These games provide an opportunity for the players lo look at what is involved in the longer format. It has been obvious that changing players approach to batting all day and bowling sides out as soon as possible is becoming increasingly more difficult. The game against Somerset gave us a chance to look at some of the fifteens pushing for a place in the seventeens in 2020. Reassuringly competition for places next year looks competitive and some did their chances no harm at all. Joe Du Gay won the toss and batted. Devon lost two wickets in the second over as the dismissals of Gray and Du Gay was separated by one ball. The wickets matched the runs scored. Tom Reynolds joined Elliot Hamiliton and they took Devon up to the eighth over when Tom Reynolds was leg before. They had added twenty-eight. It became sixty-five for four in the sixteenth over when Farkins was caught behind. Sam Russell was caught in over twenty-three to give Horton his first wicket. Lunch was taken with Devon on one hundred and fifty-three for five off thirty-three overs. The scoring rate had been good, Elliot Hamiliton passed his fifty in the seventeenth over off forty five balls and he was now on eighty-one. Jack Ford was on  fourteen - honours probably even.  On the eighth ball after lunch Hamilton was run out having not added to his lunch score. For the second time in the day a second wicket fell almost immediately - three balls later when Ford gave Horton his second. With two new batsmen at the crease it would be necessary for Devon to start again and build. Fourteen off fourteen were added for the eighth wicket when Josh Farley was caught and bowled. The ninth wicket added the highest partnership of the innings as Charlie Ward and Jasper Presswell batted well together. They took Devon past two hundred. Charlie Ward was nine short of a deserved fifty and Presswell had provided fifteen of the fifty-seven runs added. Presswell was Horton's third victim and Eddie Rudolph his fourth. The final pairing added an important twenty-two and Charlie Ward passed his personal landmark and finished on fifty-one off eighty - an important contribution. The two hundred and fifty-two would have secured three batting points but would have been at least a hundred short of a minimum score in 2020. The scvoring rate of just under four was fine but too many wickets had been lost too quickly. Devon would have forty-three overs to bowl before close of play and needed to make inroads.

After six overs at tea Somerset were ten for one with Farkins trapping Chesterman in front. Both sides did not take all their chances, with eight noted on both sides in the day. This aspect has to improve as twenty wickets is already a difficult enough task to achieve. At close of play another four wickets had been taken and one hundred and thirty-five runs scored. Thomas was Jasper Presswell's first catch off Farkins, Rossiee was caught by Russell to give Rory Medlock a wicket. The final wicket to fall was with the score on one hundred and one when Presswell took a second good catch to give Farley his wicket.  Rain delayed the start on the second day as Somerset declared at lunch ninety-seven runs behind with one wicket in hand. Four wickets were taken Brooks was caught behind by Rudolph to give Farkins a third. Shimpi was bowled by Ward, Horton was another caught behind off Presswell and Terry was bowled by Ford - spreading the wickets around with Farkins the most successful.

Devon's intention was to score as quickly as possible and set a reasonable target. They set Somerset one hundred and fifty-three in around forty-five overs at around three and a half. The game ended in a draw with Somerset forty-one short and Devon needing two wickets. Hamiliton scored forty off forty-one and tom Reynolds fifteen off twenty as they reached eighty-six for four off seventeen overs.  Josh Farley took three wickets and Charlie Ward two in reducing Somerset to ninety-eight for eight off thirty-eight overs. The ninth wicket an unbeaten fourteen off forty-six and Devon could not the crucial coup de grâce. However the format identified areas that will need attention over the remaining games but it was very useful.

Scorecard