The movement north of the Jet Stream had produced a brilliant spell of summer weather. It was a quiet trip up to Taunton with a record two minute pit stop at Tiverton until a minute from the ground the convoy lost the mini-bus. At the third attempt the intervention of a human and TomTom got the bus to the ground ten minutes behind schedule. This was our second visit to Taunton Deane Cricket Club and it is evident that the Club have worked very hard on this attractive centrally located ground. Mailling called heads and Devon fielded. The injury to Ben Stein and the selection of Dominic Bess for the West caused two enforced changes and Cornwood’s Ryan Rickard was joined by debutant off spinner Jamie Stephens from Tavistock. Stephens had featured in the district programme but has grown of age over the last twelve months playing for the Tavistock first team.
Devon old boy Will Sobczak opened with Rouse and the pair put on 30. There appeared an obvious caught behind which was not given but resulted in an apology from the Somerset management before Mawgan Penrice took his first catch at gulley. Rouse departed for a thirty-five ball two. The first wicket fell in the ninth over and the second in the fourteenth, ten runs later when Penrice pocketed Easton off his captain Mailling. Two runs later Sobczak was bowled by the captain for a fifty-two ball twenty-five. Somerset were then 67-3 after twenty overs and 90-4 at the half way stage with the Somerset captain Vickery leg before in the previous over to Jack Dart. Dart bowled seamers for his single over and must have confused the batter with a straight one as he had problems finding the cut strip. His coach was not impressed. Crocker was out on Nelson giving Stephens his first county wicket – leg before. With twenty overs remaining our hosts were 114-5 and Devon began to loose the initiative they had worked so hard to gain. Twenty-four were added for the sixth wicket when Godmon was run out by Ryan Rickard. Rickard is a WYSIWYG player always committed and you always know he will give of his best. Having watched a colleague kick a four in a similar position his low to the ground scamper and fast throw beat Godmon to the line as the batsman tried a second run. The critical partnership of the game then took place as 94 were added by next day’s opener Brock and hockey international Richards. They completed the partnership in a minute under the hour off one hundred and nine balls. Wyatt-Haines then bowled Richards. Brock and Williams added fourteen for the eighth wicket and Somerset concluded their innings on 239-7 which ultimately was a disappointment. The final total had been critically helped by forty-six extras including forty additional balls. Those additional balls and runs were probably the difference between winning rather than loosing the game. In turn Devon did not utilise all their balls and came up short by forty-three runs. Stephens made a competent start to his county career conceding just three and a half off his ten overs. Taunton Deane provided an excellent tea enjoyed by all.
Devon had a terrible start when Penrice gave a tame catch on the final ball of the first over having hit the second for four. Ollie Higgs followed in the third over leg before to Veal for thirty-four minutes facing fifty-three balls. Unusually Mailling was out in the thirties, he had said a week ago if he did it again we could shoot him. Perhaps slightly drastic but he is still really infuriating – he did it again two days later. From 72-3 Wyatt-Haines and Rhys Davies batted beautifully putting on seventy in seven minutes under the hour. At 142 Davies departed skying leg spinner Williams to Easton. Dart had come across Williams before and lasted three balls, the third one bowling him. Left hander Rickard looked confident from the start driving smoothly but was to loose his partner on 169 with seventy-one still needed off seventy balls. Wyatt-Haines had help gel his side together and his sixty-eight was the highest score of the game. He hit seven fours and a six in his one hundred and seven balls. Rickard tried to keep up the quest with a six but watched Cherrington fall on 191, Kerton departed on the same score, Heard went five runs later and finally Rickard charged Rouse to be stumped. Devon failed to utilise twenty-one balls which should have helped them make a indent into the final shortfall of forty-three.
The Blorenge House welcomed another group of Devon cricketers, the scorer believed the top floor would offer the best air circulation not taking into account the oxygen needed to get up the two floors. The Anchor Inn hosted us again exceptionally well and Woody met up with a former member of the Exmouth Community College Cool Set. The Assistant Coach instigated some ninety second interviews that in fact lasted a lot longer but were very productive. We were given an insight into producing a 90 second sound bite and keys were left in an ignition and the car locked manually! Two locals and a golf club resolved the problem.
