The Final Devon v Lancashire

At the Derbyshire County Cricket Ground, Derby

Scorecard

The anticipation for this final was a wonderful Indian summer’s day with five hundred runs scored and the match won off the last ball. Despite the benefits of visualisation it was totally the opposite. A rain affected two days at the Derby County Ground with problems starting as early as the night before when there was heavy rain, then a break in of a Devon car with the removal of the sides training kit, baseball mitts, coach’s kit and perhaps of the utmost importance the loss of the scorer’s kit. Things went from bad to worst when two minutes before the exchange of team sheets the County Captain, Bobby Dawson, was injured in a freak accident and then rushed off to hospital. The toss was then lost and Devon lost the match by .27 of a run. This completed a hat trick in 2003 with Lancashire beating the County side in the C&G and the over 50s.

From the beginning then – after truly outstanding performances in winning the group beating the first class counties Somerset, Sussex and Essex Devon under 21s found themselves playing Lancashire 210 miles north at the Derby County Ground. With four of the squad already playing 90 miles down the motorway at Cleethorpes the squad left for Nottingham with high hopes. The threatened overnight rain arrived as did thieves in the night to miss out on digital cameras, radios and telephones and retreat with 15 baseball mitts, tennis rackets small bats, coloured pens, calculators and really useful cricket clothing all enhanced by a four letter surname and the number 19. A great haul! Next