As part of the Cricket Board of Wales missionary work Devon undertook, for the first time, 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 of the scorer and captain as a spacious car park was found (one concern sorted). The coach under took 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 of rain. So there was already some apprehension and moisture in the air. We eat in all three nights to the satisfaction of all (well apart from the Chudleigh bowler) so apart from travelling to Llandysul we did not take in the attractive Welsh scenery. Our excellent breakfast waiter hailed from the village we were playing. We learnt that Llandysul lies in the valley of the River Teifi and is visited for its fishing and canoeing. He was however not too complementary 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 off the first ball of the eighth over Powell caught Wood off Whitlock with Wales on nineteen. Forty minutes into the innings it rained and twenty-six minutes were lost. Wales second wicket pairing scored twenty-nine runs off twenty four 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, but it was disconcerting that an umpire was apparently in the players hears 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 two wickets. With 108 on the Welsh language scoreboard Matt Skeemer took a wicket thanks to a 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 74. Wales were 220-5 at tea. After the interval it took Devon forty-one balls to make an inraoad when with the last ball of his eleventh over Bess struck as Powell took a smart legside catch to send James back to the pavilion. The sixth wicket pairing had started to take the pressure of the home side as ninety-five had been added off 174 balls in ninety-three minutes. The over rate conversations hopefully had been 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 52. 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 in the seventy-fourth over. Devon possible believed they had done the hard work but again suffered last wicketiitis. It started fairly slowly as Brown and captain Binding secured 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 declartion came in the ninetith over. The new ball had been taken in the eighty-second over and it looked an excellent decision 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 perhaps the longest dismisissal signal witnessed in youth cricket sent him back, hopefully, 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 desiginited time. One very loud shout certainly increased someones blood pressure. The new navigator did not pass his second test of the day as three vehicles arrived at the Ivy from different directions. Very much a mixed day for Devon when at twenty to five the visitors seemed incredably well placed. The other disconcerting event of the afternoon was Charlies 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.

   Rain was still a 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 Declin Lines had put on 13 overnight but the pairing did not stay together much longer as in the fifth over of the morning Skeemer was the second leg before for an fifty-two ball eighteen but without a lingering send off. Devon needed additional nourisment and the local Spar was cleared out of sandwiches and Java cakes. Devon were now 335 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 2 n his debut against Hampshire and subsequently also against Worcestershire. In their twenty-fourth over Devon were nor precariously placed at 37-3. Declan Lines, who was playing a key roll, concentration had to suffer a drinks break followed by six balls, an hour off for rain, five more balls a then 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 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 pairings 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 72 and Green on 82. Devon still had a mountain to climb in the final session still one hundred and thirty-seven needed 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 the batsmen were undertaking their task nerves were very close to the surface for those yet to bat and 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 Googerling 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 sides coach in his youth. This certainly helped any 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 130, Powell 105 and they had faces 322 deliveries and batted for 173 minutes. The final batting point came up in the eighty-seventh over. Three overs later Greens magnificent contribution came to an end. His had scored 139 which equalled Barney Huxtable's ninth best score at seventeen’s facing one hundred and ninety-nine balls, batting for nine minutes over three hours hitting sixteen fours and two sixes. The partnership of 267 had come off three hundred and forty-nine deliveries. Nine balls later Ollie Higgs was sadly run out, this might have been an opportunity to change his recent indifferent run with the bat. It was now another Sidmouth pairing at the crease as Wales now sensed they might still have a chance as the heat on the field was turned up. The Devon Under 16 captain received the main brunt of the abuse and Dominic Bess dealt with it well as 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 123. Ollie Dawe was next in and in typical Dawe mode- 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! It was amazingly easy and the greatest run chase in Devon youth history. 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 an historic win. One that will certainly remain in the memory for some time to come. It mattered little that we still did not get back to base the way we came, even the music was tolerated.    SCORECARD