Forty years ago the cricket season would run into October, but that was when Britain would not just experience reasonable summers but decent Indian summers. The 2008 under 16s experienced at Axminster on August 11th what it would be probably like to play in November! If the 2007 season was one of the worst for poor weather, 2008 seems determined to outdo it, as for the second successive year the second day of this two day game with Somerset was lost. New territory is being entered as after seventeen years this was the fifth day of the summer when not a ball would be bowled and the players would not need to attend – a new record.

In extremely overcast conditions with spasmodic drizzle the game was transferred from the main ground to the new playing area. An amazing transformation as this delightful ground two years ago were extremely uneven fields. The Somerset captain called correctly and Devon fielded the Isle of Wight festival squad minus Will Gater, who had been selected for a sapping double debut the previous weekend for his club in the Premier and Senior Cup and had requested a break. Luke Tuckett agreed to drop down to order to enable Henry Parkin to push for a top order spot on the Island but with Matt Thompson only ten were added when Parkin was caught behind off Jefferies having contributed forty percent of the partnership. The second wicket put on the second highest partnership of the innings adding nineteen and it looked as if the difficult conditions were being overcome. The impressive Cornish, bowler not county, trapped Thompson leg before and five runs later bowled Stevenson. On the same score and in the same manner Lewis departed to leave Devon in real trouble on 33-4 after fifteen overs. It was 49-5 after twenty-one as Cornish cleaned up his fourth victim, the home captain. On sixty-two, just before lunch, the recently introduced Lintott picked up two leg befores removing Tuckett who had batted for three minutes under the hour and Debenham third ball. Last summer Lintott had done exactly the same removing Williams and Stephenson in similar manner, a message there when batting against this unorthodox spinner. Lunch was taken at 61-7 off 30 overs, the placement of the covers on the pitch interrupting some of the salads. Miles Lenygon was proving a point, looking in no trouble and picking up useful runs. With Tom Field, who was making his debut at the crease, the pair put on the best partnership of the innings and it looked as if the record books could be put away and that the lowest scores under 110 would not be added too. Not to be as on 83 Field was caught by Cornish after battling for 39 balls. Toby Ingham did not enhance his batting reputation and with Lenygon given the go ahead to play his shots he was stumped after 85 minutes at the crease and facing 64 balls. The records will be amended to include the fifth lowest score by an under 16 side – not a great performance albeit on a slow dampish track. Something they are likely to experience the following week so some techniques may have to be tweaked.

The Somerset openers got their side within four runs of putting on half the target in seventeen overs when Ryan Stevenson struck, a loud appeal resulted in the finger being raised but he had in fact bowled Cornish, who had completed a fine all round performance scoring 29. In his next over he struck again and bowled Thorpe and his name was requested by the black tinted glazed Chelsea tractor, presumably housing the Somerset scout. Somerset was still not hallway there at 45-2 but they got within eighteen runs when Debenham's flighted ball out foxed Ellison. The target was reached in thirty-eight overs. Peter Steer and Alex Carr replaced the off spin attack. Carr must have been wondering when his next spell was coming as he had travelled down to St Austell and Burnham without bowling an over. In fairness no one bowled at St Austell! He should have had Tanner caught at cover from a fairly routine catch. Indeed Devon had shelled a couple of chances but reassuringly Luke Tuckett, who was keeping to give Thompson a rest, had put on a near faultless performance. Perhaps he needs to work on his appeal which tends to be 30 seconds behind the rest. It was Barton’s second team keeper, Steve Lewis, who then took an excellent low catch to remove Tanner in the next over off Steer. That was that, the talented visitor’s captain Spurway had ensured his side first innings victory but having passed the target there was a very strange period of cricket up until close of play when twenty runs were put on in fourteen overs. The visitors captain’s strike rate was interesting, he scored five off his first forty balls, twenty-one off the next eighteen balls and twelve off his last fifty-two balls. Toby Ingham’s figures were particularly impressive nine overs, six overs for nine runs. The umpires had somehow managed to ensure the full one hundred and two overs being bowled in a dull wet autumnal day.

Phone numbers were exchanged, radars scanned, the coach confident that some play would take place the following day and an 8.00am inspection arranged. The radar was fairly accurate it pelted for two and a bit hours from 2.00am -5.00am and an Exeter milkman texted FiveAlive at 3.00am thanking them for their outstanding Olympics coverage as he was in the middle of a monsoon. What is particularly disappointing is that the message was heard live! Also as promised Tuesday started with a deep rich cloudless blue sky, drying wind and extremely warm sunshine. What was an early clue was the large puddle outside the Axminster base as the short journey to Cloakham Lawn was undertaken. The day had started as one of the best days of the summer and the two grounds looked in pristine condition as the lane was navigated and the early dog walkers avoided. A non smiling (second clue) Phil Spong conducted a tour of the two grounds and the final clue was the water enveloping the clean brown shoes fresh for the chino’s debut the following day. Despite ample covering the new ground was a total no hoper and although the Axminster curator offered the main ground, subject to it not raining again and at least three hours drying, common sense prevailed and the phone calls, with the Coaches invaluable help had been made by the pre agreed deadline. It remained one of the best days of summer, despite a sprinkle at 11.00am and the unplanned rest day enabled a visit to be undertaken to the scene of the French Lieutenant Woman. It looked as if the forecasters had got it totally wrong until Axminster was returned to and before the Archers repeat had started the heavens opened and grave concern was experienced about the following days play at Exmouth as the forecast for the rest of the week was typical of the summer. The remainder of the rest day ensured that the Fantasy points were updated.