It was a another early start for the last day of their half term holiday and it was a really long day for everyone. A failure of a manifold on the Moor resulted in Devon travelling with eleven. Cloud cover and misty rain did not give a clue to the glorious day that followed even if the BBC Weather App had done so. Devon were returning to Clifton College where they had played a two-day game two years ago. With a 10.45am start Sandy Allen went for the short, sharp approach after giving the players some net time. All looked well, agreement was reached that if success was to be achieved this summer it would be the result of everyone contributing and the side then put this into practice. Billy Rudolph made it three out of three. The openers Harvey Sargent and Noah Wright ran enterprisingly from ball one and despite some close shaves were batting very comfortable together with a century partnership very much on the cards. However as in the previous game with Worcestershire it was a run out that ended the innings major partnership. The pair had put on eighty-four in nineteen point two overs when confusion resulted in Wright being run out four short of his first county fifty of the season. Sargent was on thirty-two. With Tom Andrew still not at the ground Jamie Khan joined Sargent and as often happens one wicket becomes two as Khan was caught by the diving Palmer at mid wicket for one off Drissell. The spinner was attacking the leg stump bowling around the wicket but it had taken Tom Lammonby to spot that the sight screen was set up for his bowling over the wicket! As the old adage states you should always add on two wickets to any score and Devon from 84-0 were now 91-2 and not so well placed. Fortunately Sargent and Lammonby added another sixty-four in forty-minutes off eighty-eighty balls. In the thirty-five over Sargent swept in the air and was caught by Pierre on the rope. Sargent had approached one hundred and fifty for Sidmouth second team the previous day and his confidence was restored. Devon were now 155-3 off thirty-five overs and the opposition were contemplating chasing three hundred for the second time this summer but add on two. Devon quickly lost Hagan-Burt for seven and Tom Andrew who chipped to mid on for one to leave Devon now five down with one hundred and eighty-six on the score board. Andrew therefore did not complete his hundred for the weekend being unbeaten the previous day on 98 for Bovey twos. Fortunately Lammonby and Ben Phillips added an unbeaten seventy-six for the fifth wicket off fifty-nine balls and in thirty-seven minutes. This partnership was vital in taking Devon to a reasonable 262 their third highest fifty over total. Lammonby had passed his second under seventeen hundred to be unbeaten on one hundred and four and Phillips scored at a run a ball for his twenty-five hitting his sides only six. Lammonby has now scored two hundred and forty-three runs in his three knocks - an outstanding contribution.The only comment that could be made about lunch was that Gloucestershire sent out an SOS to a member of their staff for additional rations for their players which did not go down particularly well in the score box!
The Gloucestershire openers go hard from the start and they put on thirty-seven when Hagan-Burt bowled the home sides captain Palmer. This had been off forty-three balls but the other opener Forbes and Hooper then put on one hundred and fourteen off only one hundred and thirty-balls. Gloucestershire were very well placed at 151-1 with Rudolph having employed five bowlers but it was when he turned to Harry Ward in the twenty-sixth over that Devon started to claw back the initiative. After an expensive first over Ward then bowled nine overs for thirty-three taking four wickets. Had Devon held all their chances, they dropped at least five, he would have taken more he turned the game around and also took wickets at the other end. He had Hooper caught in the ring by Gibbs, and then removed the dangerous Forbes who had scored eighty-eight, not chanceless runs, caught Sargent, the skipper then bowled their Ward to leave Gloucestershire 176-4 with ninety balls to score eighty six still very much in favour of the batting side. However the coach was now on his calculator as the required run rate kept creeping up as Devon started to turn the screw. Wards third was Drissell caught Reed 185-5. One run later Rudolph had the scorers namesake caught by Sargent. Now only Senior stood in the way of an away victory. In the forty-third over Lammonby held his first catch off Ward as Gloucestershire were seven down still requiring forty-four off forty-two. Devon were now spilling chances and Ward suffered with the others. Hagan-Burt returned to the attack, after Reed previously good figures had been dented, to bowl Calcott. In the forty-seventh over Lammonby bowled Senior for a twenty-four ball thirty-one. The calculator was now put away as the home side needed twenty-two off twenty-two with one wicket in hand. The opening and death bowlers then combined to take the final wicket when Groves was caught Lammonby bowled Hagan-Burt Devon victors by eighteen with eleven balls remaining. An outstanding recovery with now many of the players having had the benefit of match play. Six of the bowlers had gone for less than six an over with Hagan- Burt taking 3-42, Lammonby going for less than three, Rudolph 2-23 and the outstanding Ward - 4-49. Hunger pangs were satisfied at Gordano's and Hampshire had beaten Worcestershire. Devon have to improve their catching for the rest of the summer, the low point being when a single was taken as an apology was offered! Gibbs completed his revison for his history exam the next day and gave the writer a crash course in the use of the Ipad.
