DEVON head into tomorrow’s 50-over showdown against Cornwall at Redruth CC (11am) aiming to make up lost ground in the National. Counties Trophy.

Devon prospects of qualifying from Group Three suffered a set-back on Bank Holiday Monday when they lost to Oxfordshire by 90 runs at Abingdon.

In the logjam behind leaders Berkshire there are four counties on two points – and Devon are one of them. 

Anything other than a win over Cornwall at Redruth will deal a serious blow to Devon’s chances of finishing in the top two and reaching the last-eight knock-out stage.

“It is a massive game in terms of qualification,” said James Horler, the Devon captain.

Availability issues delayed Devon naming a side as some players have commitments with county second teams that clash. Somerset and England under-19 pace bowler Joe Heywood is among them.

NEW FACES

The finalised XI contains two new faces: Torquay & Kingskerswell spinner Harry Passenger and Sandford seamer Matt Jeacock.

Jeacock has been knocking on the dressing room door for a while and Horler said he deserves the opportunity to show what he can do.

“Matt's been working hard over last few years in the Devon Lions development programme as well as wintering in Australia,” said Horler.

“It is Important we keep developing our seam bowling unit as, at the moment, we are lacking in that department.”

Off-spiner Passenger, who has spent a second succesive winter honing his game in New Zealand, has previously featured for Devon in red-ball cricket. 

Devon’s qualification chances are stronger than Cornwall’s, who need all sorts of good fortune to make it into the top two after back-to-back defeats by Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. Rain-offs elsewhere might help!

Cornwall only have one more game to play – three of the four teams above them have two to go – and even if they beat Devon a cumulative total of four points is unlikely to be enough to finish in the top two. 

Although Cornwall defended an all-out total of 113 against Oxfordshire first time out – and won by 19 runs on what skipper Paul Smith described as a ‘difficult pitch’ at St Just – they were all out for 133 against Bucks and 194 against Berks.

Smith said frontline batters have to make more of a contribution for results to improve.

“Losing wickets in clusters early doors is no good whether you are trying to set a target or chase one,” said Smith.

“What has to change is that one of the top four or five has to step-up and make 80, 90 or a hundred if we are going to win games.”

Cornwall have named a 13-man squad which includes Somerset’s Lewis Goldsworthy and Scott Kellow, neither of whom featured against Berkshire.

Devon: J D Horler, S J Elstone, B H Privett, F J Hill, M W Thompson, L S Walker, C F Harvey, S O Read, H J Passenger, J M Nott, M R Jeacock.

Cornwall (from): P S Smith, A W Bone, R X Clarke, B A Ellis, L P Goldsworthy, S P Kellow, K Leathley, A MacDonald, W A McVicar, W J J Rowe, M M Tryfonos, G G Wagg, E A F Whiteford.