It was mid winter when the side arrived at Axminster, bright lights from the Pavilion shone out, dark black clouds overhead and a generally miserable atmosphere as the warm ups started. We had been exceptional fortunate the previous four days with a decent day at Axminster on Monday, a wet day off at Woodbury on Tuesday, one of the best days of the summer on Wednesday at Exmouth and the second day a reasonable if mixed day on Thursday when Devon completed the second win of the week against Wiltshire. This game had grown in importance as the 15s had progressed to the quarter finals of their cup competition which if they were to beat Oxfordshire would rule out the fifteens for contention for places to the Isle of Wight Festival in August. Haberdashers won the toss and invited Devon to bat. Justin Williams completed one of the more rapid promotions from eleven against Wales to open in this game with Matt Thompson. The pair batted for one hundred and thirty-eight minutes putting on 79 when Thompson missed one and was stumped by Cook, who has been a regular performer in these fixtures and gained his first team colours at tea. Harry Stephenson who had been on Duke of Edinburgh duty for the first game faced 14 balls before he was leg before. Adam Dibble who was helping with the balance of the side after two successful days with the seventeen’s lasted a ball more and scored three more runs. The home side were now 104-3 after 32 overs. Rob Shergold scored a thirty-nine ball 22 and was out in the forty-fourth over with the score on 153. It was now an unbroken Blundell’s partnership that took the side to 208 at the end of the fiftieth over. Smith hit an unbeaten 32 off seventeen and Williams had passed his highest county score of 81 against London Schools in 2004. His fifty had come up in two minutes under the hundred having faced 92 balls he faced the last over needing 9 for a century. Smith had run him ragged and he was looking decidedly tired, having batted through the innings and he scored 2, 4, and 1 to take him up to 96 facing the last ball. He smashed it back to the bowler, it had four all over it when Smith got in its path, it struck his arm at fortunately at real pace and sadly realised only a single. Some friend Sam Smith. Fot those who enjoy the history of the game the visitors included a grandson of a great cricketing dynasty - T.Edrich.

 

Dibble bowled a maiden, Metters took a wicket with his second legitimate ball when he bowled Malder, the second wicket pair of thirteen year old Patel and captain Soni put on 41 when Carr had Patel caught by Hickey on his ninth ball. It was 56-3 after twenty-two overs when Jack Dent, on his county debut, bowled the second Patel. Thirty-three were added for the fourth pairing when Dibble extracted some more bounce and took the key wicket of Soni - caught and bowled for 52. Twenty nine overs and Haberdashers were scoring at 3.10 an over with the required rate 4.16. The weather was becoming more depressing and rain looked a certainty as Haberdashers progressed to 113-4 after 39 (2.89) and the heaves opened. The fact that any cricket was played was a tribute to Phil Spong and his team at Axminster, a minor miracle in this awful summer. Smith had completed a useful game as captain. The selection policy for the remainder of the season was revised in line with the 15s success and the teams to take on Cornwall and Worcestershire finalised.