Devon Cricket Board - Bess aiming for small improvements

Bess aiming for small improvements

DEVON captain Josh Bess believes small improvements will make a big difference in tomorrow’s Unicorns Cup game against Cornwall at Truro.
Wiltshire defeated Devon by three runs at Instow last Sunday, defending a total of 234 for nine a little more easily than the margin appears.
Devon needed 47 to win off the last five overs and despite some lusty blows from Rhys Davies (23no) came up short.
Bess said Devon didn’t play badly, but as with any defeat there is always room for improvement next time out.
“We ended up chasing a few too many runs – and I still think we should have chased them down,” said Bess.
“It wasn’t that we bowled or batted particularly badly, but a 5-10 per cent improvement would have made a difference.
“We expect a lot of ourselves as Devon players and that makes losing hard to take.
“Nothing drastic needs doing though and we are not looking at making many changes.”
Those sentiments were echoed by director of cricket Keith Donohue, who added: “We didn’t do a lot wrong against Wiltshire – certainly nothing to beat ourselves up over.”
Changes to the 12 are minimal with Scott Barlow and Matt Golding dropping out and Charlie Miles and Ryan Bougourd coming in.
Seamer Barlow is unavailable so Bougourd comes in as a straight swap.
Off-spinner Miles gets his chance ahead of Golding having impressed in the pre-season warm-up games against Somerset 2nd XI and Exeter University.
“Charlie is in the 12 and gives us a different bowling option,” said Bess, who added final selection will depend on conditions at Boscawen Park.
One thing Bess is set against changing is the batting order, which was reworked against Wiltshire with traditional shot players David Lye and Davies coming in lower down.
The front four – Lewis, Woodman, Burke and Thompson – hold the same brief they had before.
“I want people to bat a long time at the top of the order and get most of the runs,” said Bess.
Opener Lewis, who top scored against Wiltshire, has been having physio during the week on a hamstring strain which slowed him up between the wickets.
If Lewis drops out the likely replacement is Zak Bess, the captain’s younger brother, who has had two disrupted seasons due to injury, but is now starting to look like the player who attracted the interest of Surrey and Somerset in 2011 and 2012.
Devon (from): L J Lewis (Sidmouth), R J Woodman (Taunton), J E Burke (Budleigh), M W Thompson (Torquay), J J Bess (Sidmouth), D F Lye, A P W Allen (both Exmouth), R W Davies (Twickenham), T S Anning, G R Chappell (both Exmouth), R J Bougourd (Bovey Tracey), C L Miles (Sidmouth).
Cornwall from: ML Robins Callington), SA Harvey, K J Snell, C P Whittaker (all Truro), C B F Purchase, T P S Hughes (both Grampound Rd), A D Angove (Falmouth), M J Bone (St Austell), A G Smeeth, B A Smeeth, S C Hockin (all Werrington), Shakil Ahmed (Redruth).
Umpires: T P Boston & A J Forward.

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