Walker (pictured) looking ahead with confidence as Devon's young side adapts to Twenty20 demands | 'Our performance against Herefordshire compared to the two games against Cornwall was like night and day'

TWENTY20 captain Lawrence Walker is confident Devon will be tougher nut to crack next summer thanks to an accelerated learning curve this season.

Devon, who completed their group-four pool games with a double-header against Herefordshire at Eastnor, cannot finish outside the bottom two and won’t qualify for the knockout stages.

Walker, who at age 20 is the youngest captain Devon have ever had in any format of the game, has had to learn on the job himself while leading a young side.

Having been walloped twice by Cornwall in the opening round of fixtures, Walker said the lose-one, win-one outcomes against Herefordshire demonstrated that lessons have been learned.

“Our performance against Herefordshire compared to the two games against Cornwall was like night and day,” said Walker.

“Our second game (Devon won by 34 runs) showed what this team can achieve and the progress we have made.

“Captaincy has helped me learn more around the tactical elements of Twenty20 cricket.”

Devon were asked to bat first in game one and despite 31 from Rhys Davies at the top of the order, were held to 126 for seven.

Davies last played for Devon back in 2014 before embarking on a cricketing journey that took him into the MCC Young Cricketers’ programme for two years, followed by stint with Twickenham in the Middlesex Premier League.

More recently Davies has been turning out in the Devon League for Tavistock, where his performances have helped them to the top of the A Division table.

Davies’ form with the bat earned an offer from the Devon selectors to reappear in white-ball cricket – and it proved a good move for both parties. He made more than 100 runs in the double-header against Herefordshire on the Eastnor Castle ground, which will almost certainly lead to further invitations to play in all three formats of the game.

Tim Western, Devon’s performance director, said Davies’ impact on what has largely been a losing team this season was noticeable.

“Rhys batted well in both games, showing maturity,” said Western. His 70 and partnership with Lawrence in the second game set-up a complete performance for the team. 

“Rhys provided that experience we have been looking for in what is a young group of players.”

Runs were hard to come by for a while – especially against James Rudge, whose two for 10 from four overs included a Twenty20 rarity… a maiden!

Sam Read (27) and Adam Small (40) repaired some of the damage, but 127 to win was a doddle for Herefordshire, who won with nine balls to spare.

Game two was a different story thanks to runs from Davies, Harry Passenger (21) and Walker. Davies made 70 and put on 83 with skipper Walker towards a hefty total of 172 for three. Walker’s 56 not out came off 37 balls and included four sixes and three fours.

Herefordshire were never near the nine-an-over territory necessary for long and lacked the 30-plus partnerships needed to make a chase.

Max Shepherd (3-24) marked his return to the T20 side after time away with three of Herefordshire’s top five. Passenger weighed in with two up top and three lower down for match stats of five for 18.

Devon arrived at Eastnor well aware they could not qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition. A points deduction for a registration error killed what were already slender hopes.

Devon now have a near three-week break before they open their NCA Championship programme with a three-day game against defending champions Berkshire at Wargrave.