Devon Cricket Board - Brilliant Day at the County Ground

What a difference three hundred and thirty-five days make. In 2014 Devon were due to start their competitive programme with a game against Somerset at the Taunton County Ground. The forecast of heavy rain was proved to be right and Devon only had the opportunity of experiencing playing at Taunton for fifty-one minutes. This year Somerset very kindly gave Devon the second opportunity of playing at Taunton and it was an almost perfect summers day with a forecast to match as Devon undertook their pre match preparations. A number of the team had had a remarkable day in the Devon League the previous day and were potentially tired. Coach Sandy Allen tried the robust approach and put the team through a very energetic and precise warm up that set the standards for the day. As home captain Dan Pyle spun the coin and Somerset called incorrectly, Devon were batting on a perfect Taunton track with a small boundary on one side. Initially the biggest danger to Devon were the seagulls who were evidently protecting something and were dive bombing those walking near the Centre of Excellence. Toby Codd, who has not done much batting in 2015, and Harvey Sargent, who has done an awful lot, opened and continued the standards set in the warm up putting on sixty-four off a hundred balls in sixty-three minutes. This was an almost perfect start at an ideal tempo of 4.2 an over. The pair had seen off Tomkins, without a P, and Gore who had been replaced by Dunning and Clark and the latter had Codd caught by Scrivan for 28. He had batted for two minutes over the hour hitting two fours and a six off forty deliveries. His performance pleased everyone. The captain joined Sargent just in time for drinks and the pair added ten runs less than the opening partnership. They took Devon up to 118 off one ball short of the half way stage when Sargent tried to work the ball leg side to be trapped leg before to Harrison. He had passed his fifty in the in the same over. His fifty-two had taken up ninety-five minutes and he had faced sixty-three balls. Both openers performed splendidly and hopefully will now build on this start with large individual and joint contributions. The skipper who was now starting to dominate the side he had taken a hundred off in 2014 was joined by Dan Wolf who was experiencing an excellent season in the Premier with both bat and ball. Wolf and Pyle increased the six count with some substantial hits into the adjoining stands and flats and expectations of a record score rose in the dugout. Having added twenty-six off twenty-three balls in eleven minutes Wolf played a shot it is expected he regretted as soon as it left the bat as he chipped Harrision to Brain on the short square leg boundary. It went straight down the fielders throat who did not have to move. Devon were now six short of their one hundred and fifty with one hundred and eighty-two balls remaining. Was three hundred and a record fifty over score a possibility. The answer was in the negative despite Pyle and Tom Lammonby putting on forty-five in seventeen minutes off thirty-eight balls. The demise of the captain for seventy-one in the over after the second drinks break substantially reduced expectations. Pyle was the second senior Devon batsman to be frustrated as a second ton against Somerset was very much on the cards. He played a half hearted shot to be Bartletts first contribution to the game taking the catch and giving Harrison his third wicket. The captain had batted a minute over the hour striking nine fours and three sixes. Lammonby had been the perfect foil contributing ten and continuing the fine form he had demonstrated against the South and West. It was over the next five overs that Devon last their way. Rudolph for once in the summer of 2015 failed contributing one in the fifth wicket partnership of five before being trapped in front by Knight. Eleven minutes and twenty balls later Devon were 206-6 when Thompson was the third leg before victim and Harrisons fourth wicket. Fortunately Lammonby and FitZroy got their heads down and stabilised the innings. They put on thirty-four important runs taking Devon up to 243 in the forty-seventh over. FitZroy was caught by Trenouth off Tomkins for twenty-one. Lammonby was now on thirty-six and just starting to accelerate. Devon had twenty-three balls to set an imposing target. They reached the second highest total off fifty overs just eight short of the 280 scored against Wiltshire in 1997. Both Lammonby and Dan Goodey batted to the situation putting on twenty-nine runs off twenty-three deliveries in sixteen minutes. Goodies six lost the original match ball and Lammonby was undefeated on fifty (80 mins; 59 balls; 5 fours). There may have been some thoughts of what could have been achieved but realistically the final product, even with a short boundary, was a reasonable return. Somerset would have to score at just under five and a half.

Tea was taken the side made aware of what was needed and first ball the side went up to a man for a leg before. Four balls later Goodey got his man bowling Trenouth 0-1. However the second wicket pairing of Brain and Bartlett put on eighty in just under an hour off one hundred balls. It had been good to catch up with two Devon old boys who are now in residence at Taunton and Sam Wyatt-Hayes felt we needed to get out their captain, Bartlett, as soon as possible. Pyle rang the changes involving Goodey, FitZroy, Codd, Hagan-Burt and Petherbridge in the attack. It was an inspirational leg side catch by keeper, Sam Maunder, which changed the direction of the game. Having changed ends Hagan-Burt, who had taken five for thirteen for the under 16s against Somerset the previous summer enticed the positive Brain to flick one leg side only for Maunder to take off! It was a magnificent catch and Devon then got very much back into the match. Next over Matt Petherbridge, who is making a huge impression in the Premier following his move to Torquay took the vital wicket of the Somerset captain who was caught at slip by Pyle via Maunders glove. Somerset were now eighty for three off sixteen overs. Pre drinks had taken two vital wickets. Somerset were now not allowed to get back into the game. Next over the electronic scoreboard was tested to its maximum as Hagan-Burt caught Scriven off Petherbridge -90-4. On the same score Somerset were five down with McGill leg before to give Hagan-Burt wicket number two. Thirty-five were added for the sixth wicket when Goodey started picking up some more Fantasy points. He caught Harrison off Rudolph on one hundred and twenty-five, caught Dunning off Codd (both first class outfield catches) and after Codd had bowled Gunningham, Goodey ran out Tomkins with a stunning direct hit from distance. Somerset were now one hundred and fifty-four for nine off thirty-eight overs. Codd took the final wicket and his third (3-34) when Harvey Sargent made it 100% chances offered and taken to leave Somerset one hundred and fourteen short with sixty-six balls unused. This had been a outstanding team performance and in some ways it is disappointing that the momentum built up in the first two matches cannot be immediately built upon.

Overall an outstanding day of Devon youth cricket one that will be looked back fondly by the players in future years and even the loss of the dugout did not dampen a terrific occasion. The seagulls were less obvious as the football ended without recourse to penalties. Our thanks to Matt Counsell and the Somerset Cricket Board for giving us a second opportunity of playing at the County Ground.

Scorecard