One of the prime objectives of the five two day match programme is to give not just opportunity's but to gain experience of the longer format. The first game against Gloucestershire was affected by rain but Devon took full advantage of playing against a young Somerset Development side to find out how to bowl a side out on a last day of a game to achieve an outright win. Playing on the Taunton Vale second ground, the main pitch needs five days continuous rain to bring up its water table, Jack Moore won the toss and Devon batted. Sam Read and Abraham Kopparmbil, the current under 17 openers put on one hundred and fifteen in nineteen overs before Read was caught by Brooks off the bowling of Harding in the twentieth over. He had hit twelve fours in his fifty-eight at better than a run a ball. James White and Kopparambil added sixty-four for the second wicket when White became Max Horton's first wicket, caught by Raw. White fell twenty-two balls before lunch and there is an important lesson to learn with regard intervals. Devon were on one hundred and eighty-eight at lunch having scored at over five an over. Freddie Ford was the next Horton victim caught by Sharland off the seventeenth post lunch ball. Devon were five runs short of two hundred. The captain joined Kopparambil who was now ten short of his second Devon hundred of the summer. He reached it in the fortieth over and was now in a stand of fifty-six with his captain. Abraham Kopparambil was out in the forty-seventh over breaking Horton's run of wickets. He scored one hundred and thirty-five off one hundred and forty-one balls hitting twenty-four fours. Devon were now four down with two hundred and fifty one on the scoreboard. Eighty-five were added by Jack Moore and Luke Medlock for the fifth wicket with both batsmen passing fifty. They both fell on fifty-nine to Horton, Medlock in the sixty-second and Moore in the sixty-sixth over. James Horler was another Horton wicket in the same over as Medlock. Max Horton picked up another two wickets Tom Mitch and Cole Harford and Pugsley fell to Meadows leaving Ben Forsey unbeaten on eight. Devon were all out for three hundred and eighty-two runs in seventy overs. Horton took 7-99 in nineteen and he then played against the seventeens shortly afterwards.
Somerset batted for thirty-four overs in scoring one hundred and twenty. Three wickets fell Kelly caught behind by Horler to give Bertie Creer his first county wicket, Ollie Pugsley bowled Raw and Sam Read trapped Sharland in front. Early morning discussions resulted in an overnight declaration and Devon calling their batsmen in at the fall of the wicket of James Horler in their ninth second innings over with another fifty added to their original lead of two hundred and sixty-two. Ford and Horler were given the chance to demonstrate their batting skills and Ford was undefeated on twenty-seven (four fours) and Horler out for a twenty ball eighteen also hitting four fours. Somerset would have ninety plus overs to score three hundred and twelve around three and a half an over.
Lunch was taken after twenty overs with Somerset scoring at above the required rate. Raw was caught by Kopparambil off Harford and Jack Moore caught Brooke off Sam Read. After the interval Read brought Harvey forward and James Horler made the stumping. Two leg before decisions were the next two dismissals Kopparambil and White the bowlers. After thirty-five overs Somerset were one hundred and thirty-six for five. Davis and Kelly added thirty-five for the sixth wicket when Luke Medlock had Davis caught behind. Bertie Creer, bowling a fuller length, took the next two having Davis caught by the captain and bowling Kelly. The Clyst St George opening bowler was looking more confident in this new environment with each delivery. Sam Read and Ollie Pugsley took the final two wickets as Somerset found themselves eighty-nine short. Jack Moore had taken the opportunity to manoeuvre his bowling attack and employed ten bowlers and if it were not for a strain it is likely that Moore would have bowled himself. This was an excellent exercise for all the Devon players in coming to terms with the longer format. There is now a break before Devon take on Surrey, Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire. Competition for places will be strong with, subject to their own advancement, the Under 15s also in contention.
