Herefordshire's two-ton assault makes Devon work hard for points on day two | 'We felt we dragged them back nicely towards the end, picking up full bowling points' – Devon captain James Horler (pictured)
DEVON go into the third and final day of the Western Division One match against Herefordshire at Eastnor with a 46-run lead and nine wickets intact.
Day two was a gruelling affair for Devon as Herefordshire kept them out in the field for 70 overs to reached 441 all out. They had resumed in the morning on 83 for one on reply to Devon’s first-innings total of 362.
Matt Pardoe and Tom Cornall, Herefordshire’s second wicket pair, completed a stand of 196 for the second wicket that tested Devon’s bowling stamina at times. Both made centuries and some!
The stand ended when Pardoe was run out for 126 by a link-up between Devon fielder Lawrence Walker and keeper Matt Thompson. Pardoe batted for 15 minutes more than three hours. He hit 18 fours and two sixes.
By the time Cornall was caught behind of the bowling of Sam Read he had been involved in stands that added 398 to the total! Among them was one of 61 with Ollie Walker (43) and another worth 90 with L A Tulacz (25).
Devon’s Callum Harvey followed his first day century with a four-wicket haul. He got through 27.5 overs for figures of four for 145.
Sam Read, Devon’s Mr Consistent in the spin bowling department, had four for 87 off 20.
Read and Harvey both got their rewards in the final 10 overs of the Herefordshire innings when seven wickets fell in the dash for runs.
Taking all four bowling bonus points was one aim of the day and when Harvey removed James Rudge on 441 for nine that was one mission accomplished.
Opener Elliot Hamilton, caught behind off Rudge, was Devon’s only casualty during the 34 overs they used up getting to 125 for one. The not out batters are Thompson (48), who made a century in the first innings, and skipper James Horler (64).
The challenge for Horler and Devon on day three is to get far enough ahead to post a defendable total AND leave enough time to bowl out Herefordshire to win the match.
Horler will also have one eye on the scores at Thame where title rivals Oxfordshire and Berkshire are battling it out.
Looking back on day two, Horler said: “It was a tough day in periods, but still overly positive.
“There were times we thought we could have been better, however Hereford batted well on a pitch that is still just pretty flat.
“We felt we dragged them back nicely towards the end, picking up full bowling points. Our catching was superb throughout.”
Weighing-up day three, Horler added: “It is good to have a lead going into the last day.
"Looking to continue batting and reassess later in the day to see where our situation and the other game in the division is at.”
