Devon still looking for first Championship win after 23-run defeat by Herefordshire at Plymouth

Jamie Stephens, whose dismissal was the beginning of the end for Devon

Day One report & card | Day Two scorecard | Day Three card

DEVON are still looking for their first win of the season in the Unicorns Championship after falling to a 23-run defeat against Herefordshire at Mount Wise.

Devon went into the third and final day on Plymouth’s ground needing 110 to win with six wickets intact and opener Alex Barrow still there on 40 not out.

The longer Barrow survived the greater Devon’s chances of victory – and both sides knew it!.

Alex Barrow - the wicket Herefordshire wantedSo Herefordshire were delighted when their first scalp of the day was Barrow, lbw to left-arm spinner Peter Burgoyne for exactly 50. Devon still needed 83 to win at that stage.

From then on it became a war of attrition with spinners Burgoyne and Ben Twohig operating almost exclusively and men huddled around the bat eager for a nick or snick.

Zak Bess (37) and Joe Hagan-Burt (28) kept Devon in the game until the former galloped down the wicket to Burgoyne and was stumped by a furlong.

Hagan-Burt and Jamie Stephens, who scored 97 against Cornwall in his last outing for Devon, represented the final hope of a win.

Stephens went first, caught behind trying to hook returning pacer Jamie McIlroy, which left Hagan-Burt and the tail.

One Hagan-Burt tickled Burgoyne to Matt Pardoe at leg-slip, the end wasn’t long coming. Toby Codd was run out attempting a suicidal single and last man Max Hancock went lbw to Burgoyne.

Hancock was Burgoyne’s fourth wicket in the innings and the 16th batsman given out lbw in the game. The last three wickets fell for three runs scored in 10 balls.

It was a disappointing defeat for Devon, especially after they had led by 90 on first innings after Josh Mailling (153) made a maiden Championship ton in a total of 271 all out.

It’s never easy picking a tipping point over the course of a three-day game that twists and turns from side to side, but Devon team chief Keith Donohue had a pretty good idea where this one went wrong.

“The afternoon session between lunch and day on day two was our worst of the season so far,” said Donohue.

“We seemed to lack energy and quality, without which we allowed Herefordshire to score runs we knew it would be hard to get back batting last.

“Having overcome losing the toss to get 90 ahead, we didn’t want to be chasing more than 160-170 batting last on a deteriorating pitch.

“We couldn’t take the wickets we wanted quickly enough between lunch and tea, Herefordshire got 290 and we were looking at 201 to win.

“Something between 160-170 was a tough ask on that pitch, so 201 was pushing it.”

Donohue said the plus points from the game were Mailling’s maiden ton and wickets in the first innings for Plymouth pace pair Joe Hagan-Burt and Dan Goodey.

“It was a hard pitch to score runs on until you got in – and that was how Josh played it on day one,” added Donohue.

It was Devon’s first game in Plymouth for 17 years. Donohue said returning to the city was long overdue.

“The crowds on the first two days – especially Sunday – suggest there is a desire to watch this sort of quality cricket in these parts,” said Donohue.

“Full-marks to the Plymouth club for working so hard to make the staging of the game a success.”

Herefordshire 181 (P I Burgoyne 76, T A Hage 36, J P Harrison 27; J A Stephens 4-54, J O Hagan-Burt 2-10, D J Goodey 2-40) & 290 (B J Twohig 64, P I Burgoyne 79, T A Hage 60; J Stephens 4-77), Devon 271 (J H J Mailling 153, A W R Barrow 29, D J Goodey 23; B J Twohig 4-87, P I Burgoyne 3-56) & 177 (A W R Barrow 50, Z G G Bess 37; B J Twohig 4-70, P I Burgoyne 4-58). Herefordshire (23pts) bt Devon (7) by 23 runs.