After the euphoria of the week before it was back down to earth at the County Ground as the side took on Gloucestershire. We had lost Ben Beaumont to the County side and Cameron Kidd was involved elsewhere and off to Newquay for the final game. Back in came the dependable Elliott Hamilton and we welcomed home Max Hancock to be involved in his fourth season of seventeens cricket. Gloucestershire won the toss and batted. Our opening bowlers both had their preferred ends. Tommy Boorman, in his third appearance of the season against us, and Daryoush Ahmed opened up and reached the eleventh over three short of fifty. With his eighth delivery Jack Moor had Ahmed caught by Ben Privett. The North Devon all rounder had taken over from Sonny Baker from the ninth over and bowled seven consecutive maidens yielding just a bye. He added an eighth in his second spell. In tandem with Tom Simmons and Luke Medlock the pressure had been built up. The second wicket fell in the twenty-fourth over as the promising under fourteen Boorman was caught behind by Small to give the returning Hancock his first wicket. He took his second when he bowled the reverse sweeping Goodman in the twenty-sixth. Lunch was taken after thirty-six overs with the visitors on one hundred and four. Two quick wickets fell after the interval, first, fifteen balls after the break, the oppositions captain, Will Naish, was caught by Sam Woodcock off his Paignton partner Luke Medlock. Six balls later Sam Read took a return catch off Millard - 112-5. Another twelve were added before Read removed the potentially dangerous Max Trotman leg before in the forty-fourth. Keeper Ewan Gegg who has also played against us three times this season batted on but watched as Cyrus Shafi was caught by Tom Simmons to give Sam Read his third wicket. Thirty-one were added for the eighth wicket when in the sixty-eighth over Jack Worgan was dismissed by another catch for Sam Woodcock to give Tom Simmons his deserved wicket for the innings. Gegg and Charlesworth added eighteen when at four o'clock Max Hancock trapped Gegg in front. Five minutes later in his second over Sam Woodcock bowled Charlesworth leaving Devon with four bowling points and Gloucestershire with one batting point falling three runs short of a second.
Tea was taken and the Gloucestershire bowlers showed they had learnt from their previous successful game against the Lions in June. Over the past three years the seventeens had played against the entire Gloucestershire team in that match and six were playing in this one. They got their length from ball one right and made batting far from easy for the home side. At close after facing twenty-nine overs Devon were seventy-five for five and in some difficulty! Sam Read fell in the sixth, Elliott Hamilton six balls later in the seventh, Abraham Kopparambil was caught in the tenth and in the same over Adam Small was caught at slip working to leg, the captain was bowled in the fifteenth. Luke Medlock and Ben Privett then got their heads down and batted sensibly to close.
The next day the pairing took their overnight partnership up from forty-nine to eighty-eight taking the home side up to one hundred and twenty-one, still seventy-six behind. They had importantly got their side through the critical first hour. Ben Privett was out for precisely fifty. Another valuable contribution from the Plympton Under sixteen. He hit ten fours, faced one hundred and seven balls and batted a minute over two hours. His partner in crime Luke Medlock was on thirty-seven and he then stated another important partnership with a second Plympton all rounder - Will Scott Munden. They added forty-five off fifty balls taking Devon up to one hundred and sixty -six and an important first batting point of the summer. At twenty minutes to one Scoot Munden was leg before to Russell and Devon still needed another thirty four runs for a second point and a lead of three.. Twelve minutes before lunch Gloucestershire took the vital wicket of a tired Luke Medlock. Over the years you would struggle to find an under seventeen who deserved three figures as much as Luke Medlock. He was caught behind seven short after batting for over three hours night and day, facing one hundred and forty-nine balls hitting eighteen fours. He had ensured a second batting point and a first innings lead. Lunch was taken after sixty-six overs with Devon on two hundred and sixteen with Sidmouths Tom Simmons and Max Hancock at the crease. Tom Simmons was leg before first ball after the interval but our objectives did not change - get an third batting point and at the same time extend the lead. Hancock got out the long handle and Sam Woodcock gave him the necessary support. The pair took Devon up to nine short of the third point and a lead of forty-four. Max Hancock was ten short of the third white board fifty. The wicket fell at nineteen minutes past two and Devon would now have to build on the fight back they had started the previous day. This they most certainly did.
At twenty-seven minutes past six Gloucestershire had been bowled out with a lead of one hundred and five as Devon put on another exceptional performance in the field. Just as they had at Stourbridge Devon demonstrated they know how to put a side under pressure as almost every catch, whether difficult or a dolly was taken and the bowlers showed they now knew the Exeter length. Devon bowled sixty-one overs and all the bowlers contributed with the captain taking three and Sam Read another haul of four. Some of the catching was exceptional particularly close to the wicket. Three Gloucestershire batsman reached twenty and the highest partnerships was thirty-one for the first and a very annoying twenty-seventh for the tenth. In between Devon showed they had got the hang of three day cricket. Small, Read, Kopparambil all two each and Tom Simmons held important catches, Sam Read had two leg before and Max Hancock bowled Shafi. At thirteen minutes to six Devon took the ninth wicket and were possible at the infamous place where there is a rock and a hard place as there were forty minutes left in the day. Gloucester were seventy-eight ahead and there was a real prospect that their opening bowlers would have two opportunities with the new ball. Although the eighty-four ball last wicket partnership infuriated the final wicket was taken just minutes before close of play but Devon would have to score an additional twenty-seven runs. It really would be unfair to be critical of an excellent captain but why not! In an otherwise perfect summer he could have perhaps shown a little more imagination during this period but he probably was weighing up the risk and reward of such an approach. In truth he could not have manipulated it better. Devon had ninety-seven overs to score one hundred and six on day three.
It was another decent summers day. Sam Read adopted his quite amazing Saturday league approach and this enabled Abraham Kopparambil to have some valuable time at the crease. The openers put on twenty-nine in nine overs against a more than reasonable attack. Kopparambil demonstrated that all he needs is a little luck and confidence and Read was exceptional. Elliott Hamilton also played a critical role in getting Devon home as he was undefeated on thirty-nine batting really sensibly and also hitting five fours. With sixty-seven now on the board and Read having hit six fours and two sixes, one into the road he was out. He had produced the perfect innings for the circumstances, dominating a good attack. The captain came and went but sixteens Hamilton and Small came off together to record a second win. We always enjoy our games with Gloucestershire who play it in the right sprit and this was another civilized game of cricket. Exeter were also terrific and could not do too much for us, another very civilised organisation who make our stays most enjoyable.
