- 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
MATT ALLIN, Bideford’s enigmatic, mercurial wicketkeeper-batsman and all-time highest run scorer, capped a remarkable year of individual batting excellence when in finished the season with 3,181 runs in all cricket at an average approaching 70.Not content with in 2010 with becoming only the second Bideford player in history to register 2,000 runs in a calendar season (2169 at 49.29) the cumulative bar for locally accrued runs by a home-grown player in North Devon - and during the modern era - has been significantly raised with an additional 1007 runs for one term’s representative cricket.
Allin (33) played in a total of 72 matches, batted 65 times, to register seven hundreds and 25 other scores of 50 or more to finish with a final figure which according to reliable informed sources and official records is second only in the all-time listings for Devon amateur club cricket to Brian Roe’s record 1980 mark of 4,034 runs.
Roe (pictured right with Allin) was an interested spectator at Westward Ho! on August Bank Holiday Monday to witness Allin making 75 not out against local rivals Barnstaple & Pilton in the second match of its annual charity festival.
Former Somerset star Roe still playing North Devon League cricket on Sundays at the age of 74 said: “I thought he batted beautifully in that game.
“He is a very, very, good player and all credit to him as he has done fantastically well this season.”
According to Paul Argyle, Bideford’s archivist and statistician: “Matt’s total for this season is almost certainly the highest overall figure for a home-grown Devon club cricketer (batsman) for more than 30 years, but it could have been even more had he not posted two ducks and been either dismissed or undefeated in the 90s on four other occasions.
“Matt is a specialist opener who plays a lot of cricket so you would expect a player of his standard to accumulate big runs.
“While I think last season’s achievement of more than 2,000 runs was more pure and impressive in that like all good batsmen he scored vital runs at crucial times, but equally the importance of his contributions this term cannot be overstated either because whoever the opposition is or has been and whatever the conditions and situations he is a proven match winner as his five Devon and North Devon League centuries demonstrate.”
Further commenting on his new and overall club record Argyle added: “While his conversion rate and career average to date is not what it could be for a player of his ability, to still post more than 5,300 runs in two seasons including 12 hundreds in all competitions, match categories and formats is a seriously good achievement and makes him in my opinion - and in terms of actual runs scored - easily the leading batsman in North Devon.
“To score almost 1,000 runs by the end of May and to improve on his own club record and best season’s aggregate by also another 1,000 this year is reflected in just how attacking and aggressive his batting is because when he’s got himself in this season
“He’s been very difficult to bowl to, particularly over the T20 format, which doesn’t really or normally suit his game.”
Allin is the third member of his family’s cricketing dynasty; father Tony had a season with Glamorgan in the 70, played for Devon for 23 years finishing seventh in the all-time wicket takers list with 310 Minors victims while his younger brother Tom - also a youth product of Bideford - is on contract with Warwickshire.
Matt Allin interviewed at the end of another long, tiring, club season, said “It was a target of mine to try and get 3,000 runs this season - and I’m quietly satisfied to have done it.
“But I think I can still improve some elements of my game as I don’t feel I’ve peaked yet”
Paying tribute to both men Argyle concluded: “Brian Roe’s 1980 record mark of over 4,000 runs was an incredible feat of concentration and consistency and to appreciate just how impressive it remains; Matt’s achievement - as good as it is - still falls over 800 runs short of breaking it.
“However it represents the closest anyone will probably ever get to it because someone else is going to have to do an awful lot of batting and average around 70 per innings to even threaten his attempt.”
Do you know anyone who has scored more than 4,000 runs in a club cricket season in Devon? Contact Conrad Sutcliffe with details