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Posted:
Thursday 11th 2009
Source: Stephen Birley
Ross Acton, Gary Chappell and Dan Hardy were all part of the
Devon Under-21 side who brushed aside Somerset at Exmouth
earlier in the week. All made contributions to a successful day
– here is the report as written for the Devon Cricket website.
The ROK sponsored Devon under 21s took just 67 overs to beat
Somerset IIs at Exmouth. The reigning Southern Counties
champions put on an encouraging performance for the summer in
all the important departments.
On winning the toss Jack Porter elected to field on a track that
had been well protected from the heavy weekend rain but was part
of a square that had been flooded by the deluge.
Plympton’s Lewis Gregory set Somerset back when fourth ball he
bowled Cornwall’s Neil Edwards who has scored nearly 3000 first
class runs. Gregory took his second wicket in his third over
when he had Barlow leg before.
The visitors' captain Carl Gazzard was next to fall as his
opposite number had, on 16, the second Cornishman well caught by
Matt Thompson at slip. The Devon attack was making the most of
the good overcast bowling conditions and it was 23-4 when Porter
in his next over had Meschade leg before.
Walker and Davies put on the highest partnership of the innings
as they dug in and scored 20 in six overs when Walker was Ross
Acton’s first victim. Acton’s first spell of 7 overs (1-25) was
only marred by an expensive first over that went for 11.
The captain Jack Porter was bowling his full quota of ten overs
in one spell and he took his third wicket when he had Lintott
the third leg before victim with the score on 46. He finished
with the impressive figures of 3-11 off ten.
Gary Chappell, one of Devon’s promising left arm spinners, who
with Chris Metters and Dan Bowser could play an important part
this summer, took over at the sea end and in his third over and
the innings twenty-sixth bowled Davies for a sixty-two ball 14.
Lewis Gregory completed his spell from the pavilion end and much
to the consternation of his top order tried to rough up former
Durham and England under 19 paceman Mark Turner.
Ross Action took over again from Gregory and took the final
three wickets in 2.2 overs. First he had Thompson caught by Dan
Bowser at slip, then Turner well caught by Matt Thompson at mid
off for a top score of 28, and the diving captain caught the
third Cornishman Tom Turner.
No balls (2 runs) had been expensive as Devon contributed 27
extras in the final total of 91. The fielding had been up to
standard with just one misfield which can be put down to a
dislocation the previous week. Rain had been forecast to
arrive at the Maer anytime after 2.00pm and was in the air as
Devon lost two quick wickets.
James Burke, who had been sitting an A level at Plymouth College
in the morning can be forgiven for thinking the journey up might
have been more profitable as he was bowled by Meschade fourth
ball.
Devon’s second academy player Lewis Gregory fell five runs later
when Turner exerted some revenge. From 5-2 Dan Hardy, who had
been undefeated on 95 in the corresponding fixture last year,
and Dan Bowser whose cricketing ambitions had just been
published on devoncricket.co.uk took Devon home in the
twenty-ninth over. Their partnership of 87 showed all the
characteristics needed in far from ideal climatic conditions.
Hardy took his aggregate in two knocks against the cider men up
to 138 without being dismissed and Bowser reached 37 hitting six
fours. This was a useful warm up, with Porter pulling most of
the strings, for the 2009 Southern Counties campaign which
shortly starts at Axminster. Exmouth were their normal
outstanding hosts.
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