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The previous six summers have passed in what it
feels like to me, the blink of an eye.
The excitement on being asked to be involved with
Devon CCC again was a very proud moment for
me. However, as I’ve said to many people, I believe
you have a certain shelf life in leadership roles.
Therefore, after a lot of soul searching I decided that
at the end of the 2018 season I would move on and
allow others to take over at the helm.
I wish to emphasise that this was a hard decision as
I’d had a wonderful experience alongside the players
and a large part of me wanted to stay with them on
their journey.
My overriding memories of the six seasons are of fun and pride.
Fun in the way that I could sense the individual players enjoying
themselves in the heat of battle and pride in the way the team
represented the county. Indeed, I was very fortunate to have
nominated a captain and leader on the field in Josh Bess who
epitomised all that I hold dear on the cricket field.
Josh was honoured to be captain, he was very combative and
competitive, fair and honest, but always respected the game and
his opponents. His leadership got us through some sticky times
but more importantly made everyone feel that they were part of
something special and meaningful. Josh’s leadership was very ably
supported by Matt Thompson who himself took on the captaincy for
two seasons while Josh was in Australia. Matt, I believe, could quite
easily go on to be equally as successful and popular as Josh given the
opportunity and support. To both, I say a huge ‘thank you’.
Being part of team sport, albeit mostly from the sidelines, is a hugely
rewarding experience. To have experienced this for six seasons with
the team will live long in the memory. The laughs, the
victories, the disappointments and heartbreak all create
a heady cocktail that is almost impossible to replicate.
The stand-out factor though is the people and in our case
the players. From our unsung stars such as Josh King,
Liam Lewis, Jack Dart, Jack Popham, to our stand-out
performers Josh Bess, Matt Thompson, Trevor Anning,
Matt Golding, Jamie Stephens, Rob Woodman, Zak Bess,
James Burke, Alex Barrow, Scott Barlow and all those who
have represented the county during my time. Without
exception they have been fantastic people who have
shown a willingness to put their team and collective goal
above their own.
I also have to pinch myself when I think of the talented young
players we have seen in a Devon shirt in recent times some of
whom have gone on to scale the cricketing ladder to the top. Craig
Overton, Jamie Overton, Dom Bess, Ben Green, Tom Lammonby
and Ryan Stevenson are just a few to mention. Again, these young
players displayed all the great human qualities of their team-mates.
Hopefully you won’t have minded me singing the praises of our
players who after all are what it’s mainly about. On that note I
think I would just like to say that I think Zak Bess is one of the very
best amateur cricketers I have ever seen and truly hope he gets an
opportunity before it’s too late to show this in a professional setting.
Finally, a big thank you to all those involved with Devon CCC who
have encouraged and supported me and the team, thanks to the
team for allowing me to be part of your journey and thank you to
everyone who has followed us as a supporter.
Keith Donohue
Director of Cricket 2013-2018
Keith Donohue, Director of Cricket 2013-2018
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