IT is always hoped that the final game for any group should be one with them bowing out of Devon Youth Cricket on a high.
Therefore an innings and 70-run defeat inside two days against Hampshire is the antithesis of such a hope. Sandy Allen described the performance as one more appropriate for the last day of term not something to look back on with great fondness as the years advance.
The side simply ran out of steam and over the two days the performance was as bad as it gets. Hampshire won the division by a mile but with a decent performance we could have matched their points haul but Devon were never in it.
This was one of the most disappointing performances of a final game together ever experienced. Although some started with Ted Ashman earlier than 2012 this group came together in that year with an unbeaten first season together, they have won the Taunton Festival and reached the U15s' quarter finals but for the four players that lasted the journey this was a most unsatisfactory end to it all where some reverse psychology failed to motivate the side into the third day. Hampshire went on to play Surrey in the semi-final..
Devon had not been beaten in a three-day game away from home in two before so this was a totally new experience for all. Devon completed the season as runners up to Hampshire mainly due to two exceptional wins against Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
Again travelling on a Sunday afternoon we decided to take the coastal road to avoid Stonehenge but there were still numerous build ups of traffic at roundabouts, traffic lights and junctions which increased the tedium but within three and a half hours we were back at the Ormonde House Hotel now under new management and having been subject to a refurbishment. For years this hotel has provided the best breakfast on the circuit and to a huge relief this statement still stands. We watched a game of cricket at the nearby Lyndhurst ground with thatch pavilion and roaming ponies. Later we walked to the Stag which unfortunately did not meet the captains increasingly high expectations. In fairness, although the desert menu is limited, we experienced the best gammon and fish and chips so far in 2019. We returned to the Totton and Eling ground which has some really happy recent memories. Paignton's Charlie Ward made his debut and Joe Du Gay returned. Ward had an excellent two days and should be pleased with his contribution. With the All Stars following us on day one an early start created some heated discussion later in the day. The visitors captain, who was undecided lost the toss and Hampshire followed their proven formula by inserting. It would be invidious in the last report of the summer to go on about the negatives from this game but this summer has confirmed that young cricketers are failing to understand and equally importantly implement the vital ingredients needed to be successful at the longer format. Something the England Test team has also found this summer. Out of sixteen potential batting points only three were achieved, although the bowling point return was better we still did not demonstrate the basic skills not just in bowling but equally importantly in the field. It is highly likely that the sixteens will have a crash course over their remaining six days together on what is required in the second half of next season. Devon, on the result of two outstanding reversals, came second to Hampshire in the League table but in this game they were a long, long way behind their hosts. The homes side approach this summer has been win the toss, bowl out their opponents cheaply, score three fifty plus and bowl out their opponents a second time equally cheaply. To achieve this you need a top order that average forty plus, a middle order that average thirty-five plus and a lower order that average twenty-five plus. A successful side needs seamers who bowl top of off stump and to their field, spinners who can put on pressure and take wickets and all of their bowlers to give away very, very few boundaries. In addition a successful side needs to give away the minimum extras, fielders need to catch and stop everything, be placed in the right position and all of the team have the ability to impose themselves on their opposition. If you fail to achieve this level you tend to go home, after two days, with an innings defeat. It must also be appreciated to end up again second in the table is the result of two VERY GOOD performance when on occasion many of these ingredients were demonstrated. The wins against Gloucestershire and Worcestershire were the result of important individual contributions and the side working very hard together.
Over the 2019 season Devon did not on any occasion face one hundred overs in a first innings and in this game they did not in the two days play. Within eleven balls they had lost both openers, after twenty-three overs they were ninety-four for six. Joe Du'Gay had applied himself but was the first of three LBW decisions. The captain was unwell but continued to lead from the front and after an indifferent start when he nearly played on twice he scored a top score of sixty. With Max Hancock he added the one meaningful partnership of the innings - forty. Devon picked up their third batting point of the summer being dismissed for one hundred and sixty-nine. At tea Hampshire were eighty behind with one wicket down. During this period Devon had bowled just five overs that went for less than four and the side lacked cohesion. The captain had a perfect view from the Coach's office. After tea he did his best to get his side back in the game but the second wicket pairing were adding one hundred and fifteen off one hundred balls. Chances were missed but at close Hampshire were twenty-three ahead but now five down. Charlie Ward had taken out Regan and Middleton with catches from Privett and Small, in front of his grandmother. Tom Prest was leg before to Hancock one short of a second hundred against us this year, South was caught at slip by Read off Simmons eighty-one short of three figures, Sam Woodcock trapped England Under 19 keeper in front for ten.
It was hoped on the second day that Devon could put some real pressure on not the strongest lower order in the group they could get themselves back into the game. Devon warmed up well, knew they needed at least two early wickets and took just one with Tom Simmons bowling Pardoe. Hampshire were allowed to dictate, something Devon did not ever achieve in the game. The general game and management lacked a real appreciation of what their opponents were trying to achieve and even a visit by the opponents coach with a drink at the fall of the ninth wicket did not alert them to alter the approach. The five remaining wickets took Hampshire to full batting points, some personal bests and an almost a certain win. Luke Medlock again provided some control but it needs to come from both ends, he and Hancock took two wickets apiece. Devon were one hundred and ninety-eight behind with forty-one overs remaining in the day and another ninety-seven on day three. Thirty-three were sufficient, the highest partnership was thirty-five between the ever reliable Luke Medlock and the confident Max Hancock. In all there were just five partnerships in double figures. One of the season's real successes Luke Medlock scored thirty-three. Hampshire were in control from ball one to ball one hundred and ninety-six. It is essential that those players likely to be involved in 2020 fully understand what is needed when you are batting against disciplined group of bowlers with field settings of three or more slips and a gulley waiting and our bowlers actually understand what is needed to put a team under pressure. As Sandy Allen commented it could be a really boring winter with the players proving they can actually achieve some basics. We will however watch how Jason Roy tries to adopt with real interest.
