started Wyatt-Haines on his objective of beating the side’s catching record. Seb Ansley had taken over from Skeemer, who had also impressed with his bowling going at just 2.14 an over, and he took the eighth wicket, with Ashworth adding a first catch to his day’s personal return. Ashworth then took the final two wickets in a very impressive debut performance with the ball. Higgs and Whitlock took the catches and the Paignton off spinner finished with figures of 3-14 off thirty-seven balls. One of the better calls of the summer but he was due to go away on a family holiday when we travelled to Hampshire. The eleven men had performed well in a format that had not been our strongest suit in the past but had set us up well for the summer. The weather had been kind, indeed setting up the pattern of the summer, and Brixham remained excellent hosts and hopefully enjoyed the day more than in 2012 when their excellent ground team had the stress of seriously inclement weather.

The July record heat wave continued and Devon congregated at Exmouth with a full contingent, having collected two of our players from Exmouth Station. Worcestershire, who went on to win the division, won the toss and batted. At lunch they were 113-0 off thirty-three overs with Wynn and Harris looking very comfortable. They had contributed just six runs the previous day at Brixham but were now making hay in the sunshine. Wyatt-Haines rang the changes and used eight bowlers in the first session. A splendid T-hut lunch was enjoyed and Devon went out again in the heat. Off the first ball of the eleventh over after the break Dominic Bess struck when he enticed Wynn to give Lines a catch. The batter had just reached his fifty. It got better as next ball Ollie Dawe ran out the keeper Milton, going for a second run. Worcestershire was now 141-2 and incredibly it became 143-3 as the top scorer from the one dayer, Westbury, was caught by the captain off Bess. Meanwhile the Worcestershire captain, Harris, was in prime form being undefeated on 81. At afternoon drinks Worcestershire was 162-3 with Martin helping to restore the initiative for the visitors. Twenty runs later he was out when keeper Mawdsley took a good catch off Hoddinott. Harris was then one short of his hundred. This quickly followed and the second best partnership of the innings started to grow. By tea Worcester was thirteen runs past their second batting point with Harris on 116. However Devon had had an excellent session and pegged their opponents back, taking four wickets in conceding a hundred runs. In the sixth over after the break Marcus Hoddinott took the vital wicket when he bowled Harris for 139. He had faced two hundred and twenty-five balls and had hit twenty-one fours. Worcester had now banked three bonus points to Devon’s two but both sides were to pick up their full quota. The sixth wicket put on twenty-eight but the last four pairings only twenty-five as Devon took five wickets in nineteen overs. Hoddinott took a third with Reid Mawdsley taking another catch. Hugo Whitlock had Jaswel caught by Searle, who took two wickets himself, having Patel caught by Dawe and bowling Hodgetts. Whitlock had earlier bowled Downes. Worcestershire was all out for 308 off 98.3 overs an excellent recovery by Devon. The home side had a difficult five overs to navigate before close of play. They scored at two an over and the only casualty, which was major, was the breaking of Declan Lines nose. It was an excellent short delivery which got through the batsman grill but was certainly tainted by the fielding side’s response to the damage caused and blood on the wicket. Lines went off to A & E with Matt Cooke and was not expected to be seen again the following day. Jack Thomas entered as night watchman.

Remarkably next day Lines was present and correct with only a cut to show. There was no bruising to remind people of the horrendous knock that resulted in Mike Gatting’s nose being re-arranged by a  Malcolm Marshall bouncer in a one day International at Jamaica in February 1986. The night watch man lasted twelve deliveries as Thomas and Hoddinott took Devon to twelve. Marcus fell on the same score and Devon was really up against it. In the thirteenth over Higgs was bowled with Devon now on 15. The captain was now trying to steady his ship with Billy Searle but only another fourteen runs were added and Devon was in deep trouble at 44-4 off just eighteen overs. Reid Mawdsley, who was at this time playing virtually seven days a week, helped Wyatt-Haines put on the best partnership of the innings – thirty-nine off thirty-one balls in nineteen minutes. However Devon had not reached lunch when Mawdsley departed. He had decided that attack was the best form of defence, as his strike rate of one hundred and eight confirmed. The brave Lines re-appeared and lasted ten overs putting on another thirty runs with the captain until, just four minutes before the interval, he was caught. At lunch Devon was virtually down and out on 114-6, one hundred and ninety-four behind, with Wyatt Haines one run past his fifty. It had been hard going and Devon was all out forty minutes after lunch. Ansley, Bess, Singh and Dawe helped Wyatt-Haines get Devon to 151 and a bonus point. The captain was unbeaten on sixty-eight. He had faced ninety-five balls and batted for 138 minutes, hitting thirteen fours. Considering the circumstances his strike rate of 71.58 had been outstanding.

Devon had been bowled out in forty-four overs, one hundred and fifty-seven runs behind and with a minimum of sixty-three overs left in the day. Our visitors had to make a decision of whether to enforce the follow on. Somewhat surprisingly the answer was no. Worcestershire decided to bat again and this provided Devon with an opportunity of making up some of the lost ground the earlier batting had created. Second innings bonus points always play a vital role in the final end of season placing. At this stage Worcestershire had eighteen points to Devon’s five. The final innings of the game increased the returns to twenty and nine respectively. Searle struck with his fourth ball and Harris was dismissed for 135 less that the previous day. Over the next thirteen overs Wynn and Milton put on sixty-two but then Hugo Whitlock struck for the first time, bowling Wynn. Three balls later in the same over Mawdsley took another catch. Reid Mawdsley had been thrown in at the deep end in 2013 with Maunder out, as it transpired for the summer, Dan Powell away on holiday in the States and Harry Choule retiring. What had been a plethora of talented keeper/ batsmen had all fallen by the wayside. Worcestershire was now 66-3. Eleven balls later Whitlock took his fourth wicket by bowling Milton. In the final over before tea, the seventeenth, Whitlock trapped Martin in front – 80-5. At this stage Whitlock had the  impressive figures of  6-2-12-4. The captain had again been proactive employing five bowlers. In the final session of the game there were forty-six overs available. Devon needed just twenty-seven, as by twenty-four minutes past five Worcestershire had been bowled out for 153. Bess took the first post tea wicket with the help of a catch from Ollie Dawe. Parminda Singh took his one wicket of the summer, bowling Smith, and Whitlock was successful with two leg before appeals. Searle ended the innings as he had started bowling Hodgetts. Whitlock’s figures of 12-3-21-6 were the third best at Seventeens. The weather over the two days had remained outstanding as were our hosts – Exmouth Cricket Club and the side had bowled a side out twice but batted poorly.

After a week’s break it was now a just matter of scoring sufficient runs against Hampshire. Stonehenge and Devon Cricket have history and once again it sought its revenge for something in the distant past, as again the mini-bus ground to a halt. Sunday is never a good day to travel nor indeed is a Bank Holiday Friday, as this was not to be the only major traffic jam of the summer. The delay was extended after a car decided to depart from the main thoroughfare into some trees. The scorer had sorted out a short cut but there was a breakdown in communication and the turning missed. She had to then rejoin us at the next roundabout. The Hotel offered good accommodation and we ate in but the service was as slow as the traffic hold up. Some difficult selection decisions had been made, as last year’s bowler of the year had not been performing and had been replaced by Connor Ashworth, who had forfeited his family holiday in Cornwall – a wise decision. Ben Green came back from a very successful Bunbury in Durham, having made SKY Sports news and been named all rounder of the festival. Macauley Harrison-Hooton was recalled to keep wicket. The one day game was played at St Cross Symondians, a new venue for the Seventeens but delightfully situated on the outskirts of Winchester. An over head barrier was a first but was luckily successfully navigated and Woody met up with an old friend - Jimmy Adams’ father. He and Jimmy had toured the West Indies with the West and played at Bunbury together. The previous day the club had hosted a successful benefit game for Hampshire. The forecast for the week was not good and it rained during the warm ups but no time was lost. Hampshire won the toss and fielded. Hoddinott was leg before off the twenty-fifth ball with six runs on the board. Harrison-Hooton was enjoying his recall and demonstrating a very positive intent. A rain break of eight minutes had broken the batsmen’s concentration and on the penultimate ball of the eleventh over Higgs was bowled. The pair had put on 31, with Harrison-Hooton contributing twenty-four. He was taking the bowlers on, giving them the charge and generally testing hearts. More importantly, on this occasion he was successful. With the captain ninety-eight were added for the third wicket. The hundred came up in the twenty-first over and Harrison-Hooton passed his fifty in the twenty-eighth. Next over he charged again but missed and was stumped for an eighty-six ball fifty-three. This was an important contribution. Green replaced the left-hander and also played with real confidence and looked in prime form. The one-fifty and the captain’s personal fifty were reached in the thirty-third over. Wyatt-Haines was the third successive batsman to be out on the fifth ball of an over as he was caught for his side’s top score of fifty-five. Devon was now on 167 with ninety-one balls remaining. The home side had been exceptionally generous with extras and this provided the third highest contribution of the innings – forty-nine including thirty-eight wides. As in the last game with Worcestershire, Devon’s lower middle order subsided going from 167-4 to 197-9 with twenty-four balls still remaining. Reid Mawdsley was his normal positive self and he was joined by Connor Ashworth, who had demonstrated the previous week with the Nineteens that he could hold a bat. The pair performed brilliantly, indeed providing an undefeated partnership of twenty which, as it transpired, actually won the game for Devon. However the final score of 217-9 was likely to be a difficult score to defend.

At lunch the coach found a local vet, Silas was despatched for a consultation and Total Cricket Scorer once again proved its worth. Initially it was disappointing to follow, despite Ben Green taking a wicket with his fifteenth legal ball when Ashworth took the first catch of the innings. In the innings Devon were to take nine catches and a run out, clearly indicating how well they fielded. Webb and Soames then put on eighty-eight in nine minutes over the hour, the highest partnership of the innings. At 97-1 Hampshire was well placed with one hundred and forty-eight balls to score one hundred and twenty runs. The captain then held his first catch to remove Webb off Ashworth. Soames had been dominating the innings and was five short of his fifty. The third wicket scored twenty-one off twenty-three balls in ten minutes. Ashworth then struck again with Ollie Dawe taking the catch. At this stage the Paignton off spinner had figures of 2-28 off six overs. Ashworth continued his good work with his ever reliable captain taking his second catch. Hampshire was now 124-4 with one hundred and thirteen balls left, as Devon started to turn the screw. Ashworth completed his spell with the figures of 10-2-45-3. He and Bess had both made a telling contribution. Marcus Hoddinott replaced Ashworth and was to bowl through. Green, with a second catch for Dawe, made it 168-5 in the forty-first over – forty-nine needed off fifty-four. Soames was still there on eighty. The seventh wicket fell in the forty-third over, a third for Green and Wyatt-Haines. Devon was now on top and the situation improved when Ashworth held an excellent and vital catch to remove Soames and to give Hoddinott his first wicket. Next over Devon appeared home and dry when the Green/Wyatt Haines combination took the eighth wicket of the innings. Hampshire was now 183-8 needing thirty-five off thirty-two with only two wickets in hand. Life is never that easy as Caldere and Crane then proceeded to put on thirty off thirty-one balls. It was now very tense. Marcus Hoddinott was entrusted with the final over and bowled magnificently. Off the first ball he got the dangerous Caldere off strike, second ball the captain held Crane, his fourth catch of the innings – some more winter research needed here - the batsman did not cross so number eleven Marston was on strike. Dot ball, scampered bye, heart in mouth time, three needed two balls. Marcus bowled another dot. The field was reset, three needed off the last ball, good contact was made along the ground towards the sweeping Billy Searle with ground to cover, they ran two but Searle’s bullet throw was cleanly taken by keeper Harrison-Hooton. Devon the winners by one run. It had been a magnificent win; two wins out of two was very much a new experience for the Devon Under 17 one day side. The expected poor weather was building; it started to rain on the journey back to the hotel and after a swim Devon reverted to the trusted Harvester chain with apparently no chance of playing the following day.

Invariable the forecasters now get it right more often than not, which has taken much of the expectancy out of cricket and we woke to wintry conditions. We travelled to Basingstoke the scene of Devon’s highest ever youth partnership against many of the current Hampshire first team, six of their 2006 side went on to play first class cricket. We returned for swims, the gym and coffee anticipating a call off at lunch time. We took lunch at the ground, the game was abandoned for the day and we then travelled to a leisure park with cinema. A show of hands selected the World’s End as the film. Sitting through it, certainly felt as if it was nigh! We had a two Ronnie’s moment as a request for fourteen tickets resulted in four tickets for teens. The queue was rejoined. It was slightly dryer when we returned to the Basingstoke Country Hotel. The third day of our trip to Hampshire offered some hope of play and, despite wet conditions, play did start on time after Sam Wyatt-Haines called correctly on one of the more important tosses of the summer. The Devon seam attack and some outstanding catching behind the wicket then proceeded to demolish Hampshire to 67-9 at lunch. Bobby Parks, son of Jim, described Devon’s bowling as one of the best spells he had witnessed at this level. Indeed Green, Whitlock, Dawe and Searle were exceptional. The catching, although not perfect, was still very impressive, with keeper Harrison-Hooton leading the way with four catches from routine to spectacular. Add in two good ones from Searle and Green, this was undoubtedly one of Devon’s most impressive performances in the field. Lunch was thoroughly enjoyed, although the side fully appreciated that the bowler friendly conditions prevalent at the start of play had not changed much in the two hours play. Soames, who had batted well on Monday, was the one Hampshire batsman to get into double figures. After lunch the final pairing of Taylor and Murray put on another vital twenty-two runs off forty-seven balls before Dawe took his second wicket, trapping Taylor for a top score of 21. It was now over to the batsmen.

Ninety-four minutes later Devon had won by six wickets. The openers Hoddinott and Harrison-Hooton obeyed orders, batting very sensibly for fifteen overs in still very difficult batting conditions. Marcus Hoddinott was leg before for a fifty-one ball eleven – a really important contribution. The openers had put on thirty-seven per cent of the target playing a vital part in their side reaching their objective. It then slightly fell apart as twenty-one balls later Harrison-Hooton was bowled by Crane. Twelve were added by the captain and Lines before the latter was caught at short leg. Hampshire was exerting real pressure and Devon was now 50-3 within two balls it was 50-4 as Higgs was Taylor’s second wicket, falling in a similar manner to Lines. It was of benefit to those with an anxious disposition who were watching that Wyatt-Haines was batting with an air of total confidence and little concern. He was joined by Ben Green and it was soon apparent that those who were worrying could stop doing so as the pair batted beautifully, putting on thirty-five in twenty minutes off forty-four balls. Wyatt-Haines, who had batted with total distain, was unbeaten on 34 off twenty-eight balls, hitting four fours and a six at a strike rate of 121.43. The side enjoyed an early and reasonable return trip to Devon with another important fourteen points in the locker.

The one day game with Somerset was also a rare victim of the otherwise splendid summer of 2013, as heavy overnight rain was supplemented by more rain on the morning. An early decision was made to call off the game at Heathcoat. This was the second time in a year that we had lost a one day game at this splendid venue. Matt Skeemer and Dan Powell were now back from holiday and Ben Holmes made his first appearance of the summer, as three changes were made to the side that beat Hampshire. Next day the captain’s popularity dipped as he lost the toss and his side contemplated the real prospect on a long hot day in the field at Exmouth. This is exactly what took place. Importantly Devon bowled at an excellent over rate throughout another tiring day and they took Somerset to within seven overs of their full entitlement. This was an excellent achievement. It was a day when the fielding side had to grasp every opportunity and disappointingly, after the high quality exhibited the previous week, Devon had a sub-standard day in the field. They missed a run out opportunity in the fifteenth over and six chances of various difficulties were not taken during the remainder of the day. Devon old boy Will Sobczak was the first victim of the day, when in the twelfth over Ollie Dawe bowled him with Somerset on 23. The Devon bowlers were again bowling well with fourteen of the thirty-six overs delivered before the interval being maidens. In the thirtieth over of the first session Devon took their second wicket as Connor Ashworth, with his fourth ball, bowled Underwood. Matthews and Rouse then took Somerset up to 70-2 at lunch – generally at this stage very satisfactory from Devon’s point of view.

By tea Somerset had advanced to 241-3, scoring one hundred and seventy-one runs in forty-one overs and Devon bowling at 20.5 an hour. The home side took one wicket in the session when, in sixty-eighth over, Hoddinott bowled opener Matthews for 112 off two hundred and three balls. The third wicket pair had been batting with great confidence, striking the ball well and had put on one hundred and fifty-seven off two hundred and twenty-five balls. This was the session when Devon’s catching was not up to its normal high standard as four chances went begging. At this stage Somerset was scoring at just over three an over. The Somerset captain Rouse enjoyed another excellent Exmouth tea ten short of his hundred. With the first ball of the second post tea over Ben Green held Stratton to give Ashworth his second wicket – 243-4. This brought keeper Godmon to the crease, those present at Taunton Vale last summer would have vivid memories of his undefeated one hundred and seventy-three. Somerset picked up their final batting point in the ninety-fifth over with their captain on one hundred and twenty-nine and Godmon on nineteen. Declarations are always difficult decisions but it was anticipated that with potentially one hundred and twenty-six balls left in the day that Devon would be batting before close. However they were not invited to do so as Somerset decided to take the safe route and scored another eighty-five runs for the loss of two more wickets. Hoddinott took out his second centurion of the day with another catch from Wyatt-Haines, who was now on target to beat the side’s catching record. Rouse had batted for under three hours for his fluent one hundred and thirty-seven. The fifth wicket had added eighty-seven. Godmon reached his fifty in the one hundred and sixth over but then fell to Hoddinott in the one hundred and eighth, with Bess taking the catch. Devon missed another couple of chances during this session as unsurprisingly they began to tire. The visitors three hundred and fifty had been reached in the one hundred and third over and there was still no sign of a declaration. Somerset were 388-6 at close

Next day Somerset took the opportunity to utilise the heavy roller and batted on for another twenty-four balls to add nineteen runs. Devon would need to score at four and break all sorts of records including recording their second highest total. Devon now had to bat the one hundred and two overs and skilfully, this was accomplished reaching a very respectable 340-6 and sharing the points equally with their opponents. Devon sent out their third new opening partnership in as many games, as Matt Skeemer and Macauley Harrison-Hooton started to make some inroads into the very daunting target. They put on fifty off one hundred and one balls with both contributing twenty-one runs. Half an hour before lunch and in the next over Harrison-Hooton was out. Marcus Hoddinott scored five runs off his first two balls as the two Under Sixteens took Devon up to lunch at 89-1. The home side was moving in the right direction. Unfortunately with just one run added and ten balls into the penultimate session, Hoddinott was on his way back for nineteen. Skeemer had now reached thirty-six and the pair had contributed forty more important runs. The third wicket put on fifty-four with Skeemer passing his own fifty in the forty-second over. Four overs later the fifty partnership was reached with Devon still needing two hundred and sixty-eight runs. Matthew Skeemer's vital contribution came to an end after batting for one hundred and forty-eight minutes and facing the same number of balls, he was caught by Rouse for sixty-nine having hit nine fours. Dan Powell joined Wyatt-Haines and the two were to bat for just under two hours, scoring one hundred and thirty-six runs off two hundred and thirteen balls. The pair made batting looking simple and achieved the first, second and third and batting points, enjoying tea together with two hundred and thirteen on the board off sixty-nine overs. At tea Exmouth’s magnificent Groundsman, Dave Fouracre, who retired at the end of the summer received a presentation by Ted Ashman on behalf of a very appreciative Youth Association. Powell, who was a total revelation in 2013, was caught in the eighty-second over with Devon twenty short of their final batting point. It had been a tremendous performance by the pair in scoring the third highest fourth wicket partnership at Seventeens. Now at a quarter to five with twenty overs still to be bowled it was critical that Devon continued the fight. Three balls later the heart started to advance towards the mouth when Ben Green was caught. Declan Lines and the captain then gathered the final batting point. In the same over, the ninetieth, Sam Wyatt-Haines reached a richly deserved hundred. He had faced one hundred and fifty-five balls hitting thirteen fours and a six. Lines was out in an identical manner to Green with Devon on 302. Devon was now into the final hour with a minimum of twelve overs to be bowled and the new ball available and subsequently taken. At drinks the captain had appeared to have agreed a sponsorship deal with a cardiologist consultant as he brought out all his various reverse sweeps. At the other end Dominic Bess, back after a very successful spell with Somerset twos, was proving that he is now most certainly a fully fledged all rounder. The pair put on an unbeaten thirty-eight off seventy-one balls. This excellent team batting performance reinforced the depth of the great character in the side. From the captain’s personal point of view he must have derived great satisfaction in the way that he performed against our nearest first class county. He ended on one hundred and sixteen, having held his side together for three and three quarter hours while facing one hundred and ninety-five balls and adding one more four after he reached three figures. This was his third and final century at Seventeens. In all he has completed six hundreds at Sixteens and Seventeens. This is a record that will take some time to be broken. Later in the year he gave up his attachment with Nottinghamshire to join the Somerset Academy.

As part of the Cricket Board of Wales’ missionary work for the first time Devon undertook the arduous journey to the county town of Carmarthenshire. We lost the scorer at the services and TOMTOM took on the responsibility of getting the mini-bus to the Ivy Bush Hotel. This it achieved with a little intervention from the scorer and the captain as a spacious hotel car park was found (one concern resolved). The coach undertook an even more difficult cross county route but everyone was in place on the eve of what was to prove to be three very eventful days cricket in Wales. It had been a difficult two days at Exmouth the previous year with our Welsh colleagues and the forecast was for intermittent play with plenty of potential for rain. There was therefore already some apprehension and moisture in the air when we reached the county town. We ate in on all three nights to the satisfaction of all (well apart from a Chudleigh bowler) so apart from travelling to Llandysul we did not take in much of the attractive Welsh scenery. Our excellent breakfast waiter hailed from the village where we were playing and we learnt that Llandysul lay in the valley of the River Teifi and is visited for its fishing and canoeing. He was however not too complimentary about its cricket and facilities. We travelled in misty rain with the coach now delegated the critical role of navigator and, after a few sharp rights and lefts, the recreational ground was found. Covers were in place and an exceptionally hard working groundsman was working manfully fighting the elements. We were first to arrive and struggled to find our dressing room but in moist conditions the warm up started. There were varing views on the toss which was then lost and Wales batted. Twenty-five minutes in and off the first ball of the eighth over Powell caught Wood off Whitlock with Wales on nineteen. After forty minutes it rained and twenty-six minutes were lost. Wales second wicket pairing scored twenty-nine runs off twenty four balls taking the home side to within two of their fifty. They then lost their second wicket with another Wyatt-Haines catch off Dawe as Lawlor was out. Twenty-one balls later Wales were three down as the Powell/Dawe combination removed Roberts. Lunch was taken with Wales on 82-3 off twenty-five overs with Jones unbeaten on twenty-nine. In view of the problems last year when Wales lost a bowling point we were already very conscious of our over rate, which is normally more than sufficent. However it was disconcerting that an umpire was apparently in the players ears about our rate! Devon should have been the happier of the two sides at the interval but by tea the game was more evenly balanced. In the thirty-five overs Wales scored another one hundred and thirty-eight runs for the loss of two wickets. With one hundred and eight on the Welsh language scoreboard (another first) Matt Skeemer took a wicket thanks to a decent catch by Holmes at cover. Four short of the first batting point the Powell/Dawe combination struck again to remove opener Jones for a top score of seventy-four. Wales were 220-5 at tea. After the interval it took Devon forty-one balls to make the next inroad when, with the last ball of his eleventh over, Bess struck as Powell took a very smart legside catch to send James back to the pavilion. The sixth wicket pairing had started to take the pressure off the home side as ninety-five had been added off one hundred and seventy-four balls in ninety-three minutes. The over rate conversations hopefully had now stopped! Devon then started to put the pressure back on. Another Sidmouth combination took the seventh wicket as Declan Lines caught Francis off Bess for fifty-two. Devon now turned the screw and reduced Wales to 273-9. Paignton got involved in the seventy-third over with Higgs taking a catch off Connor Ashworth to take the eighth wicket on 262. It took Devon two balls to take the ninth with Hugo Whitock catching Wilcox off Ashworth to give him a second wicket. Devon possible believed they had done the hard work but again suffered last wicket-itis. It started fairly slowly as Brown and captain Binding battened down the hatches, putting on twenty four off fifty-four balls. Once the final batting point was secured Wales just set about setting a declaration total, putting on another fifty-six runs off forty-three balls including nine fours and two sixes. The last wicket pair had put on an unbeaten eighty when the declaration came in the ninetieth over. The new ball had been taken in the eighty-second over and it looked an excellent decalaration as it provided hope to both sides. Devon had a nervous thirteen overs to face before close. Poor Macaulay Harrison-Hooton could not get bat on ball on the two deliveries he faced, utilising his pads and received perhaps the longest dismissal signal witnessed in youth cricket to send him back for a complete rest the next day. Close of play seemed to be extended as at least one extra over was bowled after the hands of the clock were past the desiginated time. One very loud shout in this over certainly increased someone’s blood pressure! The new navigator did not pass his second test of the day, as the three vehicles arrived at the Ivy from different directions. This had been very much a mixed day for Devon when one considers at twenty to five the visitors seemed incredibly well placed and yet were now chasing the game. The other disconcerting event of the afternoon was Charlie’s change of allegiance. It came totally out of the blue as he decided to spend the afternoon with the Welsh. His pedigree was subsequently checked for any Welsh blood.

On the second day rain was still a real worry as Devon recommenced their innings an hour late with one umpire continuing to make an impression, arranging an early lunch and some mammoth sessions. Matt Skeemer and Declan Lines had put on thirteen overnight but the pairing did not stay together much longer. In the fifth over of the morning Skeemer was the second leg before for a fifty-two ball eighteen but without a lingering send off. Devon needed some additional post lunch nourishment and the local SPAR was cleared out of sandwiches and Jaffa cakes. Devon was now three hundred and thirty-five behind with eight wickets in hand. Devon’s position deteriorated even further six overs later as the captain actually failed. He scored just five, only bettered in his debut season in 2011 when he scored two in his first game against Hampshire and subsequently against Worcestershire. In the twenty-fourth over Devon was precariously placed at 37-3. Declan Lines was playing a key roll but his concentration suffered a drinks break followed by six balls, an hour off for rain, five more balls and then a further twelve minutes in the pavilion. Unsurprisingly he was out in the thirty-third over leaving Devon in it up to their necks. How would Devon respond? The answer was simply magnificently. What followed was one of those very special record breaking moments in Devon youth cricket. Dan Powell and Ben Green put on the second highest youth partnership in Devon’s history. They took the score from 48-4 to 315 securing full batting points and placing their side within thirty-eight runs of what would prove to be a record breaking chase. The pair reached their fifty partnership in the forty-sixth over, ten overs later they had put on three figures. The pairing’s hundred and fifty came up in the sixty-fifth over. Both were now well past their fifties and tea was taken fifty-seven overs after the session had started with Devon on 216-4 Powell on seventy-two and Green on eighty-two. The Lions still had a mountain to climb in the final session requiring another one hundred and thirty-seven runs off potentially (no set end time had been agreed by the officials) thirty-two overs. The two hundred partnership was reached in the eighth post tea over with Powell twelve short of his maiden hundred and Green just one. Ben Green’s ton came up off the first ball of the seventy-ninth over. He had faced one hundred and fifty-four balls and batted with Powell for two hours twenty-four minutes. Meanwhile, as this magnificent partnership was progressing, superstition restricted movement in the pavilion. Despite the incredibly comfortable manner in which the batsmen were undertaking their task, nerves were very close to the surface for those yet to bat and those watching. Ollie Higgs was given an opportunity to take his pads off for a break and declined. Matt Wood’s iPad came into its own, as nerves were relaxed by looking as some old photographs on Facebook and Googling the internet for more. This led to some discussion on the sport of fives, the East Devon Under 11s and a lot more. Indeed the Devon archives were visited to look at the side’s coach in his youth. This certainly helped the tension in the pavilion but out on the field the two batters were completely in command. The new ball was taken in the eighty-first over. Dan Powell reached his own personal milestone in the eighty-fifth over. He had faced one hundred and fifty-eight balls and had been at the crease for three hours twenty-two minutes, hitting forty in fours. The two fifty partnership was reached two overs later – Green had contributed one hundred and thirty, Powell one hundred and five and they had faced three hundred and twenty-two deliveries and batted for one hundred and seventy-three minutes. The final batting point came up in the eighty-seventh over. Three overs later Green’s magnificent contribution came to an end. He had scored 139, which equalled Barney Huxtable's ninth best score at Seventeens. He had faced one hundred and ninety-nine balls, batting for nine minutes over three hours and hitting sixteen fours and two sixes. The partnership of two hundred and sixty-seven had come off three hundred and forty-nine deliveries. Nine balls later Ollie Higgs was sadly run out, this might have been the opportunity to change his recent indifferent run with the bat. Devon now had another Sidmouth pairing at the crease as Wales sensed they might still have a chance as the heat in the field was turned up. The Devon Under 16 captain, Dominic Bess, received the main brunt of the abuse and he dealt with it well but it was necessary for an umpire to intervene. Powell’s master class finally ended in the ninety-sixth over with Devon nineteen short. His vigil had taken up eleven minutes over four hours; he had faced one hundred and eighty-nine balls and scored twelve fours in his final total of one two three. Ollie Dawe was next man in and, in typical Dawe mode, was confident. Connor Ashworth and Hugo Whitlock, the two remaining batsman, probably hoped that it would be actions rather than words. Indeed it was, he and Bess scored the remaining runs with five fours and a two! Ultimately it was amazingly easy and this had been the greatest run chase in Devon youth history in very difficult conditions. The side had faced six hundred and eight deliveries, batted for eight minutes under six hours, hitting thirty-eight fours and two sixes. A true team performance - simply magnificent! The concerns in the morning of a somewhat laisser-faire approach by the umpires was now in the distant past as it had set the visitors up for a momentous win. One that will certainly remain in the memory for some time to come, if not for ever.  A discussion followed between the two coaches and fortunately sense was seen by the home side’s manager and the game was concluded. It mattered little that we still did not get back to base the way we had come, even the music was tolerable.

As in life you have good and bad days, special and poor ones, also in cricket. Indeed in September the team’s captain had a truly exceptional day playing at Lords. However when one of those very special days comes up the side has to fully embrace it. Over the years Devon’s Seventeens and Twenty-ones have played on first class county grounds – David Gibson’s Seventeens at Taunton, Matt Wood’s Seventeens played their two day final against Durham at Canterbury and the Twenty-ones under Trevor Anning's leadership played Lancashire in their final at Derby. All memorable occasions, if only one win! Therefore when Wales changed the venue of our one day game from Carew in Pembrokeshire to the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, some excitement certainly did take place. The day itself did not start that well, rain was the forecast clearing around noon, and indeed that is what took place. Because Glamorgan had been playing in a televised match the previous evening the normal start time had been somewhat fortuitously been delayed until noon to allow the TV crews to tidy up. We travelled the fifty minutes from Carmarthen with the windscreen wipers in operation for over half the journey. We duly arrived at the Test Match arena, the dogs were escorted to their pre-arranged parking space and we unloaded in overcast conditions. The lift up to the second floor was taken, the glass sided corridor to the dressing rooms covered with memorabilia fit for a Test Match ground was navigated and the away side’s dressing room entered. Out on the ground the square was fully covered with state of the art covering and the ground staff was brushing away surplus water down some mystery openings which then dispersed to a suitable outlet. The baths, the showers, the physiotherapy table and TV were explored, photographs taken and the chilled drinks container loaded with our Lucozade. The coach had rightly insisted we were at the ground well in advance of our normal practice start time so that we could absorb it all. This we did with Woody explaining the geography, transformation and history of the ground. The scorer insisted that the gold lion be flown over our dressing room and so the flag was raised with some trepidation and an inner fear that we might not get it down again and we started to prepare. The two previous days had been taxing. In winning the championship game the side had scored the highest ever second innings total, which had been an immense achievement. Our opponents had exerted some unnecessary pressure on our younger players, who had responded impeccably. The warm up commenced, the hover cover removed and the captain won the toss and batted. Not being the best watcher and with the dogs confined to the car, regular opportunities were taken to exercise them along side the adjoining River Taff but with good views of the electronic scoreboard. The flag flew proud but Devon was reduced to thirty-nine for two off twelve overs. Harrison-Hooton was bowled for two off the seventh ball with a single stump cart wheeling majestically. Higgs hit a trademark four and was out on the final ball of the twelfth over. From then on it became more comfortable watching for the small contingent from Devon. The third wicket put on sixty-eight, leaving the visitors at the halfway stage on one hundred and seven. Unfortunately Matt Skeemer was run out off the first ball of the second half of the innings for another important contribution, falling three short of a deserved fifty. He had effectively battled away for ninety minutes, facing eighty balls, to be needlessly dismissed.  His captain fell seven runs later and incidentally that was the number of runs Wyatt-Haines was short of his fifty. He had faced forty-eight balls and batted for a minute more, hitting four fours. He walked past one and was stumped, which was a great disappointment to everyone, well apart from the Welsh! As well as exploring the Taff the ground deserved an inspection, particularly the Media Centre where the scorers were housed in the Test Match Special studio. This actually is the scorers’ box but doubles as the TMS studio. It provided a truly outstanding view of the action, directly behind the bowler’s arm. If anything confirmed how the art of scoring has changed over the years this visit did.  There was a contingent of three very competent individuals, all manning computers and one also operating the two electronic scoreboards. They also received a visit from the Glamorgan first team scorer who has close connections with Blundells School. This was an ideal place to watch the two batting heroes from the previous day, Dan Powell and Ben Green, put the Welsh Dragon under more pressure. They put on sixty-six in just thirty-six minutes off seventy-five balls. Powell hit a big six and Green two elegant fours before he played too early to give a return catch to Lawlor to the batsman’s obvious disappointment. The score was now 180-5 with sixty-five  balls remaining. The Sidmouth Under Sixteen pairing of Powell and Bess then fully utilised the remaining balls, putting on the highest partnership of the innings - an impressive seventy-one. It took thirty-four minutes and included some improvisation, some successful and Bess’s ramp less so. Powell reached his fifty in the forty-fourth over when Devon also reached two hundred.  The final fifty came off just thirty-seven balls and Devon finished on an acceptable 251. Powell took his aggregate over two days against Wales to two hundred, being unbeaten on seventy-seven off eighty-one balls and hitting five fours and a six. His partner had contributed an invaluable, undefeated twenty-six with four fours.

The catering arrangements were again tested and potentially the final Under 17 session of the summer was commenced. Ben Green struck first ball when he had Wood caught behind by Powell. Wales then took the score up to twenty-one off twenty-seven balls when Whitlock had Eakins leg before. Wilcox and Lawlor then added twenty off twenty-nine balls before Wilcox was brilliantly caught by Dawe off Holmes. The fourth wicket pairing had put on thirty-eight off fifty-nine balls when Bess provided Ollie Dawe with a wicket as Wales was reduced to 79-4 off 17.4 overs. Lawlor and Roberts had taken the home side up to the halfway mark when Lawlor gave Powell his second catch standing up to Connor Ashworth. Wales was now one hundred and thirty-five behind with five wickets in hand and one hundred and forty-nine balls to be bowled. For the first time the home side started to put Devon under some real pressure, as ninety-seven were added off one hundred and fifteen balls. The returning Holmes took the vital wicket of Roberts for a top score of seventy-six, caught by Matt Skeemer. Good sides exert pressure in the field that create run outs and the next wicket to fall fell one run later when Green’s throw beat the other partner of the highest partnership of the day. Wales was now 214-7 and it was time to get the flag down without damaging or losing either of the ropes, where is the Queen’s Guide when you need her! It became increasingly dark and cold as Wales kept at it until they were all out with four balls unused. Powell took his third catch and second off Green, Holmes bowled Brown and Green’s second fine throw ran out Jones – mission accomplished by an excellent side. The moment was savoured, the scorer eventually allowed in by the security staff (the stadium team and head steward had been exceptional all day) and we left preparing for a semi-final. On the return journey the Under 16 captain learnt that we would be playing Kent and the only blemish of the day was when the mini-bus was attacked by a rolling traffic cone on the motorway, giving the captain’s sister, who was following, a nasty fright. The damage was surveyed at Tiverton and the driver’s confidence dented as much as the vinyl covering.

The semi-final against Kent was always going to be difficult; it had also necessitated the early curtailment of the Under 16s Midland tour, thanks to the total co-operation of Worcestershire. Devon undertook the difficult and tiring trip to Maidstone, stopping at the services that had housed the Nineteens earlier in the summer and getting caught on the infamous M25. At least on the outward journey Stonehenge did not create its normal problems. We were staying at a hotel aimed at business types and coach parties but some pitch and put and tennis skills were shown by the squad. Trevor Griffin showed his driving expertise with some tight parking at the Harvester and a reasonable breakfast was enjoyed the next day. The Moat at Maidstone is a famous cricket ground and Dominic Bess had played there earlier in the summer with Somerset Twos. The pitch was damp and it was understood that the home side had been texting the importance of the toss. You do sometimes get a sense of a side’s mood and the vibes at the warm up were not as positive as normal. Matt Skeemer suffered a nasty gash during the preparations, the captain called incorrectly and unsurprisingly Devon batted. Initially there was reassurance in that there were three wides from the first three deliveries, two singles and two more wides in our first over. After five overs Devon was 25-1, as Macaulay Harison-Hooton’s disappointing run continued when he was caught off Bernard’s seventh ball. The same bowler trapped Matthew Skeemer in front fifteen balls later with the score only advancing by eight runs. It was decided that Skeemer’s cut should be checked and Ashford’s A&E was visited for the first time. By the time the opener returned lunch had been taken and Devon had been dismissed for a really disappointing 114, the joint sixth lowest total at this level. Higgs and the captain had put on the best partnership of the innings – twenty-seven – when Higgs was caught by the same fielder who had helped dismiss H-H, this time off Richardson. Sam Wyatt-Haines’ exceptional Under Seventeen batting career ended six balls later when Foster bowled him with no addition to the score. Devon was now 60-4 off 17.4 overs. Powell and Green added eight off twenty-five balls before Foster bowled Powell. The sixth wicket pairing had taken Devon up to seventy-six when Green was Fosters third victim, caught by Total Cricket Scorer’s Man of the Match, Laraman. This was not good reading from the hospital’s waiting room. Lines and Marcus Hoddinott, who had kindly agreed to come out of retirement to help the side, dug in facing six balls short of the hundred in thirty-nine minutes at the crease. They had added twenty-two and taken their side to two short of three figures. Declan Lines’ season ended when he was Laraman’s first wicket, leg before. The bowler then took the final three wickets off thirteen deliveries. Bess was belligerent and undefeated but Hoddinott and Ashworth went in successive balls and, although Hugo Whitlock at last made it to the crease, his batting season only lasted four balls. It had been a long wait, despite putting his pads on a couple of times. At Ashford a useful session in how to apply skin-closure strips was undertaken. Devon had batted for two hours and thirty-four minutes and were all out off the fifth ball of their forty-third over.

Hugo Whitlock took the only Kent wicket to fall, when Ben Green held the Kent captain, Waller, at second slip with six on the board. Shortly afterwards the catcher was enroute to Ashford for a check up on his thumb! Kent reached its target in seventy-three minutes, a bitterly disappointing end to the summer. Kent reached both Under 17 finals in 2013, winning the one day competition. Devon’s return was delayed whilst X-rays were taken which fortunately proved that a break had not occurred. Devon departed on a journey home that would be substantially longer than the game, which had been completed in three hours forty-seven minutes. It was a Bank Holiday Friday and memories of yesteryear and boiling engines were witnessed, particularly around Stonehenge that for the last time of a long summer held up Devon cricket!

Although two days were lost to the elements, the 2013 season had the feel of an old fashioned British Summer. The performances matched some of the best undertaken in the twenty-one years that the Seventeens have been an integral part of Devon cricket. It was very much a team performance with every one of twenty players making a contribution. As an aside it is interesting how, over recent summers, the size of the squad has grown. The captain had another exceptional summer, scoring five hundred runs including two more centuries to add to the four he had contributed in the two previous summers at Sixteens and Seventeens. His total of six will now be a target for aspiring Devon batsman. His average of 83.33 is another new bench mark, eclipsing the previous best of one short of seventy by Jack Porter in 2004. His ten catches match Jack Dart's contribution in 2012. Dan Powell’s involvement was equally valuable. His annual trip to the states fortunately only ruled him out of four days actual cricket. He is without doubt amongst the best keeper batsmen who have appeared at this age and still has a year with the side. He scored a maiden county hundred and averaged sixty-two, taking eight catches. Matthew Skeemer is also available for 2014 and he exhibited the outstanding qualities of a fine all rounder. It was no surprise that he was to play a full part in Cornwood’s first summer back in the Premier. Greater pressure will be on him next year and an ability to convert good starts with the bat into big hundreds. Another fine all rounder was Ben Green, his talent has resulted in a place on both the Somerset Academy and England’s Performance Programme. His eleven wickets in a day against the South and West and his incredible hundred against Wales clearly demonstrated an exceptional player. All we can hope is that his availability next summer allows him to make more vital contributions to Devon Cricket. His twenty wickets equalled Matt Cooke’s return in 2005 and has only been bettered by Andy Theedom’s twenty-eight taken seventeen years previously. However his average of 10.45 was another new record and his 6-11 against the South and West was the second best return. Unsurprisingly Green was in the running for the Bowler of the Year but this went to Hugo Whitlock. He had only started playing county cricket in 2012 but his return of eighteen ECB Competition wickets was a great achievement. His 6-21 was ten runs more than Green’s but still the third best at this level. After the final Under 16 game of 2012 there was a belief that the nucleus of this year’s side was known. It is a fact of life that, indeed more often than not, there is a loss of players over the next eleven months and the 2013 side subsequently lost five players. This resulted in opportunities for others and, although the replacements mainly came from the Sixteens, Paignton’s Connor Ashworth was the exception. He had been on the radar for over twelve months, following a tip off from the father of a famous pair of twins. After his brilliant response to a late initial call up and then cancelling a holiday, he fitted into the side perfectly as part of our spin attack and a more than useful fielder. As always the Sixteens were a very important component of the side. Ollie Dawe’s all-rounder role encompassed batting, bowling and fielding. Dominic Bess, already an established all rounder in the side, did not let anyone down in any area of the game with some telling performances. All being well he faces an even bigger challenge in 2014. Reid Mawdsley filled a most unexpected void, considering the surfeit of keepers from previous years, but his keeping and last wicket partnership in Hampshire were vital. He at last had a rest in August after he seemed to be the second name on three age group squad team sheets! Seb Ansley and Jack Thomas did not let themselves down against Worcestershire. It is always sad when a player decides to stop playing County Cricket and Marcus Hoddinott's withdrawal mid season was a huge disappointment. He has been a great stalwart of Devon Youth cricket since he first appeared in a Devon Yearbook in 2008 having made his Under Ten debut the previous year. His bowling was a vital weapon in 2013 and it was much appreciated when he agreed to play one final time at Maidstone. Declan Lines played a full summer, broke a nose but added some much needed doggedness to the side and not a little humour. Billy Searle played four more games than in 2012 before the lure of Newquay. His performances in the field and with the ball in Hampshire clearly demonstrated his undoubted ability. Ollie Higgs experienced a difficult summer but was always helping the side and his captain. It really is hoped that his appetite for the game will come back and he again flourishes. Of the remaining Seventeens both Macaulay Harrison-Hooton and Ben Holmes did not make the early sides but the acute keeping problem led to Harrison-Hooton's recall and his four catches and runs against Hampshire helped the side to two important wins. Holmes changed the course of the one day game at the SWALEC, when his introduction into the attack at a critical time could have gone either way. He ensured it went the right way for Devon and the tide turned.

The side took ninety-six wickets which if you check the record books is the second highest return. The records will also indicate that successful sides are the one ones that take more wickets than they lose. This squad was a very successful side, achieving a great deal and developing together. It was well led by Sam Wyatt-Haines, who is the first player since David Lye to pick up the Player of the Year award in successive summers. David went on to Middlesex only for his knee to cause problems and we wish Sam more success at Somerset. It most certainly will not be for want of trying. Matthew Wood completed his time with us, providing all that anyone could ask from a coach and mentor. He was simply brilliant and, although he is undoubtedly Nottinghamshire’s gain, it is hoped that he has not been totally lost to Devon. The assistant manger completed another season of computer scoring but has placed an order for an improved lap top! Her travel arrangements as ever were of the highest quality, staying this year in three very good hotels. Seaton, Brixham, Heathcoat and Exmouth were splendidly co-operative hosts and Devon is most fortunate to be able to play at such outstanding facilities. It will be interesting though if three day cricket does come in 2015.