Devon Cricket Board - Two Useful Days at Stone

The last standing twelve under 16s undertook a very productive trip up to the Midlands. For the first time this summer the journey was not too bad. We were travelling our furthest north since the Under 21s final at Derby in 2003. We stopped at the Gloucestershire Services, the one decision the management made all season, to learn that the mini-bus who had been following on TCS ball by ball the T20 Quarter Final between Wimbledon and Exmouth. Our coach, Sandy Allen, had to opt out of this important fixture as a replacement mini-bus driver could not be found. He was therefore delighted when Exmouth won off the last ball after the previous under 17 highest scorer and the current one had put on a century partnership. We reached the Stoke-on- Trent Travelodge nearly on time with the rarity, in 2015, of a fifty minute break before we were due at the adjacent Toby Inn for a Calvary.

Breakfast was also taken there and we left early to find the attractive Little Stoke ground in Stone. Omens continued to be good and although Staffordshire had already set up their warm-up ground Devon were out in good time. Having decided, earlier in the season, that this squad needs to improve their fitness levels and agility Sandy Allen again worked them hard but not omitting the other major area of concern their fielding. Harvey Sargent won the toss and Devon batted. They could have lost three wickets in the first fifteen minutes, Sargent was caught behind off a no ball, Causey dropped at slip and the captain played a ball onto his stumps. However the openers advanced the score to fifty off seventy-one balls in forty-nine minutes. Causey continued his cavalier approach to batting -if it is a bad ball I hit it -but unfortunately for the second time this summer he hit a bowlers first ball down a fielders throat. In this case Paignton's favourite deep square leg. He had hit three fours and two ones. Tom Andrew was to follow him back to the pavilion after adding eight with his captain. After thirteen overs, perhaps the omens were changing, Devon were 58-2. Six overs later the captain departed seven short of his fifty- 68-3. Noah Wright and Joe Hagan-Burt took Devon to lunch on an above par of 131-3 off thirty overs with Wright one short of his fifty. An excellent cottage pie was enjoyed followed by cheesecake and fruit. Little Stoke were yet another club who could not have made us more welcome. Wright reached his fifty with a four off the first ball after lunch and then put his foot down as he reached ninety-six off the first ball of the thirty-eighth over but two balls later he was out. His outstanding innings had lasted just eighty-six minutes and he faced seventy-eight balls. He hit sixteen fours and two sixes in a terrific counter attacking knock that the coach thought, well hoped for the side, would go on to a double hundred.. He had added one hundred and twenty-one with Hagan-Burt in three minutes over the hour, another exceptional partnership. In a minute under the hour Hagan-Burt and Ed Bragg put on fifty-five off one hundred and six balls when Hagan-Burt was leg before for fifty-two. His fifty had come off ninety-nine balls and he had stroked seven fours. Devon were now five down with two hundred and forty-four on the board. However the last five wickets only added another thirty-eight runs which in 2016 simply will not be sufficient. Wickets six, seven and eight added nine, Oli Reed and Ed Doble added sixteen for the ninth and Christian Cabburn and Doble advanced the score by thirteen off nine balls in four minutes. Considering the early batting the final product of 282 off 69.2 in four and a quarter hours was most disappointing. Lessons to be learnt by all parts of the order for next summer. Staffordshire would have thirty-two overs before close of play to make inroads. A brilliant piece of fielding by Joe Hagan-Burt to keeper Phillips to bowler Reed ran out Washington for twenty-eight of the partnership of seventy-three. The under seventeen regular opener Akhtar was joined by under fifteen Kauschal and they reached close of play having added four runs. Sargent had involved six bowlers in trying to make the breakthroughs. We returned to the Marston chain of pubs and later learnt that we had a Uri Geller in our midst as two damaged teaspoons had been reported to reception in room 209.

Devon undertook another energetic warm up with some memory and co-ordination difficulties but it really will now be up to the players over the winter to determine how important their own personal levels of dexterity and condition are as they have all been advised of the levels that will be mandatory. Ridges, lines and length and roughs were an important part of the bowling warm up. It was agreed that the seamers would try and hit the ridge from the road end and Harry Ward would bowl around the wicket into the rough with a forward short leg. Both ploys worked remarkably well but it was a direct hit, the first of three from Ashley Causey, who removed the under fifteen Kauschal in the third over of the morning. Harry Ward then caught and bowled Khan, another regular in the Staffs Under 17 side, leaving the home side 86-3 off thirty-six. Their third leading under seventeen batsman Mahmood joined the dominant Akhtar and they added thirty-six with little difficulty. On 122 Ward took his second wicket when he bowled Mahmood behind his legs and within seven minutes Staffs were five down with one two four on the board as Phillips well caught Davis to give Ward his third wicket. Phillips work ethic this summer has been exemplary and his keeping for substantial periods over the summer has put a huge strain on him but he has never complained. Lunch was taken with Staffs one hundred and ten short with five wickets in hand. Devon had bowled sixty-eight overs and a new ball was on the horizion. Akhtar and keeper Becker were compiling a partnership that ultimately took their side up to 218. They added ninety-four off one hundred and ninety-nine balls in one hundred and nine minutes. Sargent took the new ball giving it to Joe Hagan-Burt and Christian Cabburn and with its fourteenth delivery Hagan-Burt trapped Becker in front. Hagan-Burt was putting in one of the most telling spells of the summer and ten balls later had Slater caught behind. Staffordshire were now 223-7 but Akhtar was now past his century. He had batted beautifully but now appeared uncertain on the approach needed to score the outstanding fifty-nine runs. It was Brundrett who was next to fall as Hagan-Burt completed yet another magnificent slip catch to reward the persevering Oli Reed who now clearly understands his bowling role in the side. The eighth wicket had added eleven. Four runs later Hagan-Burt took the prized scalp of Akhtar. The previous ball's drive fell just short of Doble but next ball and the second of Hagan-Burts final over of his spell the opener holed out to Doble for a two hundred and fifty-three ball 114. He had batted for three and a quarter hours. Staffordshire now needed forty-four for the last wicket. Hagan-Burts excellent seven over spell figures had been 7-1-12-3. Staffordshire entered into discussions and it was agreed that a second innings would not be started. Sargent and Hagan-Burt had to this stage called all the shots with some really imaginative (funky) captaincy. Precise field settings, good bowling changes and much more. However the plot was lost slightly as instead of imposing Devon on the number ten and eleven batters the net was spread and runs seemed more important than taking the last wicket. There is a real lesson here as throughout the summer neither the sixteens or seventeens have been very accomplished at removing the tail ender. It has to be accepted that batting standards throughout the order have improved. However thirty-four minutes after the last wicket partnership had started and ten minutes past the designated tea interval Ward who was now bowling over and round the wicket took the final wicket with Phillips picking up his third catch. Uri Wards figures were the excellent 27.1-6-62-4. This had been a excellent result which also reinforced the essential ingredients required by the players for the two day game. Sadly Ed Bragg had pulled up lame and was ruled out of the final game at Corley the next day.

In avoiding the M6 an interesting route was taken to Coventry brining back some Warwickshire memories to Sandy Allen. The Travel Manager had changed the final Hotel at the eleventh hour anticipating a late arrival and being reassured that a Calvary would be available. An early arrival resulted in the use of the Hotel's restaurant for perhaps the worst feed of the summer. With three day cricket, in some format on the agenda in 2016, it would be interesting to see how this group would respond but the forecast was rain at three.

Scorecard