Devon Cricket Board - Exeter bring in youngsters for cup clash

Exeter bring in youngsters for cup clash

EXETER are set to field a side with an average age below 20 in today’s Devon Cup first round tie with Ivybridge.
Tom Viljoen at 22 will be the oldest player in the side if skipper Jon Tipper gets his way.
The County Ground is bursting at the seams with talented youngsters and Tipper wants to give them a go.
‘The youngest player in the side will be Billy Searle at 16 – and Tom will be the eldest if everything goes according to plan,’ said Tipper.
‘Miles Lenyon probably would have been the oldest and captained the side in my absence, but something has come up and he has pulled out of both our games this weekend.
‘At the moment I am not down to play – and that’s fine by me.
‘We are putting out a young side not because we have to but because we can.
‘Over the past few years we have been building and building and now we have some cracking youngsters at the club.
‘This isn’t about giving anyone a chance in a game we should win. The team we have picked is good enough to win the game.
‘Our biggest problem as I see it is having enough people old enough to drive cars down to Ivybridge.’
Budleigh Salterton will be back at Ottermouth for the first time this season for their cup date with Barton.
Ottermouth was out of bounds last Saturday when Budleigh were due to play Cornwood in the league and the game shifted to the University of Exeter ground at Topsham.
Skipper Joel Murphy intends to name the same side on duty against North Devon yesterday – fitness and availability permitting.
Budleigh haven’t had the best of records in the cup for some time and Murphy would like to turn that around.
‘The cup has always been difficult for us as it is played on a Sunday when, traditionally, we have had thee, four or even five players away with Devon,’ said Murphy.
‘The difference this season is apart from James Burke we are not required to fill up the Devon team – and this year there is no clash with Deon games anyway
‘The side we have got looked well equipped for this time of competition.’
Barton captain Adam Parker also intends to put out the same side today.
Parker’s message to the players will be they need to keep it tight against Premier Division opposition.
‘We need to get off to a good start when we bad then look to bowl tight and not allow easy runs,’ said Parker.

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