By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

EXETER Chiefs president Bob Staddon is the latest former county player to name his side in the Devon CCC pick-a-team competition.

Players past and present, supporters and anyone interested in Devon cricket can enter a team in the competition.

Teams can include anyone who has turned out for Devon since Minor Counties cricket resumed after World War Two in 1946. Teams don’t have to come from the same era and can include players such as left-arm seam bowler Doug Yeabsley (1959-1989), Nick Folland (1981-2001) and Neil Hancock (1999-2011), who never appeared in the same side together. Email your team – with a nominated captain and a 12th man – to conradcopy@btinternet.com

Staddon’s side, with brief pen pictures is: 

Nick Folland: Devon’s record-breaking batsman. Totalled more than 10,000 Minor Counties runs between 1981-2001. Twenty centuries and 65 half-centuries. Averaged 51.86. Scored 50s against all Test playing nations apart from South Africa for MCCA XI, which he captained. Made 249 not out against Oxfordshire at Torquay – an all-time county record.

Jeff Tolchard:One of three brothers to represent Devon. Combined cricket with football for Exeter City and Torquay United. Later played for professionally for Leicestershire and had a second career as a teacher. Played 58 times for Devon (1963-82) either side of his career with Leicestershire.

John Tolliday: Elegant batsman who represented Devon between 1969-81. Topped the national Minor Counties batting stats in 1971 with an average of 62.

Norman Humphries: Early order batsman and former county captain. Scored 199 and 216 against Kent II and Surrey II in consecutive matches in 1949. Nine tons and 14 half-centuries for Devon between 1938-55. Averaged 43.

Gary Wallen: Devon batsman 1974-1990. Also played for Minor Counties in the Benson & Hedges Cup and toured Kenya with an MCCA representative squad. Appeared in more than 100 Devon games. Average 34.24.

Derek Cole: Only Doug Yeabsley (235) played more Championship games for Devon than Cole (187), whose career stretched from 1947-1970. Genuine all-rounder. Scored 8,105 runs and took 447 wickets. Team captain.

Deryck Fairclough: Like Cole and Humphries another ex-Devon captain. Scored 4,693 runs and took 226 wickets with his off-spin between 1949-64. 

Geoff Evans: Wicketkeeper who played for two seasons, one of which was the 1978 title-winning campaign under Barrie Matthews. Unlucky to be competing with other good players for the gloves at the time.

Doug Yeabsley: No one has played more games (235) or taken more wickets (735) than the indefatigable Yeabsley. Dropped down batting order during career, but still averaged more than 20 with the bat.

John Swinburne: Talent-spotted by Northants while playing for Devon between 1964-69. Took 159 wickets at 16.14 runs each for Devon with his off-spin. Released by Northants in 1974. Later played for Shropshire.

Gerald Trump: Started playing for Devon while studying at St Luke’s College in 1959 and continued until 1973. Took 325 wickets at an average in the early 20. Out three times on 59. Never made a 50. Took four slip catches when Jack Kelly (10-50) bowled out Berkshire at Torquay in 1961. Father of Harvey Trump (Somerset 1988-86).

Other players who came into contention but missed out on a place in Staddon’s XI included: the Shepherd brothers – David and Bill – and their North Devon team-mate Max Lloyd; spinners Bill Jordan, Tony Allin and John Childs and the Torquay duo of David Post and Barrie Matthews.

During a long cricket career of his own that lasted three decades, Staddon played with or against past and present Devon players who spanned the generations. Humphries made his county debut in 1938.

Staddon played cricket 82 times for Devon between 1967-78 and scored more than 2,750 runs. He had 11 half-centuries to his name.

Staddon’s cricket career started as a 15-year-old schoolboy at Ilfracombe Grammar School who was persuaded to join the town club by team captain Rodney Beer, who was his sports teacher.

“I scored my first century playing for Ilfracombe against Minehead on a ground that is now the Butlins’ holiday camp,” said Staddon. 

Teacher training at St Luke’s College in Exeter followed school, then a peripatetic period playing cricket all over Devon and also in Dorset.

“I took a teaching post in Bridport but as I was already playing for Devon by then I wanted to keep my connection with the county, so I played just over the border  for Seaton,” said Staddon.

“I did play for Bridport a couple of times – we were bowled out for 13 in one of the games – but generally played for Seaton where Norman Humphries was the captain then.

“As my parents still lived in Ilfracombe at the time, I played for North Devon when I travelled home.”

Staddon joined Exeter CC when he landed a teaching job there and had two decades there, which included a spell as captain. He retired as a cricketer in the early 1990s.

Staddon belonged to a generation of sportsmen who had no close season as he was a top-class rugby player with Exeter, Devon and the South West Division too.

Other players to represent Devon at cricket and rugby include Yeablsey (1967), Andy Pugh (1989-1990), Keith Benton (1986), Norman Humphries (1946), Chris Edwards (1986-88) and Alan Stevens (1964).

And it wasn’t just rugby that occupied cricketers during the winter months. Gary Wallen was capped by Devon at football; Roger Newman and Jeff Tolchard played football for Torquay United, Norman Borrett played hockey and squash for England and Ian Murray was a member of the Great Britain ski team for three seasons in the 1960s.