As in life you have good and bad bays, special and poor days 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 have to fully embrace it. Over the years Devon’s sixteens, seventeens and twenty-ones have played on first class county grounds – David Gibson’s seventeens at Taunton, Matt Woods 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 indeed 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 evening before the normal start time had been somewhat fortuitously delayed until noon and we travelled the fifty minutes from Carmarthen with the windscreen wipers in operation for over half the journey. We dully arrived, the dogs were escorted to their prearranged 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 sides dressing room entered. Out on the ground the square was fully covered with test match quality covering and the ground staff was brushing 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 dully did with Woody explaining the geography and history of the ground. The scorer insisted that the gold lion be flown over our dressing room. The flag was duly 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 game the side had scored the highest ever second innings total which had been an immense achievement. There had also been some pressure exerted 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 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 were reduced to thirty-nine for two off twelve overs. Harrison-Hooton was bowled for two off the seventh ball with a single stump cater pilling majestically. Higgs hit a trademark four 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 107 but Matt Skeemer was run out off the first ball of the second half of the innings for another important contribution falling three short of his fifty. He had effectively battled away for ninety minutes facing eighty balls to be needlessly dismissed.  His captain fell seven runs later and that was also 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 disappointment to everyone, well apart from the Welsh! As well as exploring the Taff the ground deserved an inspection particularly the Press Box where the scorers were housed in the Test Match Special studio, which actually is the scorer’s box and doubles as the TMS studio. It provided a truly outstanding view of the action directly behind the bowlers arm. If anything confirmed how the art of scoring has changed over the years this visit did.  A complement of three very competent individuals were all manning computers one was operating the two electronic scoreboards. They also received a visit from the Glamorgan first team scorer who has close connections to Blundell’s. This was the 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 obvious disappointment. The score was now 180-5 with sixty-five  balls remaining. The Sidmouth under sixteen pairing of Powell and Dominic then fully utilised the available balls putting on the highest partnership of the innings an impressive 71. It took thirty-four minutes and included some improvisation, some successful and Bess’s rampl less. 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 200 being unbeaten on 77 off eighty-one balls hitting five fours and a six. His partner had contributed an invaluable undefeated 26 with four fours.

 The catering arrangements were tested again 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 took Wales up to 41 off fifty-six balls. Wilcox was then brilliantly caught by Dawe off Holmes. The fourth wicket pairing put on thirty-eight off fifty-nine balls when Bess provided Ollie Dawe with a wicket as Wales were reduced to 79-4 off 17.4 overs. Lawlor and Roberts took the home side up to the halfway mark when Lawlor gave Powell his second catch standing up to Connor Ashworth. Wales were now 135 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 97 were added off one hundred and fifteen balls. The returning Holmes took the vital wicket of Roberts for a top score of 76 caught by Matt Skeemer. Good sides exert pressure in the field that crate 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 214-7 time to get the flag down without damaging or losing either of the ropes, where is the Queens Guide when you need her! Although Wales kept at it 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 cone on the motorway giving the captains 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.