Devon Cricket Board - Devon start countdown to new season

Devon start countdown to new season

DEVON get the pre-season shake-down process under way on Sunday with a low-key warm-up game at Axminster (1pm).

County captain Chris Bradley will lead a Devon XI against a Lions’ XI skippered by Sidmouth’s Will Murray.

The Lions are largely made up of Devon’s development squad and academy players, helped out by more experienced cricketers such as Murray, Cornwood’s Jason Hall and North Devon batsman Dan Bowser.

It may seem a bit early to be playing cricket, but Devon have their reasons.

The cricket calendar has been tweaked to avoid clashes with some of The Queen’s diamond jubilee events, which means the competitive season starts a week earlier than usual on April 21.

Devon start the serious stuff with a trip to Welwyn to play Hertfordshire in the Minor Counties KO Cup and have some players to find before then.

There are gaps in the side created by the resignation of former captain Neil Hancock, veteran batsman Bob Dawson and seam-bowling all-rounder Scott Barlow, who has joined Dorset as he now lives in Bournemouth.

So the three warm-up games – Somerset 2nd XI and Cardiff MCCU are the other two – really are shop window games.

Hall, a hard-hitting batsman who can bowl seamers, is likely to be a genuine contender for the side.

With Dawson gone an early order batter is needed, which may suit Paignton’s Seb Benton (left), his Queens Park club-mate Connor Bryan or Exmouth’s Barney Huxtable.

Filling Hancock’s all-rounder roll is a tall order, but among those under consideration are Torquay’s Nick Watkin and Sidmouth new boy Liam Lewis, who made one Minor Counties appearance last season.

The search for bowling talent is never ending, which is why Cornwood’s Mike Wood, Plymouth’s Sam Stein and Exeter’s left-armer Jack Richardson, who had a promising debut season last term.

Wood was set to play last season until Barlow changed his mind about joining Dorset and stayed put.

Wicketkeeping could be an issue for Devon this summer depending on the availability of Torquay’s Matt Thompson, who ousted Cornwall-bound Sandy Allen as number one stumper last season.

Thompson might miss one or possibly two games due to his commitments with Cardiff MCCU. Exeter’s Cameron Grainger would have been the obvious understudy, but he is in a similar situation with Oxford University MCCU.

So Devon are having look at Sidmouth’s Peter Randerson and Tavistock’s Rhys Davies, although asking Exeter’s Rob Holman to keep is an option as well.

Devon :T S Anning (Exmouth), S R Benton (Paignton), C Bradley, R Bougourd (Bovey Tracey), J E Burke (Budleigh), R J Holman (Exeter), B G Huxtable (Exmouth), L J Lewis, P J Randerson (both Sidmouth), M W Thompson, N S Watkin (both Torquay), M J Wood (Cornwood).

Devon Lions: D J Bowser (North Devon), C Bryan (Paignton), M Curtis (North Devon), R Davies (Tavistock), M Golding (Bradninch), J S B Hall (Cornwood), W B R Murray (Sidmouth), M I J Plowman (Budleigh), E Rice (Budleigh), J P Richardson (Exeter), S Stein (Plymouth).

DCB Ltd, University of Exeter Sports Hall, Stocker Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 4QN Company Registration Number: 7024773