A Really Useful Pre Season Workout

Spring and late summer has proved to provide the best weather for cricket over recent summers so there was real concern when the feedback from grounds, in early April, that the recent persistent rain had restricted the preparations of squares and outfields. Indeed a courtesy email exchange with June Parker, the caterer at Exmouth, revealed as early as the preceding Monday that we would not be playing our pre season game with the County Club at Exmouth. Fortunately Exeter Cricket Club rode to the rescue and kindly agreed to host the match. The weather was not the only concern as selection was also testing the twenty ones. Bradninch were on an European tour and Joe Smith was acting as coach to the Blundell’s school team in Le Manga – how times have changed! Duncan Hefford then reported he was suffering from tonsillitis, as he is not the nosiest I am not sure how that would have affected his presence!

There was of course a silver lining to these problems as it gave others an opportunity to stake a claim for a place and they all grabbed it. Having started the sixteen’s at the cricket centre Exeter Cricket Club was entered for the first time for a competitive ground in twenty years involvement. There had been heavy dew but much work was being undertaken and everything looked in surprising good order in view of recent complications. It was good to catch up with everyone again and just reinforced why one is involved in youth cricket. The initial reaction from the captain was disconcerting but the response he got from his team was remarkable. Devon batted opening with Rob Holman and Bess, Holman was leg before off Lewis Gregory’s eighth legal ball. Bess and Bobby Dawson added 52 with the former county captain first four scoring shots fours. Porter, possibly trying too hard, was having problems with his radar took himself off after three overs. He was replaced by Toby Ingham who bowled with Gregory up to the twelfth over when the county club were 46-1. Joe Thompson and Chris Metters took up the mantle and in Metters second over Bess was bowled for 13 in an hour and four minutes off 42 balls. Extras were becoming a concern, in they totalled 41 in all with 28 of which were wides. From 59-2 after sixteen it became 86- 3 after twenty-one when the two bowlers combined with Metters catching Neil Hancock off Thompson for a two four ten. The twenty-ones continued to make inroads when the fourth wicket fell at 93 when Metters took his second removing Dawson for a fifty-eight ball 44 caught Gilmour. It got even better as the county club were reduced to 127-8 off thirty-seven. David Lye was bowled Gilmour, Gregory returned to bowl Allen, Mark Gilmour took the next two bowling Foan and Anning. Mark had phoned earlier in the week to confirm his current bowling style and he was putting into high quality action his words as he took out three establish batters for 18 off seven overs. Joe Smith words came into the thoughts, there will always be a partnership as the final three batsman Chris Bradley, Will Murray and Ian Bishop put on a disappointing 52 increasing the target by 41%. Joel Seward, now playing in Somerset for Chard, had Bradley caught by the captain after thirty-four minutes at the crease putting on 21 with Will Murray. The Sidmouth captain is no mean batsman, an occasion when he should have batted in an important game with Dorset still rankles and he batted typically adding 23 off 39. Ian Bishop had his long handle out and scored 20 off 16. The county club were all out for 179 with fifteen balls unused. Would the contribution of 23% extras to the total play an important part?

Andrew Buzza volunteered to open with Matt Thompson and the pair put on forty-six in eleven. Earlier Buzza had reminded everyone what had been missing on the youth county scene for the past two summers as he personified Arthur Askey’s busy bee. He took head on his own team mate Trevor Anning and Budleigh’s Ian Bishop scoring 32 off just 39 balls including four fours. The introduction of Will Murray brought his demise as he played too early to be caught by Bishop. Without an addition to the score and in the next over Lewis Gregory was caught behind off Bishop. Last years under 17s Thompson and Brown added 12 when the county captain took his first wicket catching Thompson in three minds giving Anning a simple catch. Thompson should only have one objective in his mind at present to bat the overs. The flair he is seeking will come later. Murray then bowled Brown and the under 21s were struggling at 60 for four. They still had plenty of time from 3.60 an over it was now four with batting to come. Sam Smith was at the crease with his captain Jack Porter. Smith is one of the most naturally talented players to grace Devon youth cricket, a player of immense ability who has lacked perhaps application. He has produced some of the most memorable innings of recent seasons but did not quite………. In this innings he indicated that eight months in the capital of the Principality might well have provided him with the missing ingredient for he was magnificent. In his final appearance Porter made one of his slower contributions but they knew what they were trying to achieve. They put on 45 taking their side into three figures and the crisis seemed to have been averted. Will Murray and Chris Bradley were bowling frugal spells both conceding 1.7 an over when Bradley well held a return catch from Porter. He had faced 52 balls for his seven – all singles. This was to be the last victim for the county club bowlers. Chris Metters, who not so long ago was a front line batter, was greeted by a very short extra cover but with Smith nearly took the under 21s home. However three short of the hundred and fifty he pulled up and limped off with a nasty swollen ankle. He had scored 14 before he retired, with this injury the momentum was lost. One run later the key wicket fell. Yau called Smith for a sharp leg bye, the keeper Allen returned the ball to the bowler Hancock who completed what former England and Leicestershire keeper Roger Tolchard who was officiating at the bowlers end considered he had never seen a piece of fielding like it during 50-odd years in the adult game. Hancock dived and somehow diverted the ball onto the stumps with Smith just out of his ground. Smith had contributed 67 out of 148, he had batted for an hour and a half facing 92 balls of which four had been despatched to the boundary. It was not a surprise that after the game he was given the MCCC registration forms. He had out batted everyone on a typical early season track, an innings of the highest class. Two more runs out – Joe Thompson (11) and Justin Yau (10) left the under 21s in the final over needing two to win off one. At the start of the fiftieth over five had been needed but it was obvious the county captain was not going to make it easier as he gave a superb demonstration of bowling at the death. Hopefully Mark Gilmour who had contributed two of the three runs to be scored off this over and new batsman Toby Ingham must have hatched a game plan but it is unlikely to be the scrambled leg bye they took. Perhaps a tie was the right result but the twenty-ones had acquitted themselves really well and perhaps a win might have been better!!! Exeter are to be thanked for making this game possible.