DEVON Lions play University of Exeter at Bovey Tracey on Sunday (11am) in their first warm-up game of the season.

Devon Lions is the team drawn from the Devon CCC development squad that aims to transition teenage cricketers from the county age-group sides into senior players.

A handful of over-age players are in the 13 named for Sunday’s match. They are more experienced cricketers keen for match practice before the competition season starts over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Paignton duo George Benton and Cole Harford are both included in the 13. Left-arm seamer Harford was due to play in the T20 trial day a Seaton on Sunday, but had to drop out due to a football injury.

Torquay are represented by their captain George Allen, who also skippers the Lions, Mitch Pugh and newcomer James Degg, who impressed in the T20 trials.

Degg has stepped up from A Division cricket with Plympton to play with Torquay in the Premier this season.

Heathcoat duo Louis Stephenson and Dan Pyle are in the squad but for different reasons.

Philosophy student Stephenson is there as part of his cricket development. Pyle wants to get some batting time in before the senior side start playing in two weeks.

James White, a hard-hitting batsman from Tavistock, is poised to make his first Lions start. He has impressed in age-group and league cricket for a couple of seasons.

Sidmouth seamer Tom Simmons will play and there is a spot for Exeter’s leg-spinner Ed Middleton.

The Devon team management are optimistic the ankle injury that prevented spinner Matt Petherbridge playing in Sunday’s T20 trial day at Seaton will have cleared up.

Devon Lions: D J Pyle (Heathcoat), G Benton (Paignton), M P Skeemer (Cornwood), L D Stephenson (Heathcoat), C F Harford (Paignton), J H G Degg (Torquay), M J Petherbridge (Callington), G B Allen (Torquay), B Beaumont (Cornwood), T W Simmons (Sidmouth), M Pugh (Torquay), J White (Tavistock), E W O Middleton (Exeter).