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Losing a semi-final does not get easier, just ask the scorer, but in this case Devon were perhaps a catch or a decent top order partnership from playing at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury (where Matt Wood’s side played Durham in the final) in September. Life is not about what if’s, it is about what happens over the two days play. This was to be a straight one hundred overs a side with winner takes all affair. The weather forecast was interesting for the two days but way off the mark which made the booking of the cricket centre for a bowl out slightly foolish!! Play started on time on the first day after the Torquay team had worked overtime. Matt Kidd gave his side the best of starts bowling Simmons seventh ball for a personal and team 1. On eight he had Khan caught behind by Grainger. An ideal start. In at four came Adam Rossington, fresh from the England Under 19 Twenty20 squad that played Sri Lanka, with appropriate swagger. Rain resulted in an early lunch after sixteen overs with Middlesex 37-2 and with the additional hour virtually no time was lost. Middlesex’s captain Kettleborough had dropped anchor but was critically missed at square leg by two of the side’s safer hands off Jamie Overton’s first ball, second over after the interval, he was on 15. George Yates, who should have been in London celebrating his sixteenth birthday, then took the first of two important wickets, he yorked Rossington for a 41 ball 31. This really was a vital wicket as the noise level from the balcony reduced substantially and there was less of a swagger off. Middlesex were now 64-3 and it was time to regroup which they did well. Six past the hundred they were four down as left hander Gubbins was bowled behind his legs by off spinner Harry Booker. Haberdasher’s Selvakumar and the captain then put on the highest partnership of the game -76 in 170 minutes off 85 balls. Selvakumar was eventually unbeaten on 49 and faced 166 balls in 209 minutes at the crease – possible a match winning contribution as whilst he was at the wicket his side advanced to 284 from 106. Yates bowled the captain on 92 with his sides score on 182, a major recovery had been completed. Paul helped add 53 off 58 when Connor Bryan took another good caught and bowled. The same bowler with a Brown catch then removed Shah six runs later and Devon were getting back into the game. The eighth wicket fell in the eighty-eighth over when Porter gave Bryan his second catch to provide Booker with a second. Six were added for the ninth when Grainger then held another special catch off Craig Overton. The time was eleven minutes past six and if Devon were not to bat in the evening the clock needed to have gone past the quarter past. They were still trying to take the final wicket but it did not come until 6.36 and 32 additional runs when Jamie Overton trapped Mehta leg before for a contribution of eight to the partnership off nineteen balls. Extras had escalated over the second half of the innings and had contributed 13 to this partnership and 34 to the total, far too many wides – 23. The end product of 284 all out would have been taken at the beginning of the day and for the fifth time in the summer in the two day game the opposition had been bowled out – possible a first. The non batter was Cousens, allegedly semi blind, opening bowler from Harrow who had wisely ignored him on his run the previous evening. He had to stand in his path to be seen in the morning. It was again impressive that the two invalids took the time to support the side over the two days. Cousens reported on a conversation with David Graveney, ECB National Performance Manager, on his increased involvement at National level.The players went off to celebrate George’s birthday, you had to feel some sympathy for elephant as she most certainly was putting up some of the really undesirables from North Devon, would her home ever be the same. Still it was considered rude to ignore a staff enquiry, perhaps the second line should have been used as she would not have recognised it. In truth the support of the South Devon parents had been above the line of duty.
Matt Thompson was on his way to Cardiff after checking in on the internet at 6.30am, the other results seemed OK but the West Buckland Head Boy's standards have dropped slightly. Barnie was using the letter A a lot. The weather forecast was a shower at ten and no play after two, the availability of the indoor centre was checked; the scorer prepared a run/over chart and the game was delayed by 30 minutes following the predicted rain. It is anticipated that if Devon had been in a similar situation they would have taken the Middlesex approach, they were brilliant, first out for the warm up, good activity no moaning or complaining (although perhaps their player should not have expressed his view that he considered the pitch was a form of excrement in front of the umpire who had toiled for days preparing it!) they just got on with it – really annoying as it was just the right thing to do and actually set them up for the day. The game would be a game after 25 overs had been bowled by Middlesex, they did not sit back, slow things up and wait for the rain they were positive. Devon needed to be on 72 at twenty-five and the openers were told to just treat it as normal and review it as it got closer. In fact from the twenty-third over onwards Devon were in front of the clock. Sadly Huxtable did not last to 25, he did not even get halfway, he was dropped early at slip and on 24 was caught behind. It was essential that one of the senior batters batted through for the 16s to support but Mitcham was also back before the game had started. He put on the side’s best partnership 44 off 74 with Brown when off spinner Paul had him leg before first ball on the back foot. As all season he had looked good but again did not convert a 30 into a decent contribution, a huge disappointment for both last years leading batsman and the side. Craig Overton had come out all guns blazing but Devon then lost their captain in the twenty-ninth over, Brown was two steps down the wicket and padded up on the full to be Paul’s second leg before. The Overtons batted to lunch giving the impression that all was well in the world. No sign of any dark cloud, although the local former youth players were all confident that the covers would be on at 2.30, North Devon radar said 3.30 and it was pouring in Plymouth. Spotlight had much less blue in the Torquay area and it was now looking as if the game would go the distance. Unsurprising Middlesex had ringed from ball one but all that was needed was for the Overtons to bat an hour or so. Jamie was bowled fourth over after lunch 114-4 and inner thoughts were not that confident. Craig and Golding took Devon up to 137-4 when Craig Overton was caught behind off an inside edge and the false smile appeared. He was Devon's top scorer with 42 off sixty-three. George Yates had problems with Paul and looked as if he would have preferred to have been in London. He lasted 21 balls, seventeen off the spinner and was then caught by their captain. Connor Bryan lasted 28 another caught behind bowled Podmore 171-7, skies were bright. Meanwhile Golding was undertaking the games number 6 role batting very sensibly. Eaves hit two fours in his 18, another catch for the captain. Booker, who has played an awful lot of cricket, lasted seven for a duck . Grainger, who had been held back for such a situation – scoring the ninety needed set up tea. Golding and Grainger put on 32 off 25 and Devon were out of the competition at three minutes to five when Grainger was bowled Porter for 22. He had performed well all summer as had Golding who had another red inker -37*. Middlesex's openers were bowled out, Paul had three left so our opponents had completed the execution on the wire. Middlesex went on to beat Nottinghamshire in the final.
The rain came when the car was being loaded around six but it was nowhere near as hard as had been forecasted. We never play to forecasts but it would have been unwise not to keep an eye on the run rate and Devon at least got this right even if they were 57 short. It had been a good summer, more of that in the green book, the players had been a special group and will be remembered in the dotage, which is nearly on. Not a parent person but this lot were also pretty good and players and management do appreciate what they have done for us this summer. The 2011 season starts on the Midland Tour, let us hope it is up to this one. |
