Devon Cricket Board - Berkshire wipe out 83 runs from deficit

Berkshire wipe out 83 runs from deficit

BERKSHIRE fought back before tea on the second day of their Minor Counties Championship game against Devon at Finchampstead.
Devon were 167 runs ahead on first innings after James Burke and Josh Bess hit maiden centuries in a total of 354 for six.

Berkshire openers Bjorn Mordt (35no) and David Barnes (43no) had wiped 82 of that lead by tea as Devon toiled in vain for a wicket.

Earlier, Bess made 115 and Burke 144 as Devon totted up 354 for six.

Devon, 121 for three overnight, made it to 300 without further mishap before lunch.

Burke, whose previous best score for Devon was 96 against Oxfordshire last season, didn’t put a foot wrong on his way to three figures.

The first thing remotely resembling a chance came on 120 when Burke tried to hit Chris Peploe for a second six over slog-corner and was dropped on the line.

Josh Bess was two short of his first Devon ton at the break, but reached it soon after by hammering Gurveer Singh down the ground for four.

Bess and Burke had Devon’s fourth-wicket record in sight of 262, which was set at Paignton against Dorset in 1949 by Tom Troman and Norman Borrett.

It wasn’t to be though Burke’s long vigil – 226 balls, 262 minutes – ended when Singh bowled him.

The stand had been worth 232 during the 63 overs the pair were together.

Matt Thompson chipped in with a bright and breezy 24 off 20 balls at the end.

Bess was last man out in the 89^th over the mandatory 90 overs when Peploe had him caught behind.

Day one report

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