- South Dartmoor back to winning ways in cups
- Tom Allin tournament raised more than £5,000 for air ambulance
- Taverners kit bag delivered to Sri Lankan youngsters
- Devon trying to contact the class of 56
- Paceman Tshepo running in Virgin London Marathon
- Five Devon women in Western Storm squad for Kia Super League
- Registration night for all ages at Topsham on Monday
- Lots pouring in for auction at Allin Memorial tournament
- Thames Valley Gentlemen Cricket Club
- Bradninch add Argentinian flavour to Devon League
- Ipplepen youth registration night on Friday
- Final call for Groundsmans first seminar this year
- Devon League official tackling London Marathon for charity
- Bovey on familiar territory in Aaron Printers Cup
- Brockman Cup - Cup Kings lie in wait for holders
- Shepherd Trust helps Kingsbridge build for sustainable future
- DCL - Umpire Appointments 2016 (May 7th - July 2nd)
- Long standing records beaten
- North Devon see off Paignton chase
Rain has the final say
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The weather forecast for the two days of the game
against Surrey was simply horrendous - the radar predicted virtually nonstop
rain for hours on end at not only Heathcoat but across the county, indeed the
South West. Due to its location close to both of Devon's Moors Heathcoat tends
to get any rain that is about so it was a real surprise that any play was
undertaken at all let alone a full first day's. This was despite the heavy
overhead cloud and mist hiding some local weather determining landmarks, in
particular a favourite tree on a nearby hill that tended to fade in and out of
vision. The ground was well covered but feedback from the club indicated we
would be very lucky even to get the covering off despite the constant use of
their BowDry. As it was not actually
raining Sandy Allen had his side out early confident of a day's play. He was
actually the only one with this real belief but the umpires were undertaking
their role in a conscientious and hopeful manner. Thanks to the hard work of
the ground team, the game started half an hour late at eleven. Billy Rudolph
won the toss and inserted his opposition. The format agreed was that both sides
would bat for a maximum seventy first innings overs so Devon, weather
permitting, were likely to be batting later in the day. Joe Hagan-Burt bowled
Ratnasabapathy in the ninth over with Surrey twenty-four for one. The second
wicket added another twenty-runs when the captain had Woods caught by Matt
Parker off his first delivery. Devon were making the most of the toss when in
the twentieth over of the first session Matt Parker trapped opener Ward in
front for forty-two out of the sixty on the board. Five overs later Rudolph took
his second wicket bowling Hall - 77-4. Lunch was taken on Nelson with Rudolph
having employed five bowlers to bowl the thirty-four overs. In the seventh over
after lunch Matt Petherbridge took his first wicket caught by Bragg - 151-5.
The fifth wicket had added the highest partnership of the innings seventy-four.
The sixth added fifty-nine off the same number of balls as the fifth - one
hundred and three. Tea was taken after fifty-six overs with Surrey five past
two hundred. With the first ball of his sixteenth over Petherbridge struck
again trapping Hall in front for Surrey's highest individual contribution -
seventy. Surrey had sixty- five balls left before the turnaround and they took
their score up from two hundred and fifty-nine to two hundred an seventy-three.
Petherbridge, in what could well be his final spell in youth cricket, took the
three wickets to fall with catches from Phillips and Hagan-Burt and another
successful appeal for leg before. His final gold lion figures were 21-4-51-5 -
he has come a long way in his three seasons and now we wish him well with the
blue lion - taking three wickets and scoring one run on his debut. Devon had
kept well at their task but it was important they made the most of the
potentially thirty-two overs. Harvey Sargent opened with Ed Bragg but only
added five before Bragg was bowled in the seventh over. Tom Andrew went in the
tenth with Devon now on twenty-two. Tom Lammonby, in what was to be his final appearance
of the summer, lasted fourteen balls and Devon were in trouble on forty-one for
three. Sargent and Hagen-Burt, in really dim conditions, saw Devon to six
thirty when after seventeen overs the umpires brought the players off for bad
light with Devon two hundred and twenty-seven behind with seven wickets in hand
and fifty-three overs left on first innings. It rained hard on the way back to Woodbury, the
game at Exmouth had been cancelled and it had seemed to rain everywhere in
Devon apart from on the Knighthayes Estate - we had been exceptionally
fortunate. Our luck was not to continue into the second day when it did rain
and rain and rain. After a discussion on under sixteen cricket,another
excellent Thompson lunch everyone departed to their homes in Devon and the
capital. |
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