Plymouth's Mount Wise ground

By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

HERE’S a brain teaser for you! Name a bowler who has taken 100 or more Premier Division wickets before his 19th birthday.

Matt PetherbridgeIt is a question posed by proud dad Dave Petherbridge about his spinner son Matt, who is currently playing for Plymouth.

Petherbridge junior goes into this weekend’s round of fixtures with 95 Premier scalps to his name. He won’t be 19 until August 28.

As Petherbridge has taken 26 league wickets already at 13.88, with a best of five for 31 against Exeter, there isn’t much doubt he will reach 100. It is just a case of when!

Devon League records are not the most reliable as they are only as good as the information supplied to clubs, who don’t necessarily realise the importance of data at the time.

And age-related data isn’t something the league has ever collected since it started keeping records in the mid-1980s.

All your correspondent can do is make some educated guesses who might have got to 100 wickets before they reach 19 years of age.

The obvious one is Exeter’s Orlando LeFleming, who was playing adult cricket  aged 13 in the Premier Division as a fast bowler.

League records are incomplete for LeFleming, although someone out there may be able to fill in the gaps.Orlando LeFleming

Between 1991-1995 Le Fleming claimed at least 80 Premier Division wickets. There is no record for 1990 or 1993, which may take him past 100.

Wickets for the 1995 season would not count if taken after July 7 as that was when he celebrated his 19thbirthday. Can anyone at Exeter throw any light on the subject?

Other possibles include Jack Porter (Barton), Paul Warren (various), Tim Ward (Paignton) and Ryan Horrell (Braunton). I am sure there are others.

Any reader who thinks they have a candidate – and better still can offer some statistical back-up – should contact me at conradcopy@btinternet.com