DEVON U16s' game against Gloucestershire at Sidmouth proved to be a frustrating one.
The frustration started the week before when the game was altered, at Gloucestershire's suggestion, from a two-day game to a one-day affair.
This was a disappointment as the players were deprived of two days' cricket on one of Devon's best grounds.
Weather wise the proposed first day was one of the better ones of recent weeks but the forecast for the second day was fog! Indeed thick mist was present at the ground for most of the morning and at times it perhaps did indeed become fog as the scoreboard was often not fully visible.
For the second successive game two sensible umpires kept the game flowing and no time was lost. This was the first under-16 game of the summer and Jack Gibbs debut as Captain.
With players still involved in GSCEs there were three under 14s in the side and Tom Oxland returning to the county scene.
Coach Sandy Allen put the side through their paces but the general standard of ground fielding and catching showed a need of improvement if the required standards are to be met.
Gibbs won his first toss and invited Gloucestershire to bat. The openers took the score up to five short of three figures when in the first over after the half way point Ben Hayes caught and bowled the visitors captain Helmke.
By the twenty-fifth over Gibbs had employed himself Parker, Horn, Creasey and Hayes. The latter took his wicket with a neat catch off his eighth delivery. Chances were being created but not taken, the players must utilise the rest of this summer to improve all aspects of their fielding which is a vital element in any teams success.
The second Gloucestershire pairing put on thirty-two when in the thirty-fourth over Hayes took his second wicket with a catch from Horn. The fielder was to miss another opportunity as two catches off successive balls from Abrahams were shelled. The off spinner did take a wicket off the last ball of the fortieth over with James Bovey taking the catch to remove Tryfonos for his side's highest score - 75. Gloucestershire were 152-4 as the same combination sent Senior back to the thatched pavilion.
Under-14 off-spinner Freddie Ford was bowling in tandem with Abrahams. Devon now needed to tighten the screw. In fact over the next ten overs the visitors scored 63 runs off the 60 balls, They lost three more wickets. The captain took two having Findley-Wilson caught behind by Under-14 keeper Louis Morrison, who put on an excellent performance behind the stumps not conceding a bye. Gibbs then flattened Stone's stump to leave his opponents 184-6.
The seventh wicket put on twenty-nine off thirty balls when Parker bowled Slade. Devon would have to chase 215 with playing conditions now rapidly improving with the sun out! Just over four an over with a short boundary was considered a very gettable target but a couple of batsmen would have to bat on. Chicken pie and a selection of bread and butter, chocolate and crumble was an excellent lunch.
In fact Devon kept up with the rate until the final overs but not one of the five batsmen that got in batted on, this was really frustration. The openers Jamie Khan and Abraham Kopparambil put on fifty-six before the Under 14 Kopparambil fresh from his maiden county hundred chipped Stone to cover. Khan and Bovey occupied the crease for nearly half an hour and appeared well set when Bovey tried a big shot only to hole out. James has to understand that his role along with the top order batsmen is to play long innings not cameos and hundreds should be their objectives.
Oxland applied himself in a partnership of 45 with Khan and it appeared Devon, subject to sensible batting, were on the way to a comfortable win.
Khan passed his first county 50 of the summer but seven runs later was the third Devonian to be caught. Jamie had batted really well, batting with authority and aggression. When he was dismissed Devon needed another 85 runs and there had been a personal hundred for the taking. The opportunity was lost.
The captain and Oxland added 28 with Gibbs using the long handle, to be dropped five times and Oxland the lap and sweep most effectively.
The captain after hitting a four and a six gave his sixth chance and this time it was accepted. Devon lost three wickets in four balls for one run. The theory behind the need of minimum partnerships of ten could not have been demonstrated better. Oxland was caught behind and Morrison leg before.
Despite now being six down the required rate had not changed needing fifty-five off eighty-two at virtually the same rate as at the beginning of the innings. Abrahams and Freddie Ford then demonstrated what was required putting on a sensible 15 off 31 balls with no problems whatsoever.
For the sixth time this summer a run out ended a promising partnership, with Ford run out backing up at the non strikers end by a direct hit from a diving Helmke. Hopefully Ford will underside the importance of self preservation and learn from this experience. What was frustrating was he and his partner had looked in no difficulty leaving well and rotating the strike.
Leon Horn and Hayes were Devon's sixth and seventh batters to be caught but it was perhaps too much to expect the final pairing of Ben Abrahams and Parker to take the home side to their first win of the season
They took Gloucestershire to the final over requiring 19 but off the third ball Parker was the seventh run out victim of the summer with Devon still 13 short. The last wicket pairing in putting on 20 off thirty-five balls and again being in no real difficulty had again shown the ingredients of how this match could have been won.
REALLY FUSTRATING! Overall it was good that a game was played at all, lessons will be learnt and the under sixteens have now started their season. Colin Whitehall and Gill Hodge could not have done more for us and were exemplary hosts
