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On a splendid summers 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 seventeen’s, seven under 16s and the South and West allowed for their squad member 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 a feature being the uprooting of the stumps on six occasions. The South and West’s captain Thornton top scored with sixteen being 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 Hoddinot unbeaten on fifteen and 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 seventeen’s 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 would be likely to experience something similar or realistically of a higher standard in the under 17 competitions. Fortunately Powell dug in, initially riding his luck but then entered into a partnership of 167 with his captain Sam Wyatt Haines. This is the ninth highest under 17 partnership. They took the score up to 180 with Wyatt-Haines fluency improving by the ball as he stated smiting it all over the park. The captain’s fifty came up in forty-eight minutes off forty-one balls and he stretched his record for hundreds at sixteen and seventeens off 66 balls in thirteen minutes over the hour. He hit twelve fours and seven sixes and has started the season’s race for fantasy points. Equally importantly Dan Powell was helping to build up the momentum but had to watch his captain being caught in one of his favourite areas for a seventy-four ball 115. Memories of Monmouth obliterated. Powell and Maunder did not put on the obligatory ten failing by eight as Powell’s fine knock ended with a tame caught and bowled. He had hit two fours and sixes. Disappointingly he misses half the under 17s programme and it is anticipated will face a tough fight to get back into the squad. Maunder and Billy Searle then finished off the innings in a partnership of 54 off 46 balls. Jack Maunder holed out at a strike rate of 94.44. Ben Green will not experience sleepless nights over it but 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 but the South and West openers put on their best partnership of the day when on twenty-three Maunder caught Stevenson off Whitlock for one. With their 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 took six wickets. Billy Searle took the seventh. The last wicket pairing made the score more respectable with a partnership of 47 when 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!! It is probable that his place in the Bunbury squad was already secure but it is unlikely that anyone has reinforced their credentials better. On the down side it was obvious that a number of the Devon players had not enjoyed long periods at the crease and undertaken lengthy bowling spells. The coach’s message was simply - get some cricket in.
Seaton were their exceptional selves, a nasty injury resulted in one of their stalwarts being taken off to hospital. It has always been a pleasure playing here and the hours of labour and love put in by their curator, Peter Anderson and team, was very much appreciated. |
