With a horrendous forecast, that turned to be a 100% right, for the second day as much play as possible was crammed into the first day. Thanks to Exeter and the umpires one hundred and thirteen overs were bowled giving both sides the opportunity of batting and bowling with Surrey ending the first day fourteen runs ahead with one wicket in hand. Joe Du'Gay won the toss against a younger side from Surrey. An awful lot happened in the first five overs of Devon's innings. Taylor Ingham-Hill rushed to a nineteen ball twenty-three hitting three fours but Surrey missed three opportunities. He was run out on the first ball of the sixth over with Devon on twenty-four. The more sedate Adam Small and Elliot Hamiliton added thirty before Hamiliton was caught in eighteenth over. The young Surrey bowlers were testing Devon and they took a third wicket in the twenty-fourth when Small was caught and bowled by Ben Townsend watched proudly by Grandfather Terry. The thirteen year old had watched many of these encounters in the past mainly from the Heathcoat nets. His father was engaged with the Surrey seventeen's who were beating Devon's own group winners Hampshire at Totton and Eling. Devon were now sixty-one for three which was not the worse start of the summer but Devon fell away to eighty-eight for eight off thirty-seven overs. Du-Gay had batted for half an hour but was the second caught and bowled of the innings, Tom Reynolds hit skywards towards the longest boundary at cow corner finding the waiting fielder, Graham, did not to have to move anything apart from his hands to take the descending catch. Privett disappointed for the first time this summer as he did not disturb the scorers in a six ball visit. Will Scott Munden lasted nearly half an hour but was another batsman - caught - eight in all. Paignton's Archie Farkins was continuing to enhance his growing reputation and in all batted a minute under the hour facing fifty-seven balls. Charlie Ward was the eighth wicket to fall. At lunch Devon were not well placed on ninety for eight. Fortunateky Farkins and Jack Ford added the highest partnership of the innings - thirty-nine off sixty-three balls showing what application can provide. They both looked comfortable at the crease. After thirty-three balls and minutes at the crease Ford was dismissed and eighteen balls later Farkins fine contribution came to an end when he was leg before. Devon had scored a below par one hundred and twenty-nine off three hundred and five balls including two hundred and forty-seven dots.
With almost guaranteed rain due on the next day the objective was to get in as many overs as possible before close of play. Devon did well to get in sixty-nine overs taking nine wickets and they just failed to bowl Surrey out. Surrey were fourteen runs ahead but had an additional card or two been played by the home side they might have been bowled out short. This is the objective of such fixtures for the players to experience new experiences such as last half hours in the field with the possibility of having to bat a few overs before close. However once past twenty past Devon should have tried even harder to take the last wicket and get as many balls in as possible. We will be better prepared in 2020. The Surrey openers added thirty-one in nine minutes under the hour as Devon's opener bowlers Farkins and Ward gave everyone great encouragement for next summer. The first wicket fell in the sixteenth over when Dylan Hurst had Roberts well held by keeper Adam Small. Tea was taken after twenty-four overs with the visitors on fifty-nine and still just the one wicket down. Josh Farley and Jack Ford continued after the interval and Devon very much got themselves into the match. In the twenty-seventh Ford bowled Baldwin, twenty-four balls later he did the same to Weir - 73-3. Patel was brilliantly run out by Privett. Runs outs are without doubt the barometer as to how much pressure is being exerted in the field and this side should be able to produce many more before the end of August in 2020. Farley then took the wicket of Gumbs caught by Hurst. The two slow bowlers were excellent during their spell together. From tea the pair bowled nineteen overs, took four wickets and conceded just forty-one runs at just over twos. This is the type of pressure which is absolutely essential in the longer format and it is the responsibility of all eleven players. Every run has to be stopped and every catch taken. Right fielders in the right places. In the Midlands an important objective is to find next year's slip cordon and the lucky short leg. All vital positions but in reality every position is important. Dylan Hurst held a brilliant catch to remove Keaton, second ball of the fifty-ninth Ford, his fifth, trapped Rana in front -127 -8. Two runs later Baldwin was equally well held by Elliot Hamilton as slip - his first audition for a cordon position to give Ben Privett a deserved wicket. Jack Ford took 5-38 off twenty-four, Josh Farley had bowled thirteen overs for just twenty one. The last pair added fourteen off forty-five and Devon will have learnt how to deal with such a situation in the future.
A ten o'clock start was agreed for day two but the rain set in at nine. Exeter and in particular their splendid caterers and ground teams have been fantastic this year but in Bruce Coleman they have a real gem!
