Devon Cricket Board - Premier - Baggs already planning to regain title

Premier - Baggs already planning to regain title

EXMOUTH captain Richard Baggs is already plotting how to win back the Premier Division title his side surrendered to Sidmouth in the season just about to end.
Sidmouth had the Premier Division title officially wrapped up with a couple of games to spare, although the reality was they were always favourites after beating Exmouth for the first time just before the halfway stage.
Baggs (left) has no arguments about Sidmouth being the best team in the top flight, but if opposite number Will Murray thinks he is taking it lying down he is mistaken.
The Exmouth captain wants to Premier title back and has already started work squad building for next year.
“You have to admire Sidmouth for their strength in depth, which every other club in the Premier can only envy,” said Baggs.
“A player like Matt Cooke would walk into any other Premier team, but has spent half the season in Sidmouth 2^nd XI.
“The time comes when Sidmouth need him and he slots straight in.
“Our 2^nd XI has done tremendously well to stay in their division this year after promotion, but like the rest of the club could do with strengthening.
“I will bet Sidmouth haven’t used as many different players in the 1^st XI as us – I stopped counting when it got past 20 – and that consistency of selection is so important to any side wanting to win things.”
Baggs said anything that could go wrong pretty well had over the season when it came to team issues, including the early loss of seamer Matt Webb with what is probably a career-ending knee injury.
“It started two weeks before the season when our overseas (Anthony Radonovich) pulled out and we were not able to replace him,” said Baggs.
“We knew we were a bit light on seam bowling anyway so with him not coming and Matt Webb (pictured, below) not making it to the end of May we were in hole.
“You only have to look how important Dan Babula has been to Sidmouth with his 40-odd wickets this season to see what you are missing without a strike bowler.
“Availability hasn’t been great – players have holidays in the summer which I struggle with as there are eight other months to go away, although maybe I see things differently to them.
“For whatever reasons we have not played well enough all over the season. Heathcoat did the double over us, we lost to Cornwood and Exeter, never mind Sidmouth, and with that sort of record we were never in with a chance.”
Baggs has already signed up Combined Services all-rounder Lee Evans, a pace bowler who bats, to bolster the armoury next season.
University of Exeter paceman Richard Sharples will be around for the first 6-8 weeks of the season as well.
Baggs will soon be turning his attention to the batting department and the shortcomings there.
“Bob Dawson is the only batsman with more than 400 runs, I have 350ish and there are a couple in the early 300s,” said Baggs.
“Last year we had three over 500 – Allen, Benton and Lye – and that is quite a difference.
“Wickets all over Devon haven’t been great this year – don’t know why, but they haven’t – and we haven’t helped ourselves by some soft dismissals.
“Our defeat at North Devon last Saturday (80 all out chasing 198 to win) pretty well summed up our season.
“Our batters have to take a long, hard look at themselves and be ready to put the work in to improve next year.”
The one plus point in Exmouth’s season was their run to the national quarter-finals of the NatWest ECB T20 Cup, which ended last Sunday in a 13-run defeat by Ashtead, who are through to the televised finals day next month.
“I won’t be watching as I genuinely believe the best side lost and can’t bear the thought of seeing them where we should be,” said Baggs.
“Having said that, the T20 competition kept the season alive for us after the fiasco of the Devon Cup and our first defeat by Sidmouth, which was always going to make it hard for us to finish ahead of them.
“The club really enjoyed the thrill and the atmosphere of the T20 competition and are eager to do it again next year.”
Exmouth won the Devon Cup last year as well as the league, but were eliminated this year on a little-known technicality hidden in the rain regulations.
“I understand it will be reactivity at the league annual meeting, which is just as well as it is a nonsense,” said Baggs.
“We went out on the toss of a coin because we played a few overs then it rained.
“Had we not started at all we could have gone back the following week and had another attempt.”

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