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It was another bright and sunny day as was the journey up from Woodbury to the excellent Chippenham Sports Ground, scenes of success in the nineties but now much changed. It suddenly became fraught with a possible need to call at Leigh Delamere to rescue three members who had been in training for Sunday’s Silverstone Grand Prix. Fortunately it was an incorrectly inserted digit that was the problem not the Tesco car insurance. The side showed a couple of changes Elliott Acton came in for Chris Metters, again playing for the twenty-fives and under 16 Max Curtis was at the start of a very busy programme with the 16s and 17s, His place went to Jamie Overton who had been twelfth man for the county at Eastnor Castle at the beginning of the week.
It felt like the hottest day of the summer so Smith was again under pressure to win the toss and heads again was the wrong choice. It actually clouded up but was still fairly oppressive as Devon took the field. Matt Hickey put in another economical opening spell going for a run an over off his seven. Toby Ingham was holding his back in his first over and was immediately replaced by Gilmour. After fourteen overs Wiltshire were 47-0 and Devon were not fielding to their normal standards and they generally looked untidy. Jamie Overton had his first bowl and the captain also tossed the ball to Eliott Acton. It was Daniel Hardy that took the first wicket when with his first ball he bowled Wilson. After nineteen overs Wiltshire were 71-1. They advanced to 88 after twenty-four when the fielding suddenly reached a different level as Buzza picked up cleanly on the boundary and sent in a rocket throw to Thompson and Wiltshire’s promising Qureshi was run out for 31 off 77 balls. Chappell and Hardy were bowling well and on 92 the left armer had the Wiltshire captain, Miles, well caught by Thompson. Nelson struck again when Clark was leg before to Chappell. Fifty-three were added for the fifth wicket, Hardy had completed an important spell and Chappell’s final two overs were conserved. Gilmour and Buzza came back but Smith decided to bring back Chappell early to bowl the forty-second and forty-fourth overs. It worked but not a direct wicket to Chappell but some fantasy points. Young Mynott, who had been batting well hit the ball hard at Joe Smith at short extra cover and ran. Smith parried the ball to Chappell who threw to Thompson and the batter was on his way home for a 55 ball thirty. Devon conceded 6.25 off the final eight overs with Buzza picking up two wickets. He trapped Rowson in front and Thompson, who had been standing up exceptionally well to all the seam bowlers, stumped his opposite number Hawkins. The chase would be at a rate of 4.3 which at various times, in particular when the five was conceded, looked as if it might be steeper.
After the second over Devon were 21-1 Buzza was back with his friends for 12, caught and bowled. Twenty-three were added for the second, not without some playing and missing and this was not to be the day that Thompson scored his first youth ton. He was caught behind for 7. One hundred and six were added in twenty-two overs by the accomplished Hardy and Huxtable. Huxtable had now passed his third successive fifty for the twenty-ones, more research needed, when Hardy fell meekly for a vital 33 off 63 balls, four which crossed the rope. Sam Smith gave Wilson catching practice, he had fielded earlier to his own very high standards and Jamie Overton strode to the crease to bat with his under 17 colleague Barnie Huxtable. The tempo changed as Devon added 35 when Huxtable fell twenty-five short of the ton he must get at this level this summer. Thirty-eight overs gone 184 on the electronic scoreboard five wickets down, Devon required 31 off 12 =2.58/ over. Corporal Jones would not need to reassure the captain. Joe provided two runs to the total, glared at his partner who declined a three and who was then allmost imediately caught for what had been an excellent debut knock. Overton had scored at just short of a run a ball – 36 off 39, seven fours – a good start. Smith then was leg before next over 196-7, slightly devaluing the glare, with just 19 needed off 45 balls with quality batting all the way down. Gilmour was dropped off an absolute dolly at short mid wicket then decided attack was the best form and scored an eleven ball 21. Game over. Another very good performance with some attention needed in certain areas. Scorecard |
