Devon Cricket Board - Lions T20 side pipped in T20 thriller

Lions T20 side pipped in T20 thriller

Back (left to right). Ben Stein, Sam Stein (both Plymouth), Jas Kalsi (Braunton), Rhys Davies, George Greenway (both Exmouth), Stuart Munday. Front: Adam Goodliffe (Cornwood), Rob Bennett (Plymouth), Andy Buzza (Exmouth), James Toms (Plymouth), Mark Gilmour (Torquay) Jamie Stephens (Tavistock).

DEVON Lions T20 side went down by three wickets with nine balls to spare against a Cornwall XI in a day-nighter at Grampound Road.

The match was part of a cricket week at Grampound Road, and took place against a backdrop of 12 portable generators humming away powering the lights. The Lions represented the Devon League in the match

Devon, skippered by Plymouth’s James Toms, made a hefty 192 for three in their 20 overs, which looked a challenging score for the Corns to chase down.

Rhys Davies, the Tavistock youngster who has turned out for Exmouth this season, top scored with 64 off 26 balls for the Lions. He hit nine sixes

Jas Kalsi made 53 at run-a-ball rate and there was a quickfire 31 from Andy Buzza, who took 20 in an over.

Plymouth’s Ben Stein was 17 not out of six balls in the final tally.

While Devon had sent a Development side to Grampound Road for the game, the Corns fielded a team containing five of their Minor Counties Championship winning squad.

And a whirlwind century from county keeper Taylor Williams, who hit 106 off 61 balls with13 fours and four sixes, put the Corns on course.

An opening stand of 102 in just nine overs with Jake Libby, another Cornwall cap, had Devon on the back foot.

Tidy bowling from Plymouth’s Rob Bennett –three overs for 14 runs –slowed Cornwall from one end. Bennett and Tavistock’s Jamie Stephens (1-34) were the most economical of the Devon bowlers.

Williams kept going at the other and by the time Plymouth’s Sam Stein got him out the target was two to win from 12 balls. Game over.

Team manager Stuart Munday from Tavistock, said his Devon youngsters did well against a far more experienced Cornwall side.

“We had the worst of the conditions as we bowled under the lights with a wet ball because of dew forming on the grass,” said Munday.

“An excellent crowd saw the day-night format as a brilliant venture, which was well organised by Cornwall's Cricket Board chairman Nigel Saunders.”

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