It was not a perfect two days but it was still good to be back at Sandford for the final under seventeen game of the summer. With the fifteens playing a championship game it was necessary to re-jig the side. Ben Phillips who had previously been in as a batsman took over the gauntlets and Harry Ward and Christian Cabburn came in for their two day seventeen debuts. Having lost their way for the final forty-seven minutes the previous evening it was absolutely vital that Devon set the required tone from the outset. Dan Pyle won his final toss and Devon batted. They lost their most successful preceding day batsman in the fifth over and although nine batsmen got starts the highest individual contribution was the captains thirty-six. This was really disappointing and if it had not been for a tenth wicket partnership of fifty-four only one batting point would have been picked up. This was a missed opportunity to end the season on the high that the players deserved. Devon reached a typically outstanding Sandford lunch on a just below par one hundred and nine for three. In addition to the loss of FitzRoy leg before, Rudolph and Sargent were both caught behind by Slade bowled Hooper. Senior batsmen Dan Wolf and Dan Pyle were now at the crease and it was hoped that they would set their side up in the second session of the day. However the captain fell in the third post lunch over and Will Thompson thirteen balls later. Devon were now up against it on one hundred and twenty-two for five. Dan Wolf and his long term south Devon colleague added another four when Wolf's outstanding youth career came to an end. Ben Phillips fell in fifty-first over with Devon now seven down and thirty-one short of a point. Toby Codd had fought hard for forty-six minutes was trapped in front and Devon still needed thirteen runs for a vital point. Dan Goodey's final contribution with the bat was seventeen but he fell having secured a point with Devon on 206. The final pairing of under fifteen friends Harry Ward and Matt Petherbridge took the home side up to two hundred and sixty with Ward undefeated on twenty-eight (53 minutes, 55 balls and five fours) and Petherbridge the fifth and final leg before of the innings out for a thirty-three ball nineteen that included four fours. It was a pleasure watching these two go about their business. Devon were all out just a minute before the appointed tea interval. Something new and used in the first class game this summer was a second slip with helmet taking an excellent slip catch due to his ability to get closer to the action something that is likely to become increasingly common in years to come.

  It would be important for Devon to make major inroads into the Gloucestershire batting before close of play. Codd took an exceptional slip catch off Goodey to remove Palmer, Goodey trapped Cooper-Lines in front and in the sixteenth over Pyle caught Forbes off Petherbridge. Devon took their final wicket of the session in the twenty-third over when Thompson caught Ellis off the Torquay spinner. At close Gloucestershire were one hundred and twenty-one for four with key batters Slade and Loud at the crease.

   A tripod had grown overnight which reduced the pre match preparation area and Devon undertook a reasonable final warm-up. The home sides day could not have started better as second ball Harvey Sargent caught the oppositions captain, Loud, off Petherbridge. Gloucestershire needed one hundred and thirty-five. Without further addition the other overnight batsman was out bowled by the ever persevering Dan Goodey. The odds would perhaps now be with the home side needing just four wickets. However as the previous day Gloucestershire's later batsmen had other ideas. The caught Wolf bowled Codd combination removed Lakhani in the fifty ninth over Gloucestershire were seven wickets down eight short of two hundred. A fifteen minute rain break followed but in his next over Toby Codd bowled Smith with Gloucestershire still two runs short of a bonus point. The visitors took out the long handle and off the remaining thirty-three balls before the interval scored at a run a ball and lunch was taken with Gloucestershire on 231-9. The home side were confident but in a season when every chance had not been accepted it was vital that they made up for this failing. Nine overs after another Nicky Radnor special Devon had lost the opportunity of coming second to the eventual National Champions, Hampshire. Instead Wales were runners-up and we ended up third. Charles FitzRoy eventually took the final wicket with Gloucestershire twelve runs short of a fourth batting point. The final pairing had outdone our own putting on ninety frustrating runs in seventy-nine minutes off one hundred and forty-two balls. This was an increasingly, particularly in retrospect, disappointing end to a summer when the squad had far exceeded expectations. Rain was forecast for around three, it arrived at two minutes before the tea interval after Toby Codd was caught behind for five, Sargent unbeaten on ten and the captain adding to his record breaking summer by a red inker thirty-nine. Neither side picked up a bonus point and after some consideration the game was eventually abandoned and the seventeen's summer was over. Sandford had provided what they do exceptionally well a brilliant facility for the two days.
Scorecard