Having lost badly to Cornwall on the Tuesday Devon knew that if they were to win the Southern Counties title they would have to beat Wiltshire on their own patch at South Wilts in the final county youth game of the 2007 summer. The last game of any twenty-one season is a trip down memory lane as it is likely to be a number of players last county youth game. This trip was even more nostalgic as the squad decided they wanted to travel away together and stay overnight as a group. The music on the way up was sheer bliss with the first appearance of the summer of Walking , a reprise for Yogi and a Christmas track in August. Full use of the Inn was made, an enjoyable meal together and Barton Rules applied to the delight of the barman as Parker's twenty-first was celebrated. A reasonable breakfast, the ground passed necessitating a five mile detour with three point turns. In his last game Nick Watkin won the toss and batted what followed was one of the strangest tempo under 21 innings ever. Josh Bess completed an unfortunate three days by leaving one and being bowled neck and crop. He later scored runs at the weekend but might like to read Nick Knight's golden memories (no16) in the September Wisden Cricketer. Benton, still not recovered from his interruption to his bowling against Cornwall, watched his captain in mega aggression mode as the pair put on 25. Benton became Wazir's second victim in the ninth as Devon were scoring at seven with Watkin wiping it. The inform Piper and the captain took the score up to 82 in twelve when Watkin was caught for a thirty-eight ball 41 (9 fours). The run rate was exceptional but three key wickets were down. At 101 after fifteen it was four down as Dan Bowser was caught after hitting sixteen off fifteen. It was decided to stabilise and Andy Kingdon the ideal man. He lasted three balls and Devon were now five down after only sixteen overs and in big trouble, they had scored at just under seven but were confronted with the task of batting 35 overs to score another one hundred and fifty on what was undoubtedly the best track of the summer. They wasted 21 balls, scored at three and a half and the final product of 212 forty short of par. Piper and Parker put on Devon's best partnership of 54 in 77, Bradninch in the form of Piper and Acton put on 12 in twenty-one when Piper was bowled for 32. Ross Acton lasted another twelve balls, 174-8, Yau and Porter took the score past two hundred and the tenth wicket added ten runs. Porter came off for the second time in the week unable to hide his disappointment as he was again left high and dry. The home sides captain,county regular James Hayward took 3-21 with two caught and bowled.

This was always likely to be a difficult score to defend and Devon enhanced their reputation by fighting to the very end. The balance of their attack had been adversely affected by the injury to Benton and Matt Cooke being laid low the day before with influenza. Attempts to get promising slow left armer Chris Metters to play had failed due to transportation problems so it would be a mainly seam attack trying to defend the 4.24 needed to secure the Southern Counties title. Josh Bess opened up and took the edge of Able to be caught behind. Wiltshire were fielding their full side which due to clashes with Minor county games had only been possible on a few occasions. The key ingredient in playing Minor County players is their attitude when playing for what really is a development side, Able and Hayward and earlier in the week Matt Robins had been outstanding, making major contributions competing with totally the right attitude they were exceptional examples. The loss of Abel only brought to the crease the captain, who had only recently scored his maiden Minor County hundred. With keeper Morton starting slowly but gradually getting into overdrive the pair put on 70 off eighty-seven balls. Acton, who had bowled well all week, bowled Morton who showed his displeasure with a swipe. Wiltshire were pacing their innings well and after twenty-eight overs were five past the hundred. Despite a couple of miss fields Devon were giving it their all receiving genuine complements from the opposition. Bowser was taking the pace off the ball, Parker trapped Rowson in front for his last age group wicket. Under fifteen Pittman, who had batted well at Axminster put on 49 with Hayward, although he was lucky to survive a stumping appeal. Hayward was sheer class, interspersing classical shots with improvisation, his reverse sweeping was as clean as any and he was playing the best innings of the summer. Acton took out Pittman at 154 after thirty-nine but there were no further alarms as Kelly deprived his captain of a hundred by being undefeated on 18 off fifteen. Hayward's single off Bowsers last ball of the forty-seventh took his side to 213 and his own personal score 99. He had faced 146 balls and deserved the applause. It was a low key good bye with the Villa featuring again and really sad goodbyes. Nick Watkin and Adam Parker have developed into fine young men, it has been an interesting journey from Sidmouth and South Africa to South Wilts. The Little Chef provided the slowest service ever and made the Portugese seem like a very happy memory. There will be many happy memories from 2007 but will the music ever be so good again.