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Tom Andrew was to follow him back to the pavilion after adding, with his captain, eight. After thirteen overs, the signs were perhaps changing, Devon were on 58-2. Six overs later the captain departed seven short of his fifty - 68-3. Noah Wright and Joe Hagan-Burt took Devon to lunch on a just above par of 131-3 off thirty overs with Wright one short of his fifty. An excellent cottage pie was enjoyed followed by an equally popular cheesecake and fruit. Little Stoke were yet another club who could not have made us more welcome. Wright reached his fifty with a four off the first ball after lunch and then put his foot down as he reached ninety-six off the first ball of the thirty-eighth over but two balls later he was out. His second outstanding innings of the summer had lasted just eighty-six minutes and he had faced seventy-eight balls. He hit sixteen fours and two sixes in a terrific counter attacking knock that the coach thought, well hoped for the side, would go on to a double hundred such was the control he was exercising He had added one hundred and twenty-one runs with the ever consistent Hagan-Burt in three minutes over the hour, another exceptional partnership which was the highest fourth wicket partnership of the summer by the margin of 49 runs. In a minute under the hour Hagan-Burt and Ed Bragg put on fifty-five off one hundred and six balls when Hagan-Burt was leg before for fifty-two. His fifty had come off ninety-nine balls and he had stroked seven fours. Devon were now five down with two hundred and forty-four on the board. However the last five wickets only added another thirty-eight runs which is simply insufficient and cannot be repeated in 2016 if the side is to be successful. Wickets six, seven and eight added just nine runs but fortunately Oli Reed and Ed Doble added sixteen for the ninth wicket and Christian Cabburn and Doble advanced the score by thirteen off nine balls in four minutes for the last. Considering the early batting the final product of 282 off 69.2 in four and a quarter hours was most unsatisfactory. Lessons have to be learnt by all sections of the batting order for next summer. Staffordshire would have thirty-two overs before close of play to make inroads into what was believed to be an inadequate target. The home side started well but a brilliant piece of fielding by Joe Hagan-Burt to keeper Phillips to bowler Reed ran out Washington for twenty-eight of the opening partnership of seventy-three. The other opener, an under seventeen regular, Akhtar, was joined by under fifteen Kauschal and they reached close of play having added four additional runs. Sargent had involved six bowlers in trying to make the breakthroughs. We returned to the Marston chain of pubs - The Gables and later learnt that we had a Uri Geller in our midst as two damaged teaspoons had been reported to reception in room 209.

Devon undertook another energetic warm up demonstrating some memory and co-ordination difficulties but it really will now be up to the players over the winter to determine how important their own personal levels of dexterity and condition are, as they have all been advised of the levels that will be mandatory. Ridges, lines, length and roughs were an important part of the bowling warm up. It was agreed that the seamers would try and hit the ridge from the road end and Harry Ward would bowl around the wicket into the rough with a forward short leg. Both ploys worked remarkably well but it was a direct hit, the first of three from Ashley Causey, who removed the under fifteen Kauschal in the third over of the morning. Harry Ward then caught and bowled Khan, another regular in the Staffs Under 17 side, leaving the home side on 86-3 off thirty-six. Their third leading under seventeen batsman Mahmood then joined the dominant Akhtar and they added thirty-six runs with little difficulty. On one hundred and twenty-two Ward took his second wicket when he bowled Mahmood behind his legs and within seven minutes Staffs were five down with one two four on the board, as Phillips well caught Davis to give Ward his third wicket. Phillips’ work ethic this summer has been exemplary and his keeping for substantial periods over the summer has put a huge strain on him but he has never complained. Lunch was taken with Staffs still one hundred and ten short with five wickets in hand. Devon had bowled sixty-eight overs and a new ball was on the horizon. Akhtar and keeper Becker were compiling a partnership that ultimately took their side up to two hundred and eighteen. They added ninety-four off one hundred and ninety-nine balls in one hundred and nine minutes. Sargent took the new ball giving it to Joe Hagan-Burt and Christian Cabburn and with its fourteenth delivery Hagan-Burt trapped Becker in front. Hagan-Burt was putting in one of the most telling spells of the summer and ten balls later had Slater caught behind. Staffordshire were now two hundred and twenty-three for seven but Akhtar was now past his century. He had batted beautifully but now appeared uncertain on the approach needed to score the outstanding fifty-nine runs. It was Brundrett who was next to fall as Hagan-Burt completed yet another magnificent slip catch to reward the persevering Oli Reed who now clearly understands his bowling role in the side. The eighth wicket had added eleven. Four runs later Hagan-Burt took the prized scalp of Akhtar. The previous ball's drive fell just short of Doble but next ball and the second of Hagan-Burts final over of his spell the opener holed out to Doble for a two hundred and fifty-three ball one hundred and fourteen. He had batted for three and a quarter hours. Staffordshire now needed forty-four for the last wicket. Hagan-Burt’s excellent seven over spell ended with figures of 7-1-12-3. Staffordshire now entered into discussions and it was agreed that a second innings would not be started. Sargent and Hagan-Burt had up to this stage called all the shots with some really imaginative (funky) captaincy - precise field settings, good bowling changes and much more. However the plot was lost temporarily as, instead of imposing themselves on the number ten and eleven batters, the net was spread and runs seemed more important than taking the last wicket. There is a real lesson here as throughout the summer neither the sixteens nor seventeens have been very accomplished at removing the tail ender. It has to be accepted that batting standards throughout the order have improved. However thirty-four minutes after the last wicket partnership had started and ten minutes past the designated tea interval Ward, who was now bowling over and round the wicket, took the final wicket with Phillips picking up his third catch. Uri Wards figures were the excellent 27.1-6-62-4. This had been an exceptional result which also reinforced the essential ingredients required by the players for the two day game. Sadly Ed Bragg had pulled up lame and was ruled out of the final game at Corley the next day. Bragg joined the squad halfway through the winter following a tip-off and had proved an outstanding addition to the team.

In avoiding the M6 an interesting route was taken to Coventry bringing back some Warwickshire memories to Sandy Allen. The Travel Manager had changed the final Hotel at the eleventh hour anticipating a late arrival and being reassured that a carvery would be available. An early arrival resulted in the use of the Hotel's restaurant for perhaps the worst feed of the summer. With three day cricket, in some format now on the agenda in 2016, it would be interesting to see how this group would respond to a third successive day’s play but the forecast was rain at three.

The last day of the summer started as brightly as any of the two thousand and fifteen season but Midlands Today forecaster Shefali Oza still predicted prolonged rain at three. The side undertook the shortest journey of the summer to arrive at the pretty Corley Cricket Club ground in minutes., This club is one not previously visited by coach, scorer or manager in their time in the Midlands. This was our first game against the Coventry Cricket Board’s Under 19s. Their side had a number of players we had met previously in playing Warwickshire Under 16s. Our players completed another energetic warm up and if this group has some shortcomings, in the main, it most certainly is not a lack of desire to work and improve. Sargent made it two on the trot and he was padded up in no time. Only four batsmen actually reached the crease as more batting records, some very recent, fell. Ashley Causey, who had impressed with his remarkable knowledge on the 2005 Ashes, was caught off the last ball of the third over with Devon on eight. The captain and Tom Andrew took Devon up to seventy, not without some mishap and a big appeal for a caught behind off an inside edge. In the sixteenth over Tom Andrew tried to pull Arumaithas, whose length throughout his two spells was back of one, to Checklin at mid wicket for a thirty-five ball twenty-nine. Adam Lyth played a similar shot in the final Test and received a similar response to that received by Tom from the commentary team. Although Lyth did not look closely at his Gunn and Moore. Sargent and Noah Wright then monopolised the next two hours seven minutes as they faced two hundred and twenty-two balls in putting on an unbeaten two hundred and eighty-six. Only ten days earlier the highest under 16 partnership of one hundred and ninety-three compiled in 1990 by Gosling and Muggleton had been broken by Billy Rudolph and Joe Hagan-Burt. The 2015 pair had put on two hundred and eighteen against Somerset. However, as with buses, these records seem to come in twos and now Sargent and Wright enter the record books for the best partnership. In turn the previous best third wicket partnership of 174 against Oxfordshire in 2006 by James Fletcher and Robbie Debenham was eclipsed. The current pair were in complete control of the situation and from ball one the previous day Harvey Sargent was demonstrating a new positive intent. His one hundred and eighty-nine also passed Richard Baggs previous highest individual under sixteen score of 132 against Dorset. A record that had stood for twenty-four years! The team’s 356 broke the previous highest one day score of 327-6 against the Isle of Wight in 2004. The individual statistics were: Sargent 189*, one sixty-five balls, one eighty-six minutes, thirty-three fours, eighty-six dots and a strike rate of 114.55; Wright 105*, ninety-four balls, one twenty-seven minutes, fifteen fours, two sixes, forty-nine dots and a strike rate of 111.70. The strike rate comparison clearly indicates Sargent’s new approach. Wright’s innings and his knocks against Haberdashers and Staffordshire clearly demonstrated what an asset he can be.

Lunch was taken at eleven minutes past two and, with the unchanging weather forecast, the lunch interval was shortened. The players had hot dogs and were in the field thirty-minutes later as it began to spit. Joe Hagan-Burt and Ben Phillips picked up their final Fantasy Points of the summer in the seventh over -33-1, large spots turned into drizzle as Christian Cabburn knocked back Naylor's off stump and broke it. Fifty-eight for two off the first ball of the twelfth over. The shortage of spare stumps caused a delay as the bowler gave an opposition batsman throw downs with the match ball! The rain got heavier and despite a valiant attempt from the umpires at ten to four the players came off not to return. Coventry were 84-2 off fourteen overs scoring at sixes when seven and a half was required. Devon had employed three bowlers and by five fifteen were on their way to Evesham to avoid motorway rush hour traffic. A reasonable return trip with the M5 not a major problem. Gordano Services were visited for the last time of the summer with Pizza the most popular choice although Harry Ramsden, not of Plymouth, had his first Devon visitor - most certainly one for the future. Exeter was reached at a rare sociable hour and the summer was over.

Billy Rudolph led the side well with Harvey Sargent also demonstrating his expertise when the Ottery all-rounder was taken by hockey. Some really excellent individual batting was completed over the summer with six hundreds. Three batsmen Hagan-Burt, Wright and Sargent averaged over fifty with the first two now sitting at second and third in the under sixteens records. Spinners Petherbridge and Ward both took twelve wickets and the captain chipped in with ten. The fielding has to improve, there were only two run outs which is a clear barometer of the lack of pressure exerted in the field. We have already noted Phillips’ outstanding contribution behind the stumps. Our top order batsman will be required to be able to build on this summer and be able to bat for longer periods and look to bat sessions as Devon enter the new era of three day cricket. Coloured clothing will be a feature of the one day game in 2017. We express our annual thanks to the exceptional host clubs both in and out of the county but particularly Axminster, Heathcoat and Exmouth. The travel manager was her excellent self also keeping everyone updated online and Sandy Allen’s first summer with us was a special one.