A glorious summers day at Taunton Vale turned sour as Devon set new batting records of the wrong type. Having lost the toss Devon started well with some real energy in the field but by the end of the day in which they were decidedly second best there was bitter all round disappointment at their performance in their first competitive game of the summer. Having been asked to field first Devon had to take early wickets and two wanting the same end caused an immediate change of plans and perhaps Devon never got back on track. Flexibility is an integral part of any team sport and is a vital ingredient in a side. Sonny Baker and Ben Sapiechia commenced the first PowerPlay. Somerset were top of the table having defeated Gloucestershire by five wickets and Worcestershire by thirty-three runs, Devon had not actually played a game as their fixture against Gloucestershire was abandoned without a ball being bowled. In his second over, the games third, Sony Baker confirmed his reputation as a blossoming talent by having Sam Young caught by Jack Moore. The second wicket pairing of Press and Will Smeed put on the highest partnership of the innings, fifty-three, when Jack Moore made his second important contribution bowling Pass in the twelfth over. The home side were scoring at just over fives but Devon had already nearly bowled an entire over in wides. Smeed and Baird added fourteen off twenty-two balls when Moore struck again bowling the home side captain. At first drinks Somerset were seventy-nine for three and Devon had stuck to their task well bringing the scoring rate down to 4.64 with some decent bowling and fielding. Beamount and Adams replaced Moore and Middleton and Adams started the best spell from a Devon bowler. Two overs past the half way stage Hamiliton caught Reed off Adams to leave Somerset 113-4 and Devon were well placed. A feature of the 2018 programme is that 200 had had not yet been passed and it was important that Devon continued to put on the pressure. The second Smeed was well held by James Onley-Gregson, who had been patrolling the pavilion boundary brilliantly. This gave Beaumount his first wicket. Middleton had Baird stumped by Morison in the thirty-sixth over and in the context of this game his twenty-seven off sixty--five balls showed the importance of occupation of the crease. His platform now enabled the final four wickets to add eighty-two runs which did take the game away from Devon. Somerset were now scoring at nearly seven and a half and Devon's fielding fell away from the high standards set earlier. It was not a case of not taking opportunities but allowing runs to be picked up when they should not. Baker and Adams took a second wicket each and Moore a third. The Barnstaple all-rounder had bowled well taking 3-37. Only one Devon bowler went for three or under and extras totalled a very disappointing 33 with nineteen extra balls bowled - three of them proving to be free hits. Eliot Hamilton completed his second direct hit run out of the week to take the final wicket to leave Devon to score at four and a half.

Jacket potatoes and a choice of fillings and for sixteen balls Devon remained in the game. Knowles fell in the third over bowled, Hamiliton in the fourth caught behind, Sapiechia in the fifth caught at slip, White ran himself out as a direct hit broke up his partnership with his captain 17-4; Beaumount was bowled - 21-5 after eight. Two senior players Jamie Khan and James Onley-Gregson now had the job of providing some respectability and the side avoiding entering the GreenBook. Another unnecessary run out put pay to any hopes 35-6. Jamie Khan was now in that extremely difficult position of being between a rock and a hard place. Not every really ever understanding this expression I had to look up it origins -an economic issue or Greek mythology but most certainly suitable for the current situation. The Captain decided to just play it ball by ball but needed some support. Before the game started the batting order was one of the more difficult to resolve as they all bat! It now needed the remaining batsmen to prove it and make a claim for a top order spot the rest of the summer. Jamie Khan eventually succumbed in the twenty-fourth over for a fifty-two ball fourteen - one for the archives. He had batted for thirteen minutes over the hour and had seen thirty-five runs added. Only Ed Morison made any real impact as he straight drove Wincer and Hall for three fours only for Wincher to have the last laugh getting him caught by Sumerauer. Devon ended three runs short of the current record of the lowest one day score by a Devon Under 17 side set at Canford School in 1993. Devon had batted for ninety-seven minutes faced one hundred and fifty-six balls with extras joint highest scorer. Listening to Joe Root after both the first and second Tests say how important it was to learn lessons, a somewhat a pat response, it was now up to the squad to learn the lessons with the Coach initially requiring them to have their own batting game plans rather than making them up on the hoof. It was good to see both Jack Gibbs and Sam Taylor at the ground recovering from injury. Revision really kicks in over the next three weeks and Devon will have to really dig deep but that is what County Age Group Cricket is all about. What does concern me is having watched, this summer, a fair amount of cricket in the lower divisions the vast majority of our players are currently not confronted by such a sustained and talented seam attack of not just two but four decent bowlers with some respectable spinners in reserve. It will be necessary for some hard work to be put in when the examinations are out of the way. In turn our bowlers have to be more consistent in execution of their skills. What is already clear is that places for the three day programme are up for grabs and ability will not be the only criteria.

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