DEVON resume their Unicorns Championship campaign on Sunday when a three-day game against Wilshire gets under way at Sandford.
Devon have been struggling all season for regular top-six batters and ran into more problems for the game against Wiltshire.
Keeper-batter Matt Thompson will play as a batter only due to a fractured hand sustained in the 32-run defeat by Herefordshire last week.
Thompson, who batted first wicket down, was patched up in hospital and returned to the game on the second day to score 52. Torquay’s George Allen will keep wicket and his inclusion should add much-needed depth to the batting.
Devon are against without Max Curtis (working), Joe Hagan-Burt (declined) and Matt Golding (injured) and have not continued with batter Abraham Kopparambil, who made four and 14 in the game against Herefordshire.
Jame Burke, the former Somerset and Surrey all-rounder, is one of the top-six batters Devon have had availability issues with. The good news is he can play in this game
Batter Josh Mailling, who did not play against Herefordshire, is potentially out for the rest of the season after landing a job in London.
Max Hancock, who only spun through four overs against Herefordshire, is omitted from Devon’s travelling party. Toby Codd, 12thman at Eastnor, stays in the squad.
Devon’s defeat by Herefordshire was a setback after they beat Wales first time out to go second in the Western Division. Devon need to finish in the top five to avoid being placed in a new Division Two planned for next season.
Devon sit sixth in the table with four games to go.
Wiltshire were last at Sandford in 2016 when Devon defeated them by 70 runs.
Golding, who took nine wickets in the match, and Jamie Stephens, who took seven, bowled Devon to victory on the final day.
Start time on each of the three days at Creedy Park is 11am.
Devon: A W R Barrow (Sandford), G B Allen (Torquay), Z G G Bess (Sidmouth), J E Burke (Plymouth), M W Thompson (St Fagans), W A White (Leek), J H G Degg (Torquay), J A Stephens (Taunton Deane), M P Skeemer (Cornwood), H M Whitlock, T J R Codd (both Bovey), E W O Middleton (Exeter).
