Devon Cricket Board - Devon overwhelm Cambridgeshire in final

Devon overwhelm Cambridgeshire in final

The triumphant Devon team surround skipper Chris Bradley after the win over Cambridgeshire at March Town

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FINAL DAY SCORECARD + HOW DAY FOUR UNFOLDED

By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE at Burromore Road

JOSH Bess was named man of the match – and rightly so – as Devon trounced Cambridgeshire by 169 runs to win the Minor Counties Championship outright.

Devon had to dodge the showers and deal with bad-light problems throughout the four-day game between the Eastern and Western Division winners.

Cambridgeshire bowled Devon out before lunch on the fourth day for 195 – they had been 181 for seven overnight – which left them 90-odd overs to make 242 to win.

Bess had starred with the bat in the second innings with 54 and he and Matt Thompson (26) rescued Devon from a perilous 97 for six.

Skipper Chris Bradley handed Bess the new ball when Cambridgeshire went back out – and must have wondered if it was the right decision after the Sidmouth pacer was smashed for 17 in his first over.

Bradley kept the faith, Bess produced balls which were too straight for Peter Richer and to quick for Nick Ferraby as Devon got on the front foot.

Trevor Anning claimed opener Alan Burton thanks to a low catch in the slips by Bess and from then on Devon were the only side capable of winning, although Cambridge could hold on for a draw and share the title.

Devon thought they had Cambridgeshire 30 for four when Jon Atkinson was given out lbw to Craig Overton, but the umpires changed their decision after protests from the batsman that he hit the ball first.

It proved a decision on Atkinson’s part that backfired on Cambridgeshire.

“We were pretty pumped up anyway with a match to win and that incident really fired our players up,” said Devon skipper Chris Bradley.

“Our bowlers were merciless after that and bowled as well as they have all season.

“Josh Bess did the damage early on, Trevor Anning got two big ones after lunch and Scott Barlow finished them off.

“I was surprised how easily they crumbled, but I think they knew at lunch the writing was on the wall and had nothing left to play for.”

Cambridgeshire were 59 for five at lunch and collapsed like a pack of cards to 72 all out.

Anning picked up two wickets for three in the innings and five in the match, which gives him 29 for the season.

Only acting skipper Chris Bradley with 35 has taken more – and he took the last scalp when tail-ender Tom Mees was spectacularly caught one-handed at square leg by Barlow.

Roger Newman, Devon’s director of cricket, said Anning and Barlow had worked hard throughout the season to get Devon in a position where they could win the title, but without Bess coming good when he did it may have counted for nothing.

“Josh is a big match player and when the chips were down he delivered,” said Newman.

“His knock with Matt Thompson (pictured with winner's medal) In the second innings was absolutely crucial as we were in danger of not having enough to put scoreboard pressure on Cambridgeshire.

“We left them having to score more runs in the last innings than either side had done in the match up to then and one we got the first three out I couldn’t see them doing it.”

It was Devon’s eighth Minor Counties title and puts them within one of Buckinghamshire, who hold the all-time record with nine.

Day by day at March Town: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

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