Devon sign spinner Shepherd ahead of Championship opener against Wales

Kazi Szymanski – restored to the Devon side against former county Wales

DEVON have signed left-arm spinner Max Shepherd ahead of the National Counties Championship curtain-raiser against Wales starting on Sunday.

Team chief Dave Tall has been wrestling with selection problems ahead of the three-day game at Abergavenny.

Work commitments have ruled out numerous regulars including skipper Jamie Stephens and seamers Dan Goodey and Matt Skeemer.

Ed Middleton - seconded to Gloucesterhire 2nd XIJonty Walliker, Plympton’s bowling all-rounder, would have been an option had he not already committed to playing in a school old-boys’ festival next week.

And Devon’s problems were compounded when Gloucestershire asked them to release leg-spinner Ed Middleton for a four-day 2nd XI game.

Gloucestershire’s way of repaying Devon was to allow them to register Shepherd for National Counties action. He is a second-year academy scholar with the county having gone through the age-group system first.

Shepherd has played second team cricket for Gloucestershire in four-day and T20 formats. He plays WEPL cricket for Cheltenham.

Calum Haggett will lead the side in Stephens’ absence, reprising the role he filled at times during the 50-over KO Cup group games.

Devon’s side is, in many respects, much the same as the one that finished last season with the exceptions of Fahad Sabir, Hugo Whitlock, Kazi Szymanski and Jamie Baird.Chris Bradley - six wickets at Pen-y-Pound in 2010

Spinner Sabir proved more effective in one-day rather than three-day cricket in 2021 and was replaced for the later games.

Pacer Whitlock, previously a regular, missed the 2021 three-day season due to fitness issues.

Szymanski made an instant impression on his debut last season – eight wickets on debut against former county Wales at Sandford – but availability problems restricted him to just one more game and five more wickets.

Sidmouth batter Jamie Baird returns to the Devon scene after an absence of three seasons.

Devon’s last visit to the Pen-y-Pound ground was a successful one as they defeated Wales by 219 runs.

Devon set Wales 385 to win in the fourth innings, but bowled them out for 166 with off-spinner Chris Bradley taking six for 34.

Devon (from): C J Haggett (Shapwick & Polden), M W Thompson (Congresbury), J D Horler (Exmouth), E H Hamilton (Plympton), S O Read (Exeter) A J Small (Sandford), B A Beaumont (Cornwood), J W Baird (Sidmouth), M B Shepherd (Cheltenham), K B Szymanski (Swansea), F Sabir (Ombersley), H M Whitlock (Kenilworth Wardens).