AFTER another awful week of heavy rain it was no surprise that Torquay, particularly with a first team game the next day, gave priority to their own game but Ian Western could not have worked harder to get the game against Cornwall on.
Despite a wet outfield the game started on time in bright sunshine but ended in cold damp autumnal conditions.
The coach described this as an old-fashioned game which was slightly harsh on the older cricketer but his point was there was a real need for the Devon batsmen to dig in and show some real application particularly from the lower order after losing four middle order batsmen for just 15 runs.
Devon won the toss and fielded. With his second ball Kersley Sutton removed Somerset Academy all-rounder Lewis Goldsworthy who had scored an unbeaten seventy-six last season for Somerset's Development team at Exmouth. He was well held down the leg side by James Doble.
Left-arm spinner Goldsworthy has also had a run in the Cornwall Minor Counties side.
Captain Wyatt and keeper Leathley added thirty-two for the second wicket. The keeper has featured strongly in this fixture for a number of years.
The Doble-Adams partnership took the next two wickets with Leathley caught behind in the sixteenth over and Trenoweth in the twenty-first. Cornwall were now 41-3.
Sam Read, who along with Kopparambil and Ford, was missing two T20 fixtures against the Western Storms at Topsham, entered the attack. Their presence was much appreciated and the results of the two T20 games made interesting reading and gave a huge insight.
Read missed a caught and bowled but bowled Bishop in the twenty-fourth over leaving the visitors 48-4. After twenty-five overs Cornwall were 58-5 when the oppositions captain was trapped in front by Read.
Onley-Gregson, not one 100 percent with a sore throat, had Lello, who had also played last year, caught by Taylor for a top score of 25.
Cornwall had now lost six wickets and were 14 short of three figures with one hundred balls remaining.
James Onley-Gregson caught Tretheway to give Freddie Ford a wicket on one hundred.
A further twenty-six runs were added for the last three wickets with the tenth wicket pairing contributing half of these runs.
Daley Holmes picked up two with catches by Sutton and Sapiecha and Eliott Adams caught Hearn off Onley-Gregson. Four bowlers had each taken a brace and lunch was taken.
It had been good to catch up with Matt Hunt who had coached the squad over the winter
Light rain had fallen during the first innings and the umpires had sensibly persevered but the weather from a bright start was deteriorating and it eventually became really cold.
With a drying outfield it was hoped that Devon would reach their target in a reasonably quick time as the required rate was just two and a half.
It most certainly was not a stroll as after 30 overs they were seven down and forty short.
Elliott Adams and Sam Read put on thirty-one off sixty-six balls, Read was leg before off Hearn's first delivery.
Abraham Kopparambil looked well set when not for the first time this summer he was stumped on the charge, to give Hearn a second.
Adams was on fifteen and Devon were two down on forty-five with thirty-four overs remaining.
The Abbotskerswell all-rounder was next to go after adding another 13 bowled by Lello.
Ben Sapiecha was showing sensible aggression and the alarm bells were not yet sounding. It was not long before they started.
First Jash Patidar was run out, unfortunately again without opening his account, Taylor was caught and bowled by Barnard, Ford was caught Leathley to give Barnard a second and the keeper stumped Holmes off Hearn.
Devon had fallen away to 82 for seven with Ben Sapiecha scoring all the runs off the bat, there had been four successive ducks.
The captain has proved to be one of the most effective and positive batsman at 17s when he has a clear target but he needs to work out an approach to incorporate his trust in his own ability to different situations such as this back to the wall contest.
Adapting his natural talent should not be difficult even when the ball is not coming through but he has to have a clear understanding of how to do it.
He will work it out and then be able to offer more in the tighter situations.
He will be missed in the Midlands.
The situation also had an effect on Sapiecha who had looked as if he could have ended the game in double quick time and he became more circumspect.
With Devon four runs past three figures he was caught by Goldsworthy to give Dark a wicket. His thirty-five was the top score of the match - another not going up to the Midlands.
Fortunately Onley-Gregson who has been Mr Reliable this summer and James Doble scored the remaining 18 runs off fifty-one balls in twenty-five minutes taking twelve runs off the forty-third over.
Doble had batted for fifty minutes to score his twenty-four and Onley-Gregson twenty-five for his five.
This partnership of twenty-three had been critical in setting up Taylor's first win of the summer had been built upon determination.
For the second successive game five penalty points were recorded this time in Devon's favour.
Byron Knowles joined his team mates who were sad to learn that his cricket season, that had been going exceptionally well, was now over for the summer a third who will not be going up to Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire.
