Devon Cricket Board - Fifteen too many off last over

It got darker the further north we travelled up the M5 from Woodbury on our way to Heathcoat and it started to rain just before the Tiverton roundabout and continued until we entered the Knighthayes Estate. Jamie Drew had ensured the sheeting was down to protect the pitch from the best efforts of Bertha over the previous twenty-four hours but the pitch ends on the square were very wet. The weather forecast was a loop of heavy shower and bright period and we were not let down. The Heathcoat ground team were mopping up at every opportunity but an early lunch was taken. The umpires advised the sides that they intended to start at three and it would be thirty overs a side game. Another heavy shower put an end to this proposal and as the cover was removed for what was likely to be the last time it was agreed that a T20 game would start as soon as possible. Realistically the side chosen for the original fifty over contest would not be ideal for the revised format and despite the same lone voice expressing a preference to chase rather than set Devon needed to bat first. Devon’s failure to win a toss continued and they were in the field at four minutes to four. Opener Goodwin took an immediate liking to the Devon attack which fed his favoured leg side pick up and he hit four fours and a six in the twenty-seven runs put on for the first wicket in three overs. Fortunately his partner, McCoy, was not so effective and he was the first wicket to fall when the every reliable Billy Rudolph took a catch off Ollie Dawe. Six runs later the established combination of Powell and Bess took another wicket with a neat stumping. The third wicket pairing put on thirty-two at less than a run a ball when Goodey bowled the Hampshire captain, Gorvin. At the half way stage Hampshire were seventy-six for three. Matt Petherbridge was now in the attack and bowling intelligently when his under fifteen captain took his second catch of the left arm spinner to remove the dangerous Goodwin. He had scored fifty-eight off thirty-eight balls hitting eight fours and two sixes. Devon missed a couple of routine catches in the next period of play that would have helped place more pressure on their opponents. The fifth wicket added the highest partnership of the innings thirty-seven off thirty-two balls. In the fifteenth over Toby Codd took his first wicket in a magical spell when Bess took a step closer to the catching record with another neat slip catch. Codd’s next over went 1, w, w, 1, 1, w, wide, no ball (circle infringement) 1. The first dismissal was caught Sargent, second bowled and the third caught and bowled. This set Hampshire back and they entered their penultimate over on one hundred and thirty-five for eight. In Goodey’s final over Drew held a skier and four runs were added. Off the final ball of the twentieth over Powell stumped Thomson off the Abbots all-rounder for him to finish with the figures of 3-0-22-5. Very impressive and the spinners had all contributed but you had to feel for the fourth one John Kerridge who did not get an opportunity.

Devon needed to score one hundred and forty-three which at 7.15 an over would be some chase for a relatively inexperienced line up. A good start would be crucial and Matt Skeemer and Dan Powell provided one as they put on sixty-eight in thirty-one minutes off fifty-eight balls. Unfortunately Dan Powell was out off the last ball of the eighth over. Next over Devon lost another critical wicket when Bess was run out having faced one delivery. The home side were virtually out of the contest as in a period of fourteen minutes and twenty-two balls Devon fell away to seventy-eight for five. Matt Skeemer holed out and five balls later Dawe was bowled and four balls later Drew was also bowled. Devon now needed sixty-five off forty-seven balls around eight an over which would have been difficult for a pair of experienced finishers. Harvey Sargent joined Reid Mawdlsey and they batted very sensible. They watched a warning given under Generic Rule twelve and put on forty runs off thirty-four balls in twenty minutes of very intelligent cricket. Sargent was bowled in the seventeenth over to receive one of the most obnoxious and foul sends off. The umpires intervened and offered a second warning. Even Toby Codd’s greatest fans and there are many would not suggest that his greatest strength is crossing the boundary rope on the full joined the very impressive Mawdsley. At the start of the nineteenth over two a ball was needed, Codd fell second ball and Billy Rudolph joined Mawdsley. Fifteen were needed off the last over and Devon scored two. Mawdsley was unbeaten on thirty-two off thirty-one balls hitting four fours and laying a marker for the two day game. In reality the difference was not the dot balls Devon bowled fifty-nine to Hampshire fifty-one or fours Devon hit ten to their opponents twelve but it was five one on sixes. Heathcoat had worked tirelessly to get a game in and the two umpires also did their best but Devon ended up thirteen runs short and perhaps the real difference was the quality of Hampshire’s fielding which was of a high level.

Scorecard