AUGUST 3-5th
DEVON were on course for a morale-boosting win in their last outing before going to Lord's tomorrow when play ended against Wiltshire at Salisbury.
Wiltshire had been bowled out for 150 in the pre-lunch session, then dismissed Devon in a rain-affected innings for 212 to trail by 62.
When stumps were pulled in the gathering gloom last night – play continued an extra hour until 8pm to make up for lost time – Wiltshire were 55 for five, still seven runs behind with half their team out.
Wiltshire's second innings started badly when opener Simon Macey was dismissed third ball by David Burke before the scoreboard had moved.
Bob Dawson trapped Ben Walker lbw on six, then it all went quite on the wicket-taking front until the spinners caused havoc at the end.
Rob Newman claimed Eddie Able for 18, James Hudson got Jaydon Levitt with the last ball of one over and took a catch of his own bowling to dismiss Jamie Haywood with the first ball of his next.
Nightwatchman Adam Miles and skipper Jamie Hibberd saw Wiltshire through what was left of the session.
Exeter's Rob Holman top scored for Devon with 91 and would surely have had a maiden Devon hundred had it not been for a freak dismissal.
Having batted for close to three hours, and just spanked bowler Rob Franklin for two successive fours, Holman edged the next delivery to keeper Miles, who parried it like a soccer goalkeeper to Hibberd at first slip
Next best for Devon wih 39 was Josh Bess, who signalled his intentions but scoring his first 16 runs in boundaries.
Bess and Holman came together when Devon were in a bit of trouble at 106 for five having just lost Dawson, Hudson and first-ball casualty David Lye for 12 runs added.
Holman, who appeared their for the duration at times, and went 29 overs without hitting a boundary, put on 73 with Bess.
Back in the morning session Wiltshire, 131 for six overnight, advanced to 144 then lost skipper Hibberd for a grafter's 62.
Having come in when his side was struggling at 40 for five on day one, Hibberd helped add 104 and scored more than half of them himself.
The second ball of Burke's new spell accounted for Hibberd, then Bess had Franklin caught at mid-off in the next over.
The tail enders submitted meekly as the last three wickets went down for just six runs between them.
Burke bagged Rob Travers lbw with an inswinger to finish with figures of three for 41 – a personal best for the county. Bess's three for 36 was also a county best.
Left-arm spinner Chris Metters took the other wicket to fall when Dudley Graham holed out to mid-wicket where substitute fielder Scott Barlow was waiting. Barlow was briefly on the field while skipper Bob Dawson had an ankle injury attended to.
There was no play on day three due to overnight rain.
Wiltshire 150 (J Hibberd 62; T S Anning 3-45, D J Burke 3-41, J J Bess 3-36) & 55-5 (J R Levitt 29; J M Hudson 2-19), Devon 212 (R J Holman 91, J J Bess 39; D V Graham 3-71) Match drawn: Devon 11pts, Wiltshire 10
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