We were greeted on Tuesday by a fresh sunny day. It is always a pleasure to play at Ventnor and although the twenty ones have visited the Islands best equipped ground in 2005 and 2006 this was the first visit for the sixteen’s since 2003 so it had been eagerly awaited. Robbie Debenham was in control of the music which featured some remixes so it was a relief that this was the shortest journey of the week. The warm up included a contest between places of academic learning and the toss was lost and we were inserted which was not a problem. Luke Bess went at 16 and Gareth Tidball 30 – both batters will be looking for much more in 2007. The record breakers, James Fletcher (37) and Robbie Debenham (30) from the day before put on 49 and Devon had again completed a steady start being on 68 after twenty overs. Fletcher was leg before in his eightieth minute at the crease. Debenham fell at 91 but the remaining batsmen continued to perform as they have been doing so and took the score up to 231 after 50. Tom Whittle played a typical innings and with James Parkin put on 52. There was an encouraging start to Parkin’s innings as he stroked his second ball for four. He went on to score a seasons best in what transpired to be one of his only two innings of the week. He batted sixty-one minutes for his 65 hitting 11 floors and if he can provide consistent innings of this quality he would be an automatic selection. In 2007 he will need to produce regular adult innings of this quality. He put on 54 off 36 balls with the energetic Sam Smith. Parkin was bowled playing a tired shot and the captain fell for the cause. One of cricket great pleasures is to watch batsman who are totally in tune with each other and one of the features of the season has been the batting of Sam Smith in the company of Andrew Buzza. Both are athletes, fit, have an ability to work or bash and both appreciate a run. For fourteen years we have been trying to coach running between the wickets these two should undertake a master class as they are as good as it gets. In 2007 it is vital that their skills are absorbed by others. They only put on 33 but it was in nine minutes off 16 balls. Lunch came and a feeling that another thirty might have been par for Ventnor – confirmed by the hard working locals but their spinners had bowled very well.

Eighty-four were added by Hertfordshire’s openers in twenty and another sixty looked necessary let alone thirty. Both openers, McConnell and Barnaby, played the Devon bowlers off the front foot with the best batting display from our opponents this summer, they drove hitting the ball hard and mainly on the ground as things looked exceedingly ominous. Barnaby then thoughtfully put a Buzza long hop down Sam Smiths throat at deep square leg but it still did not stop as left hander Hill took over and his side up to 126 after 28 overs when Thompson neatly stumped Hill with the ball leaving him off Debenham.                      Next