By CONRAD SUTCLIFE
TEAM chief Dave Tall is looking for a meaner streak from Devon when they travel to Hertford tomorrow (Sunday) for a 50-over appointment with Hertfordshire.
Devon got their NCCA KPO Cup programme up and running last time out when they trounced Bedfordshire by 161 runs at Exeter. Having been pasted by 10 wickets by Berkshire seven days earlier it was just the response Tall wanted.
Jonty Walliker had four wickets on his cup debut for Devon and Dan Goodey, an 11th-hour replacement for Hugo Whitlock, took three more.
You would expect Tall to be all smiles after a 161-run win, but there was one thing that made him frown.
Devon had Bedfordshire reeling at 59 for eight after Walliker and Goodey worked them over, but the last two pairs hung around to add 64 runs towards a final total of 123 all out.
Said Tall: “We batted well, we mostly bowled well and apart from one dropped catch we fielded well too.
“In all honesty we did not do a lot wrong and if we play as well against Hertfordshire we will give ourselves a great chance of winning.
“However… once we got Bedfordshire eight down we let the game drift and they got more than they should have done.
“Everyone knew at 59 for eight the game was won and lost – it was probably won and lost when we had them 53 for six – and that was the problem.
“Our boys play league cricket on a Saturday afternoon when they don’t have to bowl sides out to win matches. If you are bowling second you just have to stop the opposition scoring more runs than you do.
“It is the same in the 50-over cricket we play: you don’t have to bowl the other side out. But you do in three-day cricket and we missed an opportunity to work on ways to get batsmen out, which you have to do to win those matches.”
Opener Elliot Hamilton owes Devon some runs after getting out second ball against Bedfordshire playing a forgettable shot. Otherwise, Tall was happy with the performance and is not planning any tactical changes.
“One way or another everyone from 1-11 played their part in the win over Bedfordshire and there is no reason to change anything.”
Tall has made one enforced changed as Somerset’s dual-registered all-rounder Ned Leonard has not been released to play. His replacement in Sidmouth’s Zak Bess.
Work commitments again prevent Jamie Stephens leading the side so Calum Haggett will continue as caretaker captain.
If Devon win at Hertford tomorrow – and history books are not in their favour – they will take on Cornwall at Sidmouth on June 26 bidding for a place in the quarter-finals.
Devon have met Hertfordshire three times in the one-day competition in the past and have only won once.
A Devon side boosted by the inclusion of Roger Twose, who went on to play Test cricket for New Zealand, won a semi-final at St Albans by 55 runs. Twose made 50. Devon lost to Staffordshire in the final at Lord’s.
The two sides did not meet again until 2010 when Devon lost by 26 runs at Exmouth. A 2013 rematch at Instow ended in Devon being defeated by 65 runs.
Hertfordshire (possible): D Chatfield, J M Latham, A H Ahmed, J E Southgate, R Hussain, D J Burnell, A L Wiijesuriya, Z Akhter, L J Chapman, B A Waring, A D A Gosling.
Devon: C J Haggett (Shapwick & Polden), M W Thompson (Congresbury), E H Hamilton (Plympton), Z G G Bess (Sidmouth), S O Read (Exeter), A J Small (Sandford), D J Goodey (Bashley), J E B Walliker (Plympton), E W O Middleton (Taunton Deane), F Sabir (Ombursley).
Umpires: J Pitcher, M Waseem
