The two away fixtures with Buckinghamshire and Essex were always likely to have a huge bearing on the final position Devon take in the LV 2 day league. So it was most encouraging that the first part of the venture to the capital and past went well. The day started badly with a visit to a chemist to resolve the problems of a sore throat and hay fever, although Tim Burke’s patent pre war remedy was the most successful. Reasonable warm up as the toss was won and Devon were batting. Bucks had beaten Devon in the Isle of Wight last year in a game that had gone down to the wire with Bucks coming out victors off the penultimate ball of the last over by two wickets. They are a strong batting side with two players from David Gibson’s school in Berkhamsted leading performers. It was a delight to be visited by both David and James Gibson on the first day. Both have provided so much for Devon youth cricket over the years that one can only be envious of their current employers who have two outstanding teachers and coaches. Not surprisingly the inside information from David on his two players bore no relevance to the way they were dismissed the next day! The game plan was to bat the home side out of the game on an attractive Marlow ground with one appetizing boundary and subject to a flood alert the previous week. Burke flashed early and spent the rest of the day topping up his designer tan but last year stalwarts, Fletcher and Tidball, gave an excellent demonstration on how to play two day cricket – well until lunch they did. At the interval Devon were perfectly placed at 130-1 after 40 overs. Fletcher was on his way to yet another big hundred and Tidball his first. Whittle’s favourite lunch was followed by Fletcher teeing off – what was he doing? He missed his first wharf but succeeded with his second to get caught at slip. From a player who has shown he can bat for a day without breaking into a sweat this was madness. He had batted for 127 minutes faced 132 balls and had looked in no trouble, really disappointing as the pair were well set having put on 134. With Fletcher back in the side, Luke Bess now occupied the number four berth and although starting tentievely with Tidball put on 55, the second highest partnership of the innings. Tidball has now completed three fifties in his last three under 17 innings – 79 (Dorset); 67 (Wiltshire) and now he is on 89 having played a number of his trade mark leg side shots. Tidball was due a ton, his temperament indicates that he should be able to contain excitement but no eleven short Devon are now 189-3 as he is caught again after 204 minutes and 210 balls, a splendid performance but! Debenham, unusually did not trouble the scorers, 202-4, tea came at a very well placed 212-4 but 79 overs had been bowled. Twenty-three overs remained to score 88 to achieve the fourth bonus point and then another 18 to take the side up to a declaration score either that night or the next morning. Good plan but not activated. Bess batted for four minutes under two hours for a well made 38 was bowled by opener Hampton, Sam Smith played an ambitious shot when not really set after only 15 balls and was caught behind, 243- 6 after 90 overs. Whittle, who was under the weather with the sore throat, and skipper Acton now had to increase the tempo to score at 4.75 to get the final bonus point. Plan A was reverted to, we would bat the day. In fact the pair did very well but eight off the last bonus point over resulted in a message to bat the day rather than risk a wicket for a point – another of our season’s errors as we nearly did not reach the 300 with four wickets in hand, the slog in hindsight would have been more effective. On 297 in the one hundred and third over, the drugs he was sucking overcame Whittle and he ran himself out for a very commendable 93 ball 38, a run later the skipper was caught behind for another useful 35 (44 balls- 7 fours), Buzza looked uncomfortable lbw – 299-9, 301 reached with a 2 from Gilmour who was in three minds when he skied Myatt to Crick, bat the day, whack it, bat the day and Shane Evenden was left high and dry. 302 all out in 106 overs was in reality a very poor return after being well placed at both intervals. With James Gibson making the harsh but fair comment that their rugby on the day had been better than their cricket they cooled down with a game of real quality.

The message the next day was simply, although delayed by taking two keys back to the Buckingham and not heard by half the squad who do not appear to appreciate what five minutes actually means. It was the obvious - despite the chance of heavy showers victory would only be achieved by taking ten wickets, bowling controlled spells and fielding like super humans as 302 was 80 below par. The result some controlled spells Orchard early, Burke later and Acton all day, although Buzza produced an interesting return of 20 overs at less than three, some outstanding fielding (Bess, Tidball and Dagenham in particular) and perhaps most important of all a very united team performance (all twelve). Rain brought at early lunch at 12.49 with Bucks 90-2 off 32 overs. Eliot Acton held a fine high two handed catch at cover to remove Walker off one of Burke’s less memorable balls and key batsman and opposition captain Haddock was trapped in front on 56 by Robbie Dagenham. The lunch break was extended, messages from Devon indicated a couple of hours of heavy rain with bright periods later, auditions were held for the keeping position with the side having an above average of candidates and the oppositions opener kept his pads on and visualised a ton. The players returned to the fray with 74 minutes lost resulting in the loss of four overs in the day; Suter had to take off his pads without adding to the lunch score as Burke bowled him. A partnership was now building between Richards and Kilgannon and they put on a very comfortable 57 when a moment of sheer brilliance changed the game, Bess dived forward full length at cover and key player Kilgannon on his way back off Acton – a match winning moment. Acton had been plugging away very successfully bowling six maidens and not conceding an extra. Tea was taken at 198-6, Devon breathing slightly easier as Richards was bowled by Buzza as he played the ball on to his stumps, Aris was well held at slip by Dagenham off Burke. Immediately after tea another piece of magic again turned the game, Tidball swooped at cover left handed transferred to right and hit the one stump he had to aim at – pure brilliance and Myatt who is another of Bucks leading batters was out. The response of the side said a lot as it did on each subsequent wicket. Acton had a number of key decisions to make - who to bowl, when to bring back Burke for his final spell of four, to take the new ball or not, oh the joys of captaincy. It was decided that after the performance against Oxfordshire the new ball would not be taken unless a real necessity. Patel had come in at six and was looking as if he could bat the day in the company of keeper Pritchard advanced the score by 44 annoying runs. Acton turned to Debenham and second ball Patel played his first poor shot to be caught by Evenden at square leg. The ninth wicket took the score up to 262 with 90 balls to score the 40 runs. Orchard returned to the attack and first ball the stubborn Pritchard hit him straight to Buzza at extra, two strikes for the captain. Yet another 19 were put on for to the tenth, twenty-one off 54 now needed, new ball taken, seventh ball (a wide) of Burkes last but one over the game was over as he cleaned up Khan. The side had done all they had been asked – exceptional. The football now reached the high standard of the cricket, dead ball situations determined the result with some outstanding headers from Evenden, who does not need to work on his celebration and Debenham. Three and a half hours home, Tidball and Gilmour clean up and Tidball unselfishly shares his very expensive strawberries with his colleagues, cannot wait for the five hours plus to Essex sick bags ordered.