BY PAUL BOLTON & CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

DEVON had plenty to feel positive about going forward despite losing by 19 runs to Buckinghamshire in the Cluberly NCCA Championship final at West Bromwich Dartmouth CC.

Bucks, who won the Eastern Division One title, set Devon 190 to win in the fourth innings and bowled them out for 170.

Seventeen wickets fell on the final day as spinners on both sides cashed in on conditions that suited them down to the ground.

Bucks, 51-runs ahead on first-innings scores, were bowled out second time around for 138. Devon left-armer Callum Harvey (6-40) claimed a second six-wicket haul in the match for combined figures of 12 for 100.

At the time they were the best match figures in a final since 1938 but they proved to be only that for around four hours as Haddow worked his way through Devon’s second innings.

Haddow, who took eight wickets in the first innings, bagged nine for 73 in the fourth innings for 16 for 143 in the game. They were the best figures in the competition since George Walker took 16 for 96 against Cambridgeshire at Norwich in 2009. 

Devon’s Ben Privett, who made 67 in the first innings, was the only batter on either side to pass 50 in the match. Twenty-nine wickets were shared between spinners Haddow and Harvey.

Devon played a full part in a low-scoring but compelling contest and pushed Buckinghamshire much harder than they did in the 2023 final when they went down by a record 550 runs.

For Devon’s performance director Tim Western the final – plus the Western Division title  were bonuses at the end of season that started with the aim of avoiding relegation.

 “It was a great final and it was a good learning experience for us. It was bonus territory to be here with such a young side and they have learnt a massive amount,” Western said.

“We have come away as Western Division champions which at the start of the season was possibly a long way off.

“The guys are hurting but they are desperate to come back and go one better as soon as we can.

“We had five players in the final who have made their debuts this season and there are others who have played for the county for the first time. We have had a really good season and the guys have learnt a lot.

“The final has been a fantastic experience. It was great to be away with the guys for three days. They are learning as a group, they get on really well together, they stick as one and they are all very level-headed which is great as a support team.

“They are learning and they are hungry to learn and get better. We have got some good plans ahead for the winter to get them together – apart from the ones who are going overseas to warmer climes – to work with them so that they come back as better players in all aspects.”

Seamers Craig Penberthy and George Greenway were left-field picks for the three-day fixtures and justified their selections with wholehearted performances. Eight-wickets each were respectable concerns over a five-game span, mostly played on spinner-friendly pitches.

If and when Devon hand out a player-of-the-year award just for red-ball cricket the three frontrunners are Matt Thompson, Sam Read and Callum Harvey.

Thompson, whose retirement swansong was the play-off final, topped the batting averages and aggregates with figures of 48.74 and 390 respectively.

Read with 21 wickets at 21.4 each and a batting average of nearly 27, would (in most years) be in line for the all-rounder accolade. Perhaps not this season.

Callum Harvey, in his debut season for Devon, claimed 26 wickets at 18.65 each AND scored 267 runs at an average of 38.14.

 

Devon’s XII for the Cluberly NCCA Championship final against Buckinghamshire at West Bromwich Dartmouth CC. Back (left to right): Craig Penberthy, Lawrence Walker, Matt Jeacock, George Daldorph (12th man), Callum Harvey, Matt Thompson, Sam Read; front: Elliot Hamilton, Ben Privett, James Horler (captain), Seb Linnitt and George Greenway