Devon Cricket Board - Plymouth succumb to North Devon's bowling firepower

Plymouth succumb to North Devon's bowling firepower

PLYMOUTH’s batsmen had few answers a North Devon bowling attack bristling with career cricketers as they crashed to a 104-run defeat at North Devon.
North Devon’s total of 262 for seven – Max Curtis top scoring on 95 – was around par for the course on a good batting strip,
North Devon have an impressive array of bowling talent this season though – as Plymouth found out the hard way.
Get past Western Provine trialist Quintin Drey and Somerset’s Jamie Overton and you are confronted by former Warwickshire staffer Tom Allin and Devon Lion Josh King.
See them off and on come Jack Popham (Devon and Gloucestershire 2nd XI) and Cambridgeshire spinner Callum French.
Under the circumstances, perhaps 158 all out wasn’t s bad after all?
Huxtable anchored the early order with 71 in a running total of 129 for two.
Dan Bowser went for a duck, but Huxtable and Curtis put on 127 before Henry Ramsden bowled the North Devon captain.
Curtis picked up runs from moist of the Plymouth bowlers. Skipper Sam Stein was tidy at the start before an injury forced him out of the attacl.
Ramsden was the only bowler to stay below four an over.
Curtis was sixth man out on 243 when he took on James Toms’ arm and was run out.
Jas Kalsi, who put on 79 in 11 overs with Curtis, as 52 not out from 39 balls at the end.
Plymouth lost openers Ben Stein and Toms to Overton and Dreyer in the time it took to reach double figures.
Ramsden (56) and Mike Simmers (36) put on 46 and there were respectable stands of 35 and 44 involving Joe Hagan-Burt and Ramsden then Rob Bennett (23) and Ramsden.
Popham accounted for Bennett and from the on it was downhill all the way.
French finished with three for 41 as the last six Plymouth wickets went for 23 runs.
Said Huxtable: ““It was great to get another win under our belt and really good to see more people contributing with runs.
“Max Curtis played a fantastic innings and held us together when Plymouth took a couple of wickets.
“We put ourselves in a great position for our middle and lower order to fire and take us over 250, which was the plan from ball one.
“Jas Kalsi came in at the end and played a top innings scoring 52 off 39 balls.
“Jas has really put his hand up this season so far and put himself in the mix for a top five position which is fantastic to see.”
Plymouth skipper Stein said North Devon’s bowling attack had been a problem, has had his own side’s lack of consistency.
“We had some good spurts in our game, followed by spurts which weren't up to scratch,” said Stein.
We started off well - in the first ten overs North Devon only scored 10 runs. - but in the period after that until drinks it got away from us.
“We pulled it back after drinks until the last six overs where they had wickets in hand.
We lost a few early wickets when we batted, one to a very good seed from Jamie Overton, I think anyone would have got out to.
“Henry and Mike had a good partnership, but 260 was just a little too much to chase against that attack.
Huxtable agreed with his opposite number, saying: “We bowled well on a wicket which was flat and very easy to bat on.
“Plymouth’s Aussie (Mike Simmers) and Henry Ramsden batted really well in the middle and got them back in the game, but it was never going to be easy to chase 250 plus against our seam attack.”

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