Devon Cricket Board - Exmouth waiting on mystery fast bowler

Exmouth waiting on mystery fast bowler

EXMOUTH captain Richard Baggs has unveiled a batch of signings for the season ahead – and revealed he has a mystery pace bowler up his sleeve.
The Premier Division title was snatched off Exmouth last summer by arch-rivals Sidmouth – and Baggs would like it back.
Strengthening the squad has been a tricky business with Exmouth running into problems finding a suitable overseas player.
Baggs has one pencilled in, but isn’t saying too much about him until he plane tickets are bought and paid for.
“Three different overseas players have been lined up to join us – and all three have fallen through,” said Baggs.
“We have signed someone who says they are coming, but the others said that too!
“Until I know he has bought his tickets, I don’t want to say who he is or exactly where he is coming from.
“What I will say is he is a West Indian fast bowler who has played Combined Universities at home and wants to come over here to improve his game in different conditions.”
Definitely on board for the summer are seam bowler Richard Sharples, batter Lee Evans and all-rounder Alvin Pollard.
Sharples is an opening bowler currently studying at the University of Exeter.
Evans, a Royal Marine, has played Combined Services cricket and Baggs has him pencilled in as a batting all-rounder.
Pollard is back for a second spell at Exmouth having been there previously in 2008. Last season he assisted Shobrooke Park having been with Alphington for the previous couple of seasons.
Arriving midway through the season is South African-born UK resident Mark Douglas, who bats in the middle order and bowls medium pace.
Exmouth have lost two players over the winter – Lawrence Greenway (Bradninch) and Seb Benton.
Benton’s future has been a topic for discussion all over the Premier Division since former club Paignton won promotion back into the top flight at the end of last season.
The speculation was he would return to the club where his father used to be captain and his brother opens the bowling. Wrong!
Benton now lives in north Somerset and has signed for WEPL side Bath.
“We had expected this to be Seb’s third and final year with us anyway as he has been travelling down to play for a while,” said Baggs.
“Seb has had a promotion at work and is now settled up there and feels he can’t give up the time to travel back to Devon every weekend to play cricket.
“He is a massively talented cricketer and it goes without saying we will miss him. However, you have to be positive and say it is an opportunity for someone else to move up the order and make that batting spot theirs.”
Benton made more than 900 league runs in his two seasons with Exmouth after moving from Paignton.
He played for Warwickshire 2^nd XI while at university and fitted in a few games for Devon before work got in the way.

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