- 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
Devon U12's Taunton Festival 2014
Festival Winners 2014
Arrive at King's with Very Important Senior Scribe, who has taken all his tablets and in the right order, so no early alarms. Coach Allen already there and marshalling the troops. The only absentee jet setter Ollie Blakeman who is flying in to Bristol airport that afternoon. Hastily put back the photoshoot in the hope he arrives in time. Accommodation is disappointing, we have the small meeting room with no kitchen facilities. Given the unpromising weather forecast the management team is not looking forward to spending a lot of time in there with 14 boisterous 12 year olds!! The sleeping accommodation gives us three rooms for the players, meaning no one has a room to themselves, and this proves to be a bonus as management sorts the players in to the "quiet "room, "noisy" room and "away with the fairies" room.
Ollie arrives as photo line up is being organised, great rush to change and look presentable, and then it rains and team photo put off until Monday evening. Looks like we are going to have to be flexible this week. Old hands instructed to take the new boys and familiarise them with the school and their surroundings. Not sure they get much further than the tuck shop! New coach Sandy Allen makes an early claim to doughnut of the day at dinner when he remarks "It's just like being back at school dinners".
Decide on a relaxed evening, early night and start preparations for game one bright and early. Only have to threaten to send noisy room home once, before quiet ensues. Manager has sleep disturbed by seagulls, who wake him at 4.30 am.
Day 1
v St Stithians
Ollie Blakeman bowling Wicket for Max Hancock
Ollie Blakeman bowling Wicket for Max Hancock
A bright and breezy warm up bodes well. We discuss what we will do when we win the toss. Throughout the season we have batted first when we have the choice. This week might be different, there is a draw to consider and also the weather which might lead to reduced overs, which clearly suits the side batting second. All the discussion is superfluous as Cap'n Jack unsurprisingly calls incorrectly, and we are inserted. There is always the risk that losing the toss has too big an impact on a side, and they feel under pressure straight away. The discussion amongst the boys is encouraging, they agree it probably won't make much difference.
James Horler and Abraham Kopparambil get the team off to a steady, if unspectacular start. 37 from 14 overs. Slower than we would have liked but no wicket lost. Then comes the cardinal sin, two wickets in two balls. Abraham is caught and Freddie Ford gets a golden duck. At least we know who will be looking after Daffy for the night! Time to regroup and James and Jack Moore put on 33 in 7 overs before James is out for 30. Cardinal sin time again as Tom Simmons goes with the score on 72.
Jack and Luke take the game to the South Africans, scoring at six an over for six overs, before there is a disagreement over a run and the skipper departs.
Luke gets stuck on the crease soon afterwards and is LBW for 21. All of this is very familiar, top order batters getting in, but not going on to make a big score. To date there has only been one 50 from a Devon batter all season. What follows is even more familiar.... two wickets in an over as James White follows Luke back to the pavilion (well under the tree actually). Louis Morison(22) is aided and abetted by Ollie Pugsley and Max Hancock, and at lunch the side is 163-8 with 5 overs left. It is agreed we must get maximum batting points (175) and then all out attack to get as close to 200 as we can. Was anyone listening?
Two overs later we are all out for 171. Louis run out, still digesting lunch, and Ollie mistiming the big one over the top. Max is pleased with yet another "red inker ".
What follows borders on the bizarre. There is something about Devon on pitch 6 which causes strange things to happen. We are here twice so lets hope they are good things! Ollie Blakeman runs in and bowls two huge wides, just relax and don't try quite so hard. It is of course a cunning plan, he encourages the opener to push at the next ball and is very well caught by Max Hancock at slip. Luke Medlock opens the other end and bangs one in to the number 3 who hooks to fine leg where Ollie Blakeman finally locates the ball and takes the catch.
Luke and Ollie bowl 9 overs between them, and the Safas are 26 -2 from 9. Enter Abraham with his inswing, he continues the trend for bowlers by getting a wicket in his first over, bowling the surprised opener. Cap'n Jack doesn't want to miss out, and bowls his opposite number in his first over! 26-4 and the team is getting excited.When Max Hancock takes a stunning slip catch away to his right off Abraham, the visitors are 44-5 with 36 overs still to bowl.
Max is chomping at the bit, and his introduction doesn't disappoint, as he bowls number 7 ....in his first over. He follows this up with two more wickets in his first four overs, and at 75-8 at the halfway point Devon look shoe ins for the victory.
The lesson for the day is that Safas do not roll over and surrender, they fight. As Devon decide to go for the jugular by keeping their main bowlers on and attack the new batsman, the St Stithians boys show their ability and resist all that is thrown at them. Another wicket does not fall until the 38th over when a superb piece of fielding and throwing from the deep by Ollie Blakeman runs out the top scorer for 55. The score is now 134. The South Africans have a choice to make, do they go for victory, 37 off 12 overs, or the losing draw? They take the latter option, and despite the best efforts of the bowlers see their side safely to 161-9.
A disappointed Devon side troop off, but on reflection a winning draw is not a bad start against a decent side. Plenty of learning, and much to discuss.
Devon 171 (Jack Moore 32, James Horler 30, Louis Morison 22, Luke Medlock 21)
St Stithians 161-9 (Max Hancock 3-28, Abraham Kopparambil 2-20)
Devon Winning Draw
Day 2
v Lancashire Cancelled
A disappointing day. The game was due to be 40 overs starting at 11am as the England Lions were training at the school in the morning. The boys got to see stars like Ravi Bopara, James Taylor et al in the nets, but were frustrated not to get a game in themselves, especially as the rain came in fits and starts rather than the whole day.
There was the opportunity for a question and answer session with Craig Overton, who kindly came over to see the Devon boys when it rained. He was thoroughly grilled by the suddenly quiet and shy team who rose to great heights with their questions. "Can you sing?", "Will you come and play for Barnstaple when you finish your career at Somerset" being particular highlights. He did reveal that he had been a wicket keeper in his early days with Devon at Taunton Festivals. Somehow don't see Louis or Freddie ending up as nasty fast bowlers when they are 18 though.
The free time gave coach and manager the opportunity to set up a session on running between the wickets, the one area where they have been frustrated throughout the season. It was mildly annoying to see little enthusiasm from the players for this, and an agreed start time of 4pm being delayed by 20 minutes as players turned up piecemeal and without all their kit. Strong words from the coach galvanised the players, and the ensuing session was tackled with great gusto, and commitment. Max Hancock and Freddie Ford were especially impressive.
Day 3
v Hampshire
Doughnut Of The Day
Will Oxland Defending
Day 3 threatened to be as frustrating as Day 2. 40 over matches were agreed, starting at 11am or 11.30 on all pitches except Pitch 2 where Devon were due to play their old friends Hampshire in a seasons decider. The score currently 1-1. Hampshire being the only side to defeat ther U12's so far. Both Managers were of the opinion that if play could not start at 11.30 am then it should start after lunch, to prevent a very stop start game with interruption for lunch. This eminently sensible suggestion was dismissed by the umpires who pronounced that if the ground was fit we would start at 12.15pm and have lunch at 12.30 pm! It is fair to say that the Manager expressed his discontent with this proposal quite forcibly, and left the umpires to"Think again". After further consultation with Festival Organisers it was agreed to start a 40 over game at 1pm, although the umpires expressed doubts as to whether we could get a game in by 6.30 pm. It was pointed out by both managers that we had already played each other twice this season and both 40 over games went the distance and had finished well before 6.30 pm.
One further concern at 1pm as the umpires were unhappy that the bowlers landing point was still damp, and if anyone slipped then they would call the game off. Devon won the toss, elected to field and Luke Medlock was told in no uncertain terms not to slip under any circumstances when bowling. Instructions he carried out to the letter. What ensued was a cracking game of cricket.
Hampshire got off to a good start. They ran well between the wickets, as they had done previously, and punished some wayward bowling. 20 from 4 overs, and then Luke Medlock, fast becoming an important part of the opening attack, bowled the dangerous Metzger. Medlock also accounted for the hard hitting South to reduce the Hants side to 37 for 2 from 9 overs. Hampshire had struggled against our spinners in previous games and the introduction of the Famous Four Hancock, Read, Pugsley and Oxland did the trick again. Sam Read got in on the wicket in his first over act, and bowled his first four overs without conceding a run. Ollie Pugsley went for just over two an over, Max Hancock chipped in with 3 wickets and Will Oxland with 2. Hampshire were strangled, and ended 139-9.
Devon's reply saw an opening stand of 46 between Abraham Kopparambil and Will Oxland. It had used up 17 overs, and there was some pressure building. Will (39) and Sam Read moved it on to 87 from 30 overs before ...yes you guessed it , they were both out within 6 balls, carelessly run out as the scoreboard showed we now needed 52 from 10 overs.
A partnership of 30 in 6 overs between Jack Moore and Ollie Hannam kept us just about up with the run rate. Two wickets then fell with the score on 129, leaving 11 to win 2 overs. James Horler and Louis Morison were the lucky guys at the crease, and they got it down to 1 run needed from the last ball. Louis kept his head, dropped the ball down on the offside and scampered home for the winning run. Cue celebrations.
Hampshire 139-9 (Max Hancock 3-33, Luke Medlock 2-10, Will Oxland 2-19)
Devon 140-6 (Will Oxland 39, Ollie Hannam 18)
Devon won by 4 wickets
Day 4
v Surrey
Batting v Surrey Brains Trust (and Neil)
A fine day in prospect, with a full 50 over game on pitch 1. The show case pitch, but one where the Manager has not had the best of times.
Against the tournament favourites Devon unsurprisingly lose the toss, and are inserted. Surrey are overjoyed and with the score 17-3 from 8 overs, an early finish looked likely. Sam Read surveyed the carnage from the other end. He digs in and his 37 from 78 balls steadies the ship a little. Devon still go in to lunch on 113-7 with only 8 overs remaining. The message is simple, we must put in to practice the work we did earlier in the week and run the Brown Caps ragged. The Management look for 160 as a total. The boys think differently. Abraham scores 27 before he is dismissed, and then Freddie Ford and Max "red ink" Hancock give a masterclass taking 36 off the last 4 overs getting the score up to 175, and an extra batting point. Suddenly the game is in the balance. Hopefully the last 8 overs have shown what can be done if you have intent. Why do we wait until the end of an innings before we start to run the opposition around?
Ollie Blakeman takes his usual wicket in his first over. Ollie Hannam at cover taking the catch. Belief is beginning to spread. This is to be the only success for sometime, and the management is concerned at how quickly heads are dropping and intensity is lost. Perhaps we are too up and down. Harsh words are spoken as the game is drifting away from the minor county. Something needs to happen. At 80-2 their top scorer, batting beautifully gives a catch to the grateful Will Oxland. With 24 overs still to go, Surrey are favourites. At this point, Sam Read, a somewhat reluctant off spin bowler at the beginning of the season, bowls a tight spell of 10 overs for 20 runs, and all of a sudden the pressure is on Surrey. It takes another kick up the proverbial backside to get the team motivated, and suddenly the parents are out of their seats and believe as well. This is clearly a team that responds to the Sir Alex Ferguson hair dryer treatment at the moment. Hopefully we can get past this stage next season, and they can do it for themselves.
Luke Medlock, recipient of one of the kicks up the proverbial, responds with 2 wickets on his return and Surrey are left to cling on for a losing draw. A fine comeback for the Country Bumpkins against the City Slickers, leaving the Surrey coach discussing the interpretation of the wide rule with umpires. Methinks he got no change out of them.
This now leaves Devon one point behind Surrey going in to the final day. Devon play Gloucestershire on pitch 6 and Surrey are next door on pitch 5 against St Stithians. Spooky indeed. The last time Manager and VISS were with U12's they went in to the last day needing to beat Glos on pitch 6 and hope that St Stithians beat their opponents on pitch 5.
Devon 175-8 (Sam Read 37, Freddie Ford 31*, Abraham Kopparambil 27)
Surrey 156-9 (Luke Medlock 7-2-10-2,Sam Read 10-3-20-2)
Devon Winning Draw
Day 5
v Gloucestershire
The Secret Weapon! Nearly There
Long discussion about the plan for game. It was agreed we must win the game, with the most points possible. Batting first, in a 40 over game, getting to 175 and bowling the opposition out, is seen as our best chance. All goes to plan as Jack wins the toss. We bat. 20 off the first 5 overs and take it from there. Nerves seem to have taken over. Three maidens and then a wicket. 4-1 from four overs, and already 175 seems a long way away. There will only be one drinks break at 20 overs, so little chance to talk to batters and discuss the plan. As it is, drinks are taken at 18 overs after Abraham has hit the bowler in the head with a fierce drive. We are 43-3 . Jack Moore and Abraham need to bat long and positively if we have any chance of setting a competitive total. They get to 77 before Jack leaves a ball which canons in to off stump.
Abraham is now the key, he is supported by Tom Simmons, Ollie Hannam and Louis Morison with 20 run partnerships, as we reach 145-6 from our allocated 40 overs. Somewhat short of target, and again our intensity has been missing. This is the biggest game of the season and we seem frightened of it. Something to work on during the winter? If only we could get this bit right, we would be a very, very good team.
Being on pitch 6 we have 10 overs to bowl at Gloucestershire before lunch. This could decide the result. Ollie decides not to take a wicket first over, he waits until lthe second. It is our only success in a poor session. At lunch they are 31-1, only having scored 11 runs off the bat. Not good enough.
Management is almost resigned to disappointment, clinging on to the knowledge that strange things happen on Pitch 6. Coach decides not to rely on strange things happening, and having given the hair dryer treatment previously, gives it again, this time on full power. We have, all season talked about our performance being how we measure success. Clearly performance today has been poor in all aspects, and they have 30 overs to turn it around. There are a few niggles, and people not sure if they are fit to bowl, a few people blaming bad bounces and bad luck. Time to stand up and be counted boys.
Management take no credit for what happens next. Indeed we sem to have got it wrong as Glos march on to 76-2 with 18 overs left. Then things suddenly change. Max Hancock, he of the bad leg, takes 3 wickets just before drinks. The drinks break sees a different bunch of players. Suddenly it is all possible again. They remember how Gloucestershire collapsed at Barnstaple. Cap'n Jack senses spin is the answer, and proposes to bowl..... keeper Freddie Ford! Management agree spin is the answer, but suggest fairly firmly that it might be a good idea to bowl our recognised spinners first?
By the time we have taken drinks to the scorer and settled down, Freddie is on and Jack is avoiding our gaze.Ollie Pugsley and Sam Read have woven their magic and Glos are now 81-7. Freddie of course then takes two wickets in an over, both bowled, to take Glos to the brink of the abyss. Ollie wraps the innings up. Gloucestershire have lost 8 wickets for 7 runs. Never in doubt was it?
There is now the anxious wait to see how Surrey are getting on. There had been a steady stream of inquisitive Surrey parents, which had suddenly stopped. Surrey it seems are in some trouble against our South African friends. There is a slow decline until Surrey are comprehensively beaten and the celebrations begin on the boundary.
Devon 145-6 ( Abraham Kopparambil 45,Jack Moore 29)
Gloucestershire 83 ( Max Hancock 3-17, Freddie Ford 2-5, Ollie Pugsley 2-5)
Devon won by 62 runs
It is fair to say this team have found some extraordinary ways to get themselves out of trouble this season. It has been a roller coaster ride from beginning to end, and one I suspect we have all enjoyed being on, in a strange way.
Enjoy your success, and get ready to do it all again next season.
Devon Winning Draw
Day 2
v Lancashire Cancelled
A disappointing day. The game was due to be 40 overs starting at 11am as the England Lions were training at the school in the morning. The boys got to see stars like Ravi Bopara, James Taylor et al in the nets, but were frustrated not to get a game in themselves, especially as the rain came in fits and starts rather than the whole day.
There was the opportunity for a question and answer session with Craig Overton, who kindly came over to see the Devon boys when it rained. He was thoroughly grilled by the suddenly quiet and shy team who rose to great heights with their questions. "Can you sing?", "Will you come and play for Barnstaple when you finish your career at Somerset" being particular highlights. He did reveal that he had been a wicket keeper in his early days with Devon at Taunton Festivals. Somehow don't see Louis or Freddie ending up as nasty fast bowlers when they are 18 though.
The free time gave coach and manager the opportunity to set up a session on running between the wickets, the one area where they have been frustrated throughout the season. It was mildly annoying to see little enthusiasm from the players for this, and an agreed start time of 4pm being delayed by 20 minutes as players turned up piecemeal and without all their kit. Strong words from the coach galvanised the players, and the ensuing session was tackled with great gusto, and commitment. Max Hancock and Freddie Ford were especially impressive.
Day 3
v Hampshire
Doughnut Of The Day
Will Oxland Defending
Day 3 threatened to be as frustrating as Day 2. 40 over matches were agreed, starting at 11am or 11.30 on all pitches except Pitch 2 where Devon were due to play their old friends Hampshire in a seasons decider. The score currently 1-1. Hampshire being the only side to defeat ther U12's so far. Both Managers were of the opinion that if play could not start at 11.30 am then it should start after lunch, to prevent a very stop start game with interruption for lunch. This eminently sensible suggestion was dismissed by the umpires who pronounced that if the ground was fit we would start at 12.15pm and have lunch at 12.30 pm! It is fair to say that the Manager expressed his discontent with this proposal quite forcibly, and left the umpires to"Think again". After further consultation with Festival Organisers it was agreed to start a 40 over game at 1pm, although the umpires expressed doubts as to whether we could get a game in by 6.30 pm. It was pointed out by both managers that we had already played each other twice this season and both 40 over games went the distance and had finished well before 6.30 pm.
One further concern at 1pm as the umpires were unhappy that the bowlers landing point was still damp, and if anyone slipped then they would call the game off. Devon won the toss, elected to field and Luke Medlock was told in no uncertain terms not to slip under any circumstances when bowling. Instructions he carried out to the letter. What ensued was a cracking game of cricket.
Hampshire got off to a good start. They ran well between the wickets, as they had done previously, and punished some wayward bowling. 20 from 4 overs, and then Luke Medlock, fast becoming an important part of the opening attack, bowled the dangerous Metzger. Medlock also accounted for the hard hitting South to reduce the Hants side to 37 for 2 from 9 overs. Hampshire had struggled against our spinners in previous games and the introduction of the Famous Four Hancock, Read, Pugsley and Oxland did the trick again. Sam Read got in on the wicket in his first over act, and bowled his first four overs without conceding a run. Ollie Pugsley went for just over two an over, Max Hancock chipped in with 3 wickets and Will Oxland with 2. Hampshire were strangled, and ended 139-9.
Devon's reply saw an opening stand of 46 between Abraham Kopparambil and Will Oxland. It had used up 17 overs, and there was some pressure building. Will (39) and Sam Read moved it on to 87 from 30 overs before ...yes you guessed it , they were both out within 6 balls, carelessly run out as the scoreboard showed we now needed 52 from 10 overs.
A partnership of 30 in 6 overs between Jack Moore and Ollie Hannam kept us just about up with the run rate. Two wickets then fell with the score on 129, leaving 11 to win 2 overs. James Horler and Louis Morison were the lucky guys at the crease, and they got it down to 1 run needed from the last ball. Louis kept his head, dropped the ball down on the offside and scampered home for the winning run. Cue celebrations.
Hampshire 139-9 (Max Hancock 3-33, Luke Medlock 2-10, Will Oxland 2-19)
Devon 140-6 (Will Oxland 39, Ollie Hannam 18)
Devon won by 4 wickets
Day 4
v Surrey
Batting v Surrey Brains Trust (and Neil)
A fine day in prospect, with a full 50 over game on pitch 1. The show case pitch, but one where the Manager has not had the best of times.
Against the tournament favourites Devon unsurprisingly lose the toss, and are inserted. Surrey are overjoyed and with the score 17-3 from 8 overs, an early finish looked likely. Sam Read surveyed the carnage from the other end. He digs in and his 37 from 78 balls steadies the ship a little. Devon still go in to lunch on 113-7 with only 8 overs remaining. The message is simple, we must put in to practice the work we did earlier in the week and run the Brown Caps ragged. The Management look for 160 as a total. The boys think differently. Abraham scores 27 before he is dismissed, and then Freddie Ford and Max "red ink" Hancock give a masterclass taking 36 off the last 4 overs getting the score up to 175, and an extra batting point. Suddenly the game is in the balance. Hopefully the last 8 overs have shown what can be done if you have intent. Why do we wait until the end of an innings before we start to run the opposition around?
Ollie Blakeman takes his usual wicket in his first over. Ollie Hannam at cover taking the catch. Belief is beginning to spread. This is to be the only success for sometime, and the management is concerned at how quickly heads are dropping and intensity is lost. Perhaps we are too up and down. Harsh words are spoken as the game is drifting away from the minor county. Something needs to happen. At 80-2 their top scorer, batting beautifully gives a catch to the grateful Will Oxland. With 24 overs still to go, Surrey are favourites. At this point, Sam Read, a somewhat reluctant off spin bowler at the beginning of the season, bowls a tight spell of 10 overs for 20 runs, and all of a sudden the pressure is on Surrey. It takes another kick up the proverbial backside to get the team motivated, and suddenly the parents are out of their seats and believe as well. This is clearly a team that responds to the Sir Alex Ferguson hair dryer treatment at the moment. Hopefully we can get past this stage next season, and they can do it for themselves.
Luke Medlock, recipient of one of the kicks up the proverbial, responds with 2 wickets on his return and Surrey are left to cling on for a losing draw. A fine comeback for the Country Bumpkins against the City Slickers, leaving the Surrey coach discussing the interpretation of the wide rule with umpires. Methinks he got no change out of them.
This now leaves Devon one point behind Surrey going in to the final day. Devon play Gloucestershire on pitch 6 and Surrey are next door on pitch 5 against St Stithians. Spooky indeed. The last time Manager and VISS were with U12's they went in to the last day needing to beat Glos on pitch 6 and hope that St Stithians beat their opponents on pitch 5.
Devon 175-8 (Sam Read 37, Freddie Ford 31*, Abraham Kopparambil 27)
Surrey 156-9 (Luke Medlock 7-2-10-2,Sam Read 10-3-20-2)
Devon Winning Draw
Day 5
v Gloucestershire
The Secret Weapon! Nearly There
Long discussion about the plan for game. It was agreed we must win the game, with the most points possible. Batting first, in a 40 over game, getting to 175 and bowling the opposition out, is seen as our best chance. All goes to plan as Jack wins the toss. We bat. 20 off the first 5 overs and take it from there. Nerves seem to have taken over. Three maidens and then a wicket. 4-1 from four overs, and already 175 seems a long way away. There will only be one drinks break at 20 overs, so little chance to talk to batters and discuss the plan. As it is, drinks are taken at 18 overs after Abraham has hit the bowler in the head with a fierce drive. We are 43-3 . Jack Moore and Abraham need to bat long and positively if we have any chance of setting a competitive total. They get to 77 before Jack leaves a ball which canons in to off stump.
Abraham is now the key, he is supported by Tom Simmons, Ollie Hannam and Louis Morison with 20 run partnerships, as we reach 145-6 from our allocated 40 overs. Somewhat short of target, and again our intensity has been missing. This is the biggest game of the season and we seem frightened of it. Something to work on during the winter? If only we could get this bit right, we would be a very, very good team.
Being on pitch 6 we have 10 overs to bowl at Gloucestershire before lunch. This could decide the result. Ollie decides not to take a wicket first over, he waits until lthe second. It is our only success in a poor session. At lunch they are 31-1, only having scored 11 runs off the bat. Not good enough.
Management is almost resigned to disappointment, clinging on to the knowledge that strange things happen on Pitch 6. Coach decides not to rely on strange things happening, and having given the hair dryer treatment previously, gives it again, this time on full power. We have, all season talked about our performance being how we measure success. Clearly performance today has been poor in all aspects, and they have 30 overs to turn it around. There are a few niggles, and people not sure if they are fit to bowl, a few people blaming bad bounces and bad luck. Time to stand up and be counted boys.
Management take no credit for what happens next. Indeed we sem to have got it wrong as Glos march on to 76-2 with 18 overs left. Then things suddenly change. Max Hancock, he of the bad leg, takes 3 wickets just before drinks. The drinks break sees a different bunch of players. Suddenly it is all possible again. They remember how Gloucestershire collapsed at Barnstaple. Cap'n Jack senses spin is the answer, and proposes to bowl..... keeper Freddie Ford! Management agree spin is the answer, but suggest fairly firmly that it might be a good idea to bowl our recognised spinners first?
By the time we have taken drinks to the scorer and settled down, Freddie is on and Jack is avoiding our gaze.Ollie Pugsley and Sam Read have woven their magic and Glos are now 81-7. Freddie of course then takes two wickets in an over, both bowled, to take Glos to the brink of the abyss. Ollie wraps the innings up. Gloucestershire have lost 8 wickets for 7 runs. Never in doubt was it?
There is now the anxious wait to see how Surrey are getting on. There had been a steady stream of inquisitive Surrey parents, which had suddenly stopped. Surrey it seems are in some trouble against our South African friends. There is a slow decline until Surrey are comprehensively beaten and the celebrations begin on the boundary.
Devon 145-6 ( Abraham Kopparambil 45,Jack Moore 29)
Gloucestershire 83 ( Max Hancock 3-17, Freddie Ford 2-5, Ollie Pugsley 2-5)
Devon won by 62 runs
It is fair to say this team have found some extraordinary ways to get themselves out of trouble this season. It has been a roller coaster ride from beginning to end, and one I suspect we have all enjoyed being on, in a strange way.
Enjoy your success, and get ready to do it all again next season.
Happy Days