CONRAD SUTCLIFFE ON THE FORTFIELD
Scorecard
Day One Report
JAMES Matravers wrote himself an indelible place in the history of Devon county cricket with a maiden National Counties century on his championship debut.
The Gloucestershire Academy scholar became only the tenth Devon player to score a century on his debut in the 121 years since they joined the Minor Counties circuit. And no one has done it at a younger age.
Devon ended day two at Sidmouth with a 38-run lead and eight wickets to take if they are going to bowl Herefordshire out as a prelude to attempting a winning run chase.
Herefordshire went out to bat second time around exactly 200 runs behind, and Matravers had a lot to do with putting Devon so far ahead.
Devon, 88 for two overnight in reply to Herefordshire’s 193 all out, were looking good at 136 for three with Seb Linnitt on 74. It was a less rosy picture at 144 or six 14 balls later – Ed Smith (3-68) taking all three wickets to fall – when Matravers strode into the middle.
A stand of 149 between Lawrence Walker and Matravers put Devon exactly 100 runs ahead – and there were more runs waiting in the locker. 
Walker’s demise exposed Herefordshire’s bowling to the aggressive tendencies of Sam Read, who belted five fours and two sixes from 42 balls faced while racing along to 44.
Matravers was inexorably moving towards three figures at the other end from Read and got there by depositing James Rudge (3-88) for six over deep square-leg. His century was completed at the age of 19 years and 286 days. Jack Dart (20yrs 312 days) was the previous youngest with 109 made at Dorset at Exmouth in 2015.
The stand between Read and Matravers had reached 69 when Herefordshire left-armer Theo Barker (3-70) bowled the later for 124. He had batted for 149 minutes, faced 110 balls and dispatched 16 fours and three sixes.
Read was still there when Devon declared in the 90th over on 393 for nine.
Tim Western, Devon’s performance director, said although Matravers’ innings was the ‘highlight’, there was much more to Devon on day two than one contribution.
“After the measured recovery by Linnitt and Matt Thompson on Monday evening and into the second day, a flurry of wickets fell, but the strength and depth in our batting line up then showed,” said Western.
“The highlight was undoubtedly James Matravers' hundred on debut. A very useful player to be coming in at number eight, James went up and down through the gears with a compact defence and then some brutal stroke play. He and Lawrence Walker put on a valuable partnership for the sixth wicket.
“It was pleasing for the team to see Lawrence back scoring runs after a frustrating first half of the season out with a broken thumb.”
Herefordshire were 162 for two when stumps were pulled at the end of day two. Ben Chapman-Lilley was in and out for a three-ball duck. Henry Hardinges made 65 before Read snared him lbw.
The not-outers overnight were Joe Porter (69) and George Rhodes (20).
Said Western: “After the initial breakthrough by Ben Privett, the two Herefordshire left-handers batted positively, and we struggled to make further inroads into their line-up, despite a growing amount of spin off the pitch.
“We will need to be both patient and consistent to bowl out Herefordshire for a second time, but there are enough overs in the day to achieve this.”
Western said pitch conditions at Sidmouth have ‘improved from a batting perspective’ over the first two days. He added: “We are confident of being able to chase whatever is required to secure the win.”
