Devon Cricket Board - Devon forced to cancel first friendly

Devon forced to cancel first friendly

SATURDAY, APRIL 3

DEVON have taken an early decision to cancel tomorrow’s pre-season friendly against the University of Exeter on the County Ground.

The wintry weather over the last few days left the ground waterlogged and no prospect of getting it prepared in time for the match.

Wisely, Devon have two other pre-season games planned before the serious stuff starts on April 25 with a visit from Buckinghamshire in the Minor Counties KO Cup.

Devon have games arranged against Devon U21s and Cardiff UCCE at Exmouth CC on the next two Sundays.

Devon have been in the nets at the Ondaatje Centre on the University of Exeter campus since early February preparing for the season ahead.

Specialist coaching sessions have taken place with Hampshire bowler Kabir Ali and Notts batsman Mark Wagh as part of the shake-down process.

There’s a new regime running the playing side this season and some new thinking on selection.

New captain Hancock and Roger Newman, who has been appointed the first director of cricket, have been looking at players to add to the squad for the season ahead.

Among those either added or restored to the squad are Bovey Tracey off-spinner Chris Bradley and Sandford opening batsman Richard Foan.

Bradley has yet to appear in a competitive game for the county, but his Devon League record of 73 wickets in the past two seasons at below 10 runs each has caught the eye.

“We like the idea of having an accurate off-spinner at one end and a left-armer (Chris Metters) at the other during our 50-over games,” said Newman.

“Kabir Ali gets paid to play cricket and when he told me he thought Chris Bradley was a good bowler I took notice.”

Foan hasn’t featured regularly in the county side since the 2007 season. He averages nearly 30 in three-day cricket and has been given the chance to win his place back.

“One of the advantages of the new cricket centre at the university has been it allows the chance to work with players who need their technique polishing up,” said Newman.

“Richard needed a bit of work on one area of his game and we have been able to address it.”

Plympton’s Lewis Gregory and Millbrook-based James Burke have both been in the nets during the winter. Neither was in the squad for tomorrow’s match, but both are penciled in for the game next Sunday.

Gregory and Burke are both attached to Somerset during the summer, but are dual registered with their home county.

Nerwman said he hoped Burke and Gregory would feature more often this season having had talks with their boss at Somerset.

“I have been to see Brian Rose at Taunton and he is keen for James and Lewis to play more for us,” said Newman, a former director of youth cricket with Warwickshire.

“There have been problems in the past with Somerset wanting to limit the amount of cricket they play, or asking us not to use them as bowlers, but I think we can overcome that.”

Devon’s squad for the game against the U21s next Sunday is: N D Hancock (Sidmouth), A PW Allen (Budleigh), T S Anning (Exmouth), S Barlow (Bournemouth SC), J J Bess (Sidmouth), I E Bishop (Budleigh), D J Bowser (North Devon), C J Bradley (Bovey Tracey), R I Dawson (Budleigh), A J Dibble (Sidmouth), R J Foan (Sandford), R J Holman (Weston), D F Lye (Exmouth), C L Metters (Exmouth), J E Burke (Exmouth), L Gregory (Plympton), M Thompson (Torquay).

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