LOCAL heroes Paul Smith and Tom Dinnis produced the goods to ensure Cornwall go into day two of the clash against Devon at Werrington on top.
Cornwall were clearly in the driving seat after Werrington paceman Dinnis took five for 46 as Devon were bowled out for 136.
Skipper Josh Bess made 58, brother Zak 21 and no one else more than 16.
“Dinnis bowled well and extracted a little bit out of the pitch early on,” said Keith Donohue, Devon’s director of cricket.
“We wanted to eek it out longer than we did, but didn’t bat well enough.”
There was no change to the status quo while Jake Libby and Lewis Goldsworthy put on 65 for the first Cornwall wicket.
Goldsworthy, on the Somerset Academy and a 2nd XI regular, was first to go when Joe Hagan-Burt jagged one back through his defences.
Notts staffer Libby, available to his home county due to the break in red-ball cricket, was one of six wickets to fall during a period when Cornwall wobbles.
Jamie Stephens, the Devon spinner with a foot either side of the Tamar, took five of the wickets to fall, including the dangerous Libby for 67.
Stephens is the captain of Falmouth and the son of long-time Cornwall batsman Phil Stephens, but was born in Torquay and went through the Devon youth system.
Cornwall, who had been 104 for one, subsided to 143 for seven while Stephens junior (5-59) wheeled away.
Smith, the Werrington captain, entered the arena royally endorsed by the PA announcer – and was dropped first ball at short-leg.
Smith, built for big hitting, faffed around for the first few overs before showing the Devon bowlers the business section of his bat.
Smith’s unbeaten 49 – three fours and three sixes into adjoining sheep fields – took Cornwall to 216 for seven at the close.
Cornwall go into day two 80 runs ahead, with three wickets intact and 28 overs to go, if they can bat that long.
It is a good position, but not an impregnable one, according to Cornwall manager Godfrey Furse.
“Tom Dinnis has bowled superbly and then we have seen two Cornishmen, one an established pro (Libby) and another who is going to have a great career (Goldsworthy) put us in a strong position with the bat,” said Furse.
“Devon are allowed to bowl well and got right back into the game.
“Another strong partnership, the one between Andrew Libby (20) and Paul Smith, put us back in a strong position.
“It has been a real contest so far and I see plenty more cricket to come.”
Josh Bess, the Devon captain, said: “We could have batted better but showed tremendous fight in the field to stay in the game.”
Donohue agreed with his captain, adding: "Jamie Stephens did a lot to keep us in the game with the wickets he took.
"He got Josh Libby out - the way he was batting he could have got a big ton - and allowed us to put some pressure on them for a while.
"We held most of our catches to, the important ones like Josh's in the slips that got rid of Libby."
Devon 136 (J J Bess 58; T J Dinnis 5-46, A C Libby 2-9, J D Libby 2-41), Cornwall 216-7 (J D Libby 67, P S Smith 49no, L P Goldsworthy 32; J A Stephens 5-59). Bonus points: Cornwall 5, Devon 3.
