DEVON will be playing for their Western Division One survival in the three-day fixture against Cheshire starting at Sidmouth tomorrow (noon).
Sizeable defeats at the hands of champions presumptive Berkshire then Cornwall, have left Devon anchored to the foot of the five-team table.
Last season’s Western Division champions face the unpalatable prospect of being as good as relegated if they (7pts) lose to Cheshire (10) who are the team they overtake of in the final two games of the season.
With a 24-point maximum for a win the situation could change quite quickly. Lose and Cheshire will only require a handful of bonus points against Cornwall in their final fixture to send Devon down.
If Devon win they will go into their last game of the season, which is against Oxfordshire at Banbury, with a fighting chance of staying up.
Devon went into the corresponding game in Chester last season in the unusual position of fearing relegation if they lost, and having the chance of winning the division if they won, which they did.
“I think that's the nature of a five-team competition,” said James Horler, who is currently skippering Devon while Jamie Stephens is out injured.
‘You are always going to be a relegation possibility like last year, when we won it but could've been relegated
Cornwood seamer Matt Skeemer swung the game Devon’s way at Boughton Hall CC with a six-wicket haul that set-up a title-decider against Herefordshire seven days later. Skeemer had wickets in that match too.
Skeemer did not play in the first two games due to a combination of work commitments then team balance, but was one of the first names on the team sheet this time round.
Horler, who scored 165 against Cheshire at Boughton Hall last year, said the decision to bring in Skeemer for leg-spinner Will Christophers, under-employed with the ball against Cornwall, was difficult but necessary.
“It is tough on Will as the pitch at Truro didn't really act as we expected so there wasn't a huge need for three spinners,” said Horler.
“Skeemer played well at Sidmouth last year and we think will be effective in bolstering the attack.”
Horler said although Devon’s three-day record has been ‘disappointing’ this season, he is confident the fundamentals are there to play the way out of trouble.
“There's nothing we need to think about changing, just executing things better than we have at times,” he said.
‘We defeated Cheshire last year, so comfortable we have what it takes.”
Play on day one at Sidmouth will commence at noon to allow Cheshire time to recover from a late-night dash to Devon. Close of play will be an hour later at 8pm.
Devon: J D Horler, M W Thompson, C J Haggett, S J Elstone, H D Southgate, B H Privett, L S Walker, S O Read, M P Skeemer, M B Shepherd, K B Szymanski.
Cheshire: H E Dearden, S J Perry, R T Sehmi, H Dobson, L M McCoy, L Young, K R Carroll, N D Anderson, C W G Sanders, A J Selby, D A Wilson.
Umpires: P Smith & N Pipier.
