- South Dartmoor back to winning ways in cups
- Tom Allin tournament raised more than £5,000 for air ambulance
- Taverners kit bag delivered to Sri Lankan youngsters
- Devon trying to contact the class of 56
- Paceman Tshepo running in Virgin London Marathon
- Five Devon women in Western Storm squad for Kia Super League
- Registration night for all ages at Topsham on Monday
- Lots pouring in for auction at Allin Memorial tournament
- Thames Valley Gentlemen Cricket Club
- Bradninch add Argentinian flavour to Devon League
- Ipplepen youth registration night on Friday
- Final call for Groundsmans first seminar this year
- Devon League official tackling London Marathon for charity
- Bovey on familiar territory in Aaron Printers Cup
- Brockman Cup - Cup Kings lie in wait for holders
- Shepherd Trust helps Kingsbridge build for sustainable future
- DCL - Umpire Appointments 2016 (May 7th - July 2nd)
- Long standing records beaten
- North Devon see off Paignton chase
FORMER team-mates Barney Huxtable and Mike Young ran into each other when Bideford faced Braunton in a North Devon League match – 6,000 miles away from their last game together.
Devon’s player exchanges and distances in both directions were made to look very small indeed when Bideford’s Young, a 19 year old from Durban, and Huxtable caught up with one another at Westward Ho!
Huxtable spent a 2010 South African domestic season with Young’s Berea Rovers Cricket Club, who play in the Premier League of the KwaZulu Natal Cricket Union League.
It was during his overseas engagement at Berea that Huxtable struck up a friendship with Young.
Thanks to some extensive social net working Young was placed with Bideford and over the summer the pals have taken some joint coaching workshops.
Paul Argyle, the Bideford secretary, said a tip-off from Huxtable about a highly rated cricketer he was playing with in South Africa led to Young joining Bideford
“We weren’t, for several reasons, going to have an overseas player this year, but when we opened some dialogue with Mike it was obvious he was desperate to come over,” said Argyle.
“He joined us in April and we’ve been extremely pleased with him ever since as he’s been a very successful find, finishing leading run scorer in our division
“For such a young man has a sound temperament and technique and although he needs to work on his all-round game if you can score nearly 1500 runs at approaching 50 on some of our tracks and having never batted outside South Africa before then you can play.”
“His 145 not out against Ivybridge in only his second Devon League innings was as good a composed and controlled hundred that’s been seen at Westward Ho!
“He got another two weeks later - 103 not out against a good Clyst Hydon bowling unit - so and although he couldn’t break up our established opening pair of Matt Allin and James Ford he demonstrated that he is a very promising top order batsman and we will monitor his progress with interest.”
“I know that both of them had been looking forward to Sunday’s game and inevitably I’m sure there was some banter and competitive rivalry when Barney opened the bowling against Michael.”
Argyle added that Young’s work with the colts at the club had been ‘first class’.
Young top scored with 55 in the home side’s 33-run win sealing the North Devon League Division One title.
Argyle later said “We are and remain extremely grateful to Barney for his recommendations and given the connection between the two it was a nice touch by him when he agreed to present Michael with a commemorative club cap."
Surprisingly last Sunday wasn’t the first time that their paths had crossed either as they both took part at the same venue in a pre-season evening T/20 game when Huxtable made a guest appearance for village side Petrockstowe. Young is his first innings for Bideford and not unusually for overseas players made a first-ball duck!
