Devon take command in last session

 

HISTORY MAKERS: Brothers Jamie (left) and Craig Overton, who became the first twins to play together in a senior Devon side when selected to play against Oxfordshire - pictures Mike Overton

 

OXFORDSHIRE v DEVON – DAY ONE

 Match podcast | day one interviews with Roger Newman on Hancock and Anning

SKIPPER Neil Hancock dug Devon out of a hole after a disappointing performance by the frontline batters on the opening day of the game against Oxfordshire at Great & Little Tew CC.

Then Trevor Anning took three wickets in his first five overs to put Devon in the driving seat as Oxfordshire collapsed to 52 for six at the end of day one.

Anning had Damien Shirazi caught behind, snared Andy Jewell lbw and bowled Richard West with a beauty to leave Oxfordshire 19 for three.

Craig Overton and Chris Bradley among the wickets too as things went from bad to worse for Oxfordshire, who lost Jimmy Phillips to the last ball of the day when Overton bowled him offering no shot.

It was a great ending for Devon, who had looked unconvincing at times when they batted.

A new-look batting order had David Lye in at three and Craig Overton at six with Hancock dropping down to seven.

Only Lye – out first ball – and Josh Bess missed out completely, but no one in the top six made more than opener Rob Woodman with 32.

Oxfordshire’s indefatigable opening bowler Chad Keegan – 25 overs in two long spells - had all but one of the wickets to fall as Devon dipped to 106 for five.

It almost got worse immediately as Hancock was dropped at mid-wicket in single figures, a costly slip by Oxfordshire as they quickly found out.

Hancock (pictured) held the middle order together with a knock of 63 and fashioned important stands of 66 with Sandy Allen (33) for the seventh wicket and 28 for the eighth with Jamie Overton.

Every little helps – as the commercial used to say – so a last-wicket partnership of 26 between Trevor Anning and Chris Bradley didn’t go amiss.

Devon’s day started brightly enough with openers Rob Woodman and James Burke hoisting 60 without loss. The stand ended when Woodman (32) had his leg-stump flattened by Keegan.

Lye went fishing outside off-stump next ball down and went caught behind. Then Keegan made it three out of three by having Burke given out lbw.

Bess doesn’t fail often, but 17-year-old left armer Matty Taylor twanged his stumps for four as Devon dipped to 78 for four.

Bob Dawson was straightened up and bowled by Keegan for 19 – bringing Hancock in at five down – and Keegan collected scalp number five soon after when he jagged the ball back into Craig Overton’s pads.

Hancock and Allen restored some semblance of calm to the batting as they put on 66. Allen, who was batting well, came off clearly irritated with himself for having a swing at a nothing ball drifting down the leg side and getting caught behind off the bottom edge.

Spinner Jamie Phillips won an lbw shout against Jamie Overton with the last ball before tea.

In the over after the interval Hancock went a wafting outside off-stick to Keegan and was caught down on the third man boundary by Shirazi.

Devon 251 (N D Hancock 63, R J Woodman 32, C Overton 26; C B Keegan 6-54), Oxfordshire 52-6 (T S Anning 3-5, C Overton 2-5). Bonus points: Devon 3, Oxfordshire 4.

 
Great & Little Tew CC near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire 

 


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