By Conrad Sutcliffe

OPENER Matt Hunt hit an unbeaten century as Devon walloped Holland by 100 runs in the showcase friendly at Budleigh Salterton.

   The match was supposed to serve two purposes: match practice for Holland ahead of the looming World Cup qualifiers in Ireland and to officially open Budleigh's new £100,000 pavilion.

   Former Australian batsman, captain and coach Bob Simpson is in charge of the Dutch national side these days and performed the pavilion opening ceremony with just the right amount of humour and warmth.

   He had to do it earlier than anticipated though as Holland were bowled out with almost 14 of their 50 overs still to come.

   Holland will have to bowl a lot better than they did at Ottermouth to make much impression in the qualifying tournament as, with one or two exceptions they dished up a diet of short stuff, wide stuff and leg-stump half-volley stuff. A 100-run stuffing was rather appropriate under the circumstances.

   Devon's bowling and fielding was generally in a different class to Holland's, notably the two run-outs to dismiss Derk Reekers and Jacob Esmeijer.

   Reekers thought he had caught Hunt napping in the country and found out the hard way he was wrong.

   Esmeijer could be excused for not knowing the foolishness of his ways risking a quick single to Court at mid-wicket. He won't make that mistake again when Holland are next passing through on their way to a major tournament.

   This was Holland's third Budleigh date with Devon and the fourth time the teams have met over the past 12 years. One of those meetings was back in 1996 at Wormsley, the private ground of the late J Paul Getty, which Devon won just as easily with future England wicketkeeper Chris Read making 110.

   Hunt is a bit too old to be dreaming of big things in the game as his chance at a pro career – like Read he was on Gloucestershire's books in the 1990s – went out of the window due to injury.

   But he showed what a good cricketer he is by mastering the swinging white ball better than anyone on his way to an undefeated 107.

   David Lye certainly struggled with it and was in and out within a couple of overs, well caught low down in the gully by Reekers off Edgar Schiferli for a duck.

   Arul Suppiah appeared to have it under control during a display of typically whippy shots when he tried to go down the ground to Feiko Kloppenburg and was brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Luke van Troost.

   Hunt, who only hit eight boundaries during his 172-ball stay, was the anchorman every other Devon batsman worked around.

   Only Court (18) and skipper Bob Dawson (23) made double figures, not that it mattered while Hunt kept going.

   Holland never really got going when it was their turn to bat with Kloppenburg the making a slow 31 in a hopeless cause. He finally got fed up seeing batsmen come and go at the other end and decided to up the tempo by giving Arwyn Jones (2-21) the charge. Sandy Allen had the bails off in a trice.

   With Kloppenburg there wasn't much resistance from the tail as the last five Dutch wickets tumbled for just 17 runs.

   Budleigh Salterton captain Andy Procter delighted the large crowd by taking three for 22 to finish Holland off.

Devon 222-9 (M P Hunt 107, R I Dawson 23; E Schiferli 3-29, L S van Troost 4-24), Holland 122 (J F Kloppenburg 31; A J Procter 3-22). Devon bt Holland by 100 runs.