The Under 19 2011 Season
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Played |
4 |
Won |
0 |
Lost |
1 |
Won on 1st innings |
1 |
Lost on 1st innings |
1 |
Abandoned |
3 |
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Friendly |
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v Foundation XI (Twenty20) at Bovey Tracey C.C. – Devon lost by 2 wickets |
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DEVON |
134-7 |
(W.Gater 41) |
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FOUNDATION |
138-8 |
(M.Curtis 3-9) |
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|
|
|
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v Cornwall at Torquay C.C. – Match Abandoned after 18 overs |
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CORNWALL |
64-2 |
|
|
|
|
|
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v Dorset (2 day) at Axminster C.C.– Devon lost on 1st innings |
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DEVON |
311-8 dec |
(C.Grainger 43; E,Rice 101*; C.Bryan 53) |
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DORSET |
324-7 |
(C.Morris 4-54) |
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|
|
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v Surrey at Heathcoat C.C.– Devon won on 1st innings |
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|
DEVON |
340-9 dec |
(M.Thompson 73; J.Dart 106; R.Glass 37) |
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SURREY |
225 |
(H.Kerton 3-35) |
|
|
67-2 |
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|
|
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The 2011 Squad
M.Thompson (captain); G.Abdol; G.Benton; Z.Bess; C.Bryan; M.Curtis; J.Dart; T.Dyer; C.Eaves; W.Gater; R.Glass; M.Golding; C.Grainger; A.Hunt; B.Huxtable; H.Kerton; M.Kidd; T.Ingham; M.Lenygon; J.Mailling; C.Miles; C.Morris; J.Popham; E.Rice; S.Wyatt-Haines; G.Yates.
Generally in 2011 the weather was an improvement on previous summers – it could not have been worse but unfortunately the revived under 19s suffered from inclement weather more than most. We did not play Wiltshire home or away, the home game with Cornwall was terminated after eighteen overs and we did not travel to Cornwall. This was a real disappointment as these cancellations did not allow for any momentum to be built up although some beneficial cricket was played.
The season started with a Twenty20 game at Bovey Tracey at the inaugural Cricket Day of the Youth Foundation. It was a perfect summer’s afternoon which was the ideal backdrop to showcase the Devon Youth Foundation and they certainly took the opportunity as all that is best in cricket in Devon was on display. The day was the result of superb preparation, hard work and brilliant co-operation between the Foundation and the magnificent host club Bovey Tracey. The main attraction of this splendid day was a Twenty20 game between the 19s and a Foundation Eleven. On arriving at Bovey the ground was buzzing with a KWIK cricket festival in full swing. The ground was full with hundreds of children, boys and girls, enjoying the competition. Palm FM’s Ben Moseby was entertaining a substantial crowd, the bars were filling, the hog roasting and Barney was practicing his signature. Will Gater won the toss and batted but Huxtable decided it was time for some throw downs and Thompson was taking guard by the time he actually got his pads on! Somerset and England’s Andy Caddick opened from the Pavilion End and Huxtable brought Moseby Junior into action with a four off the last ball albeit through the slips, Devon was five for nought. The Bradninch captain, Ross Acton, from the Marquee End went for three and it was a sedate start to the Devon innings. With the score on sixteen Roy Orbison made his first appearance, when in the fourth over Huxtable gave Tim Ward a catch off Acton. Barney went off to satisfy the autograph hunters and Devon was 22-1. Matt Thompson was playing some delightful drives and at the end of the ninth Devon was scoring at sixes. With one stalwart, Keith Donohue, having now replaced another, Caddick – both masters of their profession – Thompson was brilliantly caught by Keith Brown, reminiscent of Alex in his prime, the younger Brown was watching from the boundary . Only five were added for the third wicket when Golding slipped and was run out. Devon was now at the half way stage and the
Matt Wood, who was to spend a lot of time over the next two months in the company of his opponents, was taking a liking to the leg side boundaries and watched Adam Dibble well caught by Cameron Grainger off Kidd. The Foundation’s Captain Keith Brown joined Devon’s Level IV coach and helped put on 46 off 38 balls. North Devon’s Max Curtis returned to the county scene 349 days after his serious shoulder injury took him out of it. One wonders what sort of season the seventeen’s would have had in 2010 if he had been fit, it had been a pretty impressive one without him! He lured the Level IV forward for a simple caught and bowled. Wood had faced 20 balls scoring at two a ball, a reasonable strike rate. Curtis then bowled the Plymouth captain, Callum Whittaker, and watched Barney Huxtable catch Nick Folland off Connor Bryan. Curtis completed his spell with a second first class victim in trapping Keith Brown in front. The nineteens were now reasonably well placed with half their opposition out for 76 and only seven overs left. It got better before it got worse. Paignton's George Benton did his second team chances no harm by bowling the Queens Park captain Tim Ward, he then had Andy Caddick brilliantly stumped by Exeter’s Cameron Grainger and three runs past the one hundred, Grainger did it again, this time off Bryan, in taking out Julian Wyatt. All looked rosy with some of the fielding, particularly Wyatt-Haines on the boundary, being exceptional, whilst some of it not so good and one misfield critical. With an old fox in Keith Donohue at the crease with the current Bradninch captain, there was still a game to be won. It is to be hoped that among his cluster of A level A*s Gater has not got maths. As one of the more economical bowlers, he should have bowled the eighteenth and twentieth overs but got it wrong. The Foundation needed fifteen off twelve balls, Gater conceded five, ten now needed off six. Ross Acton completed his application for Man of the Match and with Donohue, who had a very successful net the previous day with Plympton twos, picked up two leg byes, a two and a four leaving the scores level with one ball left. Acton played a perfect straight drive, did not bother to run, gloves off, handshakes all round. This had been an excellent advertisement for cricket in Devon superbly portrayed in a website video. Matt Wood immediately added a white board to his coaching aids list as he was not happy with some of the angles. It was disappointing that this was to be William Gater’s last youth game for Devon as he had an appointment in the capital with his uncle. This ruled him out for the rest of the summer, although he was able to make his full county debut. Indeed three of the team went on to play in the Minor Counties competition
For a number of years Cornwall have been the leading exponents in the West Country for giving their best young cricketers an opportunity at county level. For that reason all encounters with them at under 21 and now 19 level result in closely contested games. It is therefore bitterly disappointing that the rain yet again brought this fixture to a premature end. The radar was almost spot on, give and take a couple of rogue early showers, and an early tea was taken at a quarter past three and the game called off forty minutes later. A heavy shower at Totnes had lowered expectation levels and an early one at the Recreation Ground brought on the covers. The excellent news that Matt Thompson had regained his county place at his home ground and the call up of Charlie Morris was received with unreserved pleasure all round. Matt Thompson won the toss and fielded. Cornwall’s Taylor Williams and Jake Libby were faced by Morris and Toby Ingham who started with a maiden. With the sixteenth ball of the innings Charlie Morris bowled Williams. Cocking and Libby put on 50 off 67 balls with Bryan and Eaves also entering the attack, Cocking then nicked Eaves to the skipper. Another eight were added before the predicted rain put an end to proceedings. Torquay were their normal splendid hosts.
Dorset’s track record of actually playing at Axminster has not been the most promising. For the past three years they have travelled and not a ball has been bowled. Although rain brought the game to a premature conclusion at tea on the second day, a result was achieved. Not the result hoped for by the home side but nevertheless much was achieved over the 144 overs bowled. Devon won the toss and Matt Thompson opted to bat. This innings will be remembered for Elliot Rice’s maiden hundred in only his second appearance for the county. The captain was the first to leave in a manner that seems to be increasing, with the score on 5 he was run out at the bowler’s end backing up. His partner Barney Huxtable’s straight drive was deflected by bowler Salt. Seventeen runs later Huxtable was also out when Khan bowled him for ten. Number three Miles Lenygon followed on 32 trapped leg before by Salt. Devon was now in difficulty when in the twenty-second over they were four down for 49. Pressure was building as three maiden overs were bowled before Zach Bess succumbed for a sixty-eight ball 27. Lunch was taken after 32 overs with the scoreboard reading 80-4 as Cameron Grainger and Elliott Rice stabilised the ship. Their partnership was worth 89 when Grainger was caught for a one hundred and five ball 43. The increasing maturity of Grainger’s batting was clearly visible in this important innings. The pair had put on the best fifth wicket partnership of the summer. Rice’s batting was a revelation as he demonstrated the vital art of knowing your own strengths and batting within them. In tandem with his Budleigh colleague, Charlie Morris, he reached his maiden county fifty (107 balls) as the score was advanced to 183 before Morris was the second leg before for 26. Their forty-five run partnership was the highest sixth wicket contribution of the summer. The Paignton all rounder Connor Bryan and Rice put on the second highest partnership of the season, 97 off one hundred and twenty balls, with Bryan particularly dominant, reaching his fifty in forty-eight minutes off sixty-seven balls. On the charge he was stumped with Devon now nearly fully recovered at 276-7. Rice was progressing towards his hundred, just ten runs short at the demise of Connor Bryan. Matthew Kidd entered the arena with a similar instruction to the one he received in the Foundation game and he did not let his captain down. The three hundred was passed as Kidd clouted twenty off ten with eighteen in sixes. Rice was still one short of his landmark when Kidd was Jaques’ second stumping victim. Rice reached his hundred in the company of a fellow under 16, Tom Dyer. The skipper felt that 311 was sufficient and at 5.17pm he called his batsmen in. Elliott Rice was unbeaten on 101 (191 minutes, 169 balls, 18 fours) and had demonstrated tremendous maturity far above his age. Thompson was confident in the 18 overs remaining he would make some inroads into the opposition. Only one wicket was taken as Dorset cantered to 84 at 4.66 an over. The wicket to fall was after seven overs when Morris bowled Evans with Dorset on 38.
This was not a normal Dorset side as they have now started utilising their educational establishments including their universities. On the second day Devon were immediately put under the cosh, as Hasted and Khan put on 189 for the second wicket in one hundred and fifty-eight minutes off two hundred and seventy-six balls. Hasted was Charles Morris’s second wicket caught Huxtable for 89 two and a half minutes before lunch. Last ball before the interval Morris took his third wicket when Butler was caught by Toby Ingham. Dorset were now two hundred and twenty-seven for three off fifty-four overs. Devon had nearly clawed their way back into the game but Khan was firing on all cylinders! In the fourth over after an excellent salad, Morris took his fourth and final wicket when Ingham took his second catch to remove the visitor’s keeper/captain Jacques. Twelve had been added and it was obvious that the wicket of Khan was the vital one and would determine the final result. His fifty had come off sixty-nine balls, sixty-three later he had passed three figures and he was unbeaten as his side passed their target. On 268 Tom Dyer took his first wicket when Toby Ingham completed his own hat trick. However the sixth wicket pairing had taken the score up to 318 when Dyer bowled Khan four short of a rare personal milestone. His 146 had been off two hundred and twelve balls with twenty-three fours, he had totally dominated the Devon attack. One more wicket fell before rain brought a conclusion to the game. In the final over before tea Huxtable did it again as golden arm was brought on and he bowled Allam with his fourth ball with the Dorset score now on 324. Heavy rain brought the game to an end with most of the honours going to Dorset. However Morris, Grainger, Rice and Bryan should have been pleased with their own exploits.
The away game with Wiltshire was cancelled more than twenty-four hours in advance of its planned start time but the scorer was given an opportunity of ticking off Urchfont from her list of grounds visited and perhaps the hosts had been slightly hasty in calling it off.
With the seventeens spending the three days preceding the game with Surrey in Wales, selection was restricted to the under 16s and 18s but with the exception of the side being captained by Matt Thompson. The sun shone for the two days and Heathcoat were again special hosts. Devon won the toss and Matt Thompson opened with Barney Huxtable. Having had an exceptional year at twenty-ones in 2011, Barney experienced a simply horrible time with the nineteens in 2011, averaging just 6.67, which must be his most disappointing return ever for Devon. With twenty-five on the board he was caught behind for 10. Zach Bess and the captain added thirty-six when in the seventeenth over Bess fell for twenty. One Blundellion was replaced by another as Jack Dart replaced his school captain. Dart was to play the second exceptional innings of the summer by an under sixteen. Devon went into lunch on 98-2 off twenty-nine overs, virtually par for a two day game, with the partnership standing at thirty-seven. The third wicket fell at two minutes to three when Thompson was stumped for 73 off 157 balls. This was to be Matt Thompson’s final opportunity to post a youth hundred – something he had already achieved in 2010 for the senior side. The partnership was worth 111, the only century partnership of the summer at this level, with the captain contributing 46. Dart, now on 63, was joined by yet another pupil from Blundells School – Cameron Grainger. They took their side to within six of the two hundred when Chouan took his second wicket, bowling Grainger. Sandford’s Ryan Glass, who was making his debut for the county, demonstrated some real potential. He was unfortunate, later in the season, to be robbed by the weather of other opportunities but hopefully will be given another chance in 2012. The fifth wicket put on 69 with Jack Dart following in Elliott Rice’s footsteps in scoring a hundred on his under 19 debut. On 106, after facing one hundred and forty-two balls, hitting fifteen fours and a six, Chouhan bowled him. The wicket fell in the seventy-second over with Devon now on 263-5. At this stage Chouhan’s figures were an impressive 3-58 off twenty-two overs and he did not concede another run in the remaining three overs of his spell of twenty-five overs. Tom Dyer fell in the seventy-seventh over, trapped leg before by Cody, and Glass’s most useful contribution ended when a relative of the England academy lead batting coach caught him off Rollings. Glass had batted for ninety-seven minutes in helping to add ninety-four in his three partnerships, a valuable contribution. At this stage Devon were still twelve short of the three hundred but this was achieved in the eighty-fourth over with Popham and Kidd making their intentions clear. Jack Popham fell on 302 and Kidd twenty runs later. He was brilliantly caught by Devon old boy Michael Cousens at slip, charging opening bowler Rollings. Hallam Kerton and Alex Hunt batted sensibly until Thompson called his side in, the declaration came with the score on 340-9 with ten being taken off the ninety-first and final over. Surrey navigated safely the eleven overs before close of play without losing a wicket and putting on 14. Kidd bowled four maidens, Popham two and Glass bowled his first over for Devon. Heathcoat first and second teams then had their weekly practice on one of the best evenings of the summer.
It took Devon eighty-three minutes into the second day before they broke a useful opening partnership when Graham Thorpe’s nephew was leg before to off spinner Tom Dyer. The partnership had yielded eighty-four runs off one hundred and ninety-four balls of which Thorpe had contributed 21. Scriven and Michael Cousens took the visitors up to 125 when, in the over before lunch, Cousens was the second leg before of the session, this time the bowler was Sidmouth’s Charlie Miles. Scriven went in undefeated on 69. He was brilliantly caught by Cameron Grainger off Matthew Kidd five runs later in the fourth over after the interval. Jack Popham then bowled Allen with the third ball of his third spell. Surrey were now four down and needed 93 to avoid a potential follow on invitation. In fact they lost their last six wickets in twenty-one point five overs, ending up one hundred and fifteen short of a first innings lead. Ryan Glass took his first county scalp in his fifth over when Jack Popham caught Dann. On one hundred and ninety-one Hallam Kerton bowled Lloyd and then had Stiddard caught behind. Alex Hunt removed the obstinate Winslade who had batted eighty-eight minutes for his forty-two. With some more fine glovework from Grainger, Hunt had Rollings stumped. Kerton took the final wicket when Cameron Grainger picked up his fourth victim of the innings when he caught Patel. Kerton’s excellent figures where 3-35 off eight, confirming that when he is in rhythm he is a real force. After some deliberation and discussion with Surrey, Thompson and Wood invited Surrey to bat again. At five minutes past five it was mutually agreed to call it a day, Surrey had reached 67-2 off sixteen overs. Ryan Glass showed he actually could catch, after earlier in the game missing a dolly, when he took an outstanding one to remove Thorpe off Kerton. Scirven was held by Huxtable to give the second under 16 seamer, Hunt, another wicket. The captain upset the coach when he decided he deserved an over, a message was quickly relayed. This was a good work out with a standout hundred but other useful contributions across the board.
We all met up with Wiltshire for the final youth game of the summer at Axminster but it then started to rain and rain and the game was abandoned without the tarpaulin being removed or the pitch getting marked.
The weather ensured that the 2011 season was not to be a special one but despite it being incredibly disjointed some of the players will be able to reflect on fine individual performances. Further important experience was gained which in itself made the exercise worthwhile. Matt Thompson was our Player of the Year; he had worked tirelessly behind the scenes and led well, despite his optimistic declaration at Axminster and his decision to bowl at Heathcoat! Matt Wood was a welcome addition and his experience and knowledge well received by all of the players. As always we were superbly hosted by Bovey Tracey, Torquay, Heathcoat and Axminster. The fast tracking of umpires in Devon is ensuring the continual high standard of our officials, and despite everything the scorer continued to excel.
