Devon Cricket Board - Devon end warm-up series with win

Devon end warm-up series with win

DAVID Lye hit a brisk 65 as Devon completed their warm-up campaign with a four-wicket win over Cardiff MCCU at Blundell’s School.

Zac Elkin hit an unbeaten century for Cardiff, who eventually scraped up 257 for three in their 50 overs.

A stand of 105 in the last 10 overs between Elkin and Somerset’s Sam Mount, who belted 57, off 32 balls, got Cardiff going after they got bogged down in mid-innings.

Devon lost opener Rob Woodman early on – caught at mid-wicket for 13 – but made serious inroads into the total while Rob Holman and Lye were together.

A stand of 120 for the second wicket put Cardiff MCCU on the defensive until Holman pushed forward to the spin of Andrew Balbirnie and was caught behind.

Five runs later Lye was given out lbw to left-arm spinner Jack Leach, leaving Devon 157 for three.

Lye had faced 55 balls and hit nine fours and one six with a blow off Trevor McGeer to bring up his half-century.

Devon rebuilt through James Burke and Josh Bess, whose partnership of 63 for the fourth wicket broke the back of the chase.

Burke was first to go when he made room to force Leach away through the offside and missed. He had contributed 22 to the stand.

Two wickets went in successive balls when Bess then Matt Thompson went one after the other.

Bess was caught at mid-wicket having a slap a slow bowler Dan Bendon. Having taken some stick in his second bowling spell earlier, Bess extracted revenge with three sixes and two fours in his 41.

Matt Thompson, who crossed with Bess while the ball was in the air, played on to Bendon’s next ball.

Devon had slipped from 220 for three to 226 for six and another wicket then could have made it interesting.

It didn’t happen. Peter Randerson (10no) and Trevor Anning (11no) knocked off the rest without incident. Anning hit the winning boundary with exactly five overs to spare.

It was a workmanlike effort by Devon, helped in part by some wayward bowling from the Cardiff attack. In a total of 32 wides given away, opening bowler Tom Warner sent down an 11-ball first over.

When Devon bowled the man of the moment was Ryan Bougourd, who wasn’t supposed to be playing but came in at short notice when Will Gater dropped out injured.

Bougourd took two for 39 in eight overs and did his prospects of playing more regularly no harm at all.

He got out opener Sam Davies with a good slower ball then bowled Ireland one-day international Andrew Balbirnie (34) in his second spell.

The season opens with an MCCA Trophy game against Welwyn this Sunday and Bougourd looks certain to be in the squad.

“Ryan is a competitor first and foremost who won’t bowl a side out but knows how to get wickets,” said Devon CCC’s director of cricket Roger Newman.

“By his performance he has made it interesting for the selectors.”

Cardiff MCCU 257-3 (S Davis 47, Z Elkin 103no, A J Balbirnie 34, S A Mount 57; R Bougourd 2-39). Devon 261-6 (D F Lye 65, J J Bess 41, R J Holman 36; M J Leach 2-29, D S Bendon 2-38). Devon bt Cardiff MCCU by 4 wkts.

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