Devon Cricket Board - One Day Win

A 9.30am start at Truro necessitates a much earlier leave from Devon so it was impressive that the sides coach was at the ground an hour early, setting up, and players arrived from 9.00am onwards an outstanding effort. In view of the really disappointing availability problems currently being experienced by the sixteens it really was a huge relieve that the eleven were all present and correct on time if not actually undertaking their throw downs and personal work at 9.30am. Much has been spoken about reduction in participation levels post sixteen but this is the first year ever that getting twelve players out to represent their county has been a problem. For this match when selection took place there were seventeen ticks. Even taking into account an unfortunate sprained ankle and broken bone Devon should never be down to a bare eleven. Steps will now be taken to build up the squad at the cost to some others with a subsequent loss of opportunity. The pre season availability process is very much an important, indeed integral, part of a squads selection so the inability to get twelve out now in successive matches is a huge disappointment and concern. Commitment has to be very much two sided.

Cooper took two well taken goals but the captain was not satisfied with the pre match preparations which was an important comment as the quality was not as high a standard as reached previously this summer. Excuses could have been offered but fortunately were not as they would not have been accepted! Standards must improve at Axminster. Devon called incorrectly and were in the field. Rudolph had potentially ninety overs, well perhaps after Brislington eighty overs of bowling. Truro had suffered the torrential rain of the previous day but had hosted an over 60 game and as always looked in suburb condition. Truro has to be one of Devon's favourite Cornish grounds and as always looked after us exceptionally well. Joe Hagan-Burt opened up with Christian Cabburn taking the Cathedral End. With the fortieth ball of the innings Cabburn caught and bowled Gibson with the home side on eleven. He took his second wicket in his sixth over with Matthew Petherbridge completing the catch. Cornwall were then thirty-five for three scoring at just over threes. Drinks were taken and combined with a minute's silence to remember the thirty-eight people - including thirty Britons - killed in the Tunisia beach attack the previous week. Drinks also brought Devon a third wicket when second ball the captain removed opener Leathley with a neat catch by Phillips standing up. Sixty-three for three in the eighteenth over. Nine minutes later the home side were four down for seventy-six scoring at just over three and a half. Tom Andrew, now fully recovered from Brislington, the catcher off Matthew Petherbridge. Cornwall reached the half-way stage on ninety-one for five after Billy Rudolph trapped the stand in keeper Lombard with the third ball of the twenty-fifth over. The sixth wicket pairing of Pascoe and Goldsworthy put on the highest stand of the innings - fifty-two off ninety-six balls in forty-four minutes. Rudolph was sharing the bowling around intelligently involving leg spinner Harry Ward, under 15 off spinner Chris Yabsley, making his sixteens debut, and then left armer Tom Williams. Devon could and should have brought the partnership to an earlier conclusion in a fielding performance that did not match their display in Gloucestershire. Being, perhaps, generous overall they missed potentially three opportunities and there may be a direct correlation with the captains disappointment on pre match standards and the missed chances. The sixth wicket fell in the thirty-ninth over, Williams first, with Ward diving full length to take an excellent catch. The coach was setting targets, the one hundred and seventy not considered reasonable by the think tank but the one eighty was by the bench. Cornwall had sixty balls left and Sandy Allen considered they should not get past one eighty (forty runs). They did in fact score at nearly a run a ball to end on two hundred. The captain bowled the home sides top scorer Goldsworthy. Overall Devon conceded thirty-eight extras, gave their opponents virtually three additional overs in wides and no balls. Totally unacceptable. On the plus side but also posing questions was the fact that of the three hundred legal deliveries two hundred and nine (excluding byes and leg byes) were dots. Leaving one hundred and sixty-two runs coming off ninety-one balls. Tighter control by the fielders would have put greater pressure on the batsman and is a major lesson to be learnt. Of the Cornwall eleven, ten are playing for their seventeen's.

An excellent M&S Turkey burger with chips and baked beans, chocolate gateau or strawberries with ice cream was a pleasent change and the batters Harvey Sargent, later called up to play for the County side and Joe Hagan-Burt were ready with Hagan-Burt carrying a potential and worrying injury. Sargent had made his debut earlier in the week for Wellingon School against the Cornwall Under 17s being undefeated seven short of a hundred, was the first to fall caught behind by Lombard off Old for fourteen. Devon were 21-1 off fifty balls. Tom Andrew, promoted after his good performance against Gloucestershire and Hagan Burt took Devon up to eighty when Hagan-Burt was caught by Paull J off Gibson for twenty-five. He had batted for one hundred and one minutes facing eighty-three balls and with Andrew had laid the foundations. Billy Rudolph was stumped off a wide by Lombard leaving his side three short of three figures with one hundred and eight balls remaining to score one hundred and four. Andrew and Cooper scored at nearly a run a ball (33 of 34), when Andrew again did not reach a deserved fifty being caught two short. He had again shown the tenacity needed facing three balls more than Hagan-Burt and batting for one minute less. Cooper was adding to his growing reputation for being unflappable and he and Ben Phillips batted beautifully in taking their side home with five overs to spare. They put on an unbeaten seventy-two in thirty-one minutes off fifty-seven deliveries. An excellent demonstration of finishing. Cooper was forty-one not out (36 balls, 50 mins, six fours). Phillps batted for nineteen minutes less, scored the same number of fours and faced two balls fewer. He finished the match 2,4,4,4,4!

Game over, good debrief, some desire from parents to get on the road but post match football is a critical ingredient. The busy period of the summer starts shortly and programmes for players to be resolved before the sixteens season takes priority next month. There are areas that need attention and they will receive it but the method adopted to get over the line by the batters was almost perfect, the flamboyance can come later! The long trip home was enlightened by Heather Watsons valiant attempt to beat Serena Williams

Scorecard