Some Thoughts from the New Captain, Matt Thompson
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Picture: Matt Thompson. Courtesy of www.ppauk.com
They say that new eras present exciting opportunities for those that have
been waiting in the wings. The 2019 campaign will certainly fit the bill
in that sense with the retirement of Josh Bess, one the great servants
to Devon Cricket over the last decade. Josh has been an immense figure
of positivity in the dressing room and on the
field, and his departure from the side is not
easily replaced. That said the county has been
well known for its resilience, determination and
toughness over the years and we will need to call
upon some of that as we move forward.
2018 was yet another reminder of our
competitiveness, reaching our second T20 Finals
Day and coming within 2 runs of lifting the KO
Trophy. One more wicket against Wales, minus one
of the best innings Cornwall’s Paul Smith will play
(throw in some more fortune down to the wire
against Herefordshire) and a Championship finish
of 8th could quite easily have been 2nd or 3rd on
another day.
We are starting to see players from our own
system establish themselves as excellent minor
counties’ cricketers, from the likes of Jamie
Stephens who is one of the first names of the
team sheet to Dan Goodey and Josh Mailling,
whose sparking century v Hereford at Mount Wise
demonstrates what he is capable of. Throw in the
classy Alex Barrow, Gary Chappell and Zak Bess, the dependable Josh King
and the youth of Max Hancock and Ed Middleton and we still have a strong
core across all formats to cause teams problems.
Even so, Josh’s departure leaves a sizeable hole on the batting and bowling
front, not to mention the reliable hands at first slip. Whilst we are a
county that has proudly not gone down the professional route before, the
changing landscape of Minor (or rather ‘National’) Counties cricket for
2020 means that we must ensure our long term future is at the pinnacle
of the game. That means ensuring a top five finish in the Championship
to be in Division 1 next year, first and foremost, and having the odd extra
bit of experience and quality is essential. It is fantastic therefore, for us
to acquire and utilise Peter Trego’s skills at various
stages this summer. Pete has been an influential figure
at Somerset for a number of years and will provide an
added spark that all of us can benefit from. Throw in
two of Somerset’s exciting youngsters in Casey Aldridge
and Ned Leonard and our bowling department suddenly
goes from being a little thin on the ground to having
some depth, and competition. Having worked with boys
at Millfield School, I know how important it is to have
the right types of lads in the dressing room and they
certainly fit that bill alongside our own players.
From my point of view it is exciting time to embark on
my second stint as captain of the county, an honour
that will never fade in its stature. My passion upon
approaching my ninth minor counties season is as
strong as it ever was from the U10 days! It was a tough
first stint three year ago at a time when we were not as
competitive as we would have liked; getting 11 players
together was an effort at the best of times and my
form did not help the situation. Those times I hope are
behind us and with one or two additions the coming
campaign promises to be an exciting one.
Whilst my availability across Championship cricket is likely to be similar to
last year (3-4 games), I am delighted that we have an outstanding assistant
in Alex Barrow. ‘Baz’ has a sound understanding of the game and more
importantly leads by example as a bloke and through his batting. Both of
us will be working as hard as we can to lead from the front and help our
young lads on their continuing journey.
Bring on the 2019 season!
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