Devon Cricket Board - Thrilling finish on cards at Corsham

Thrilling finish on cards at Corsham

IT’S heading for a thrilling finish at Corsham where Devon are in action against Wiltshire in the quarter-finals of the Minor Counties Trophy.
Wiltshire got off to a flying start chasing 260 to win and although Devon took two wickets just before the stoppage, Wiltshire were nine runs ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis Method.

Wiltshire openers Ed Kilbee and Jayden Levitt set into the Devon bowling with gusto, putting on 96 in exactly 20 overs.

The breakthrough came when Ryan Bougourd was brought back for a second spell and claimed Levitt caught at deep point with his first delivery.

Four balls later next man in Steve Bullen tried to flick Bougourd away and was caught at square-leg.

Rain stopped play in the next over when Wiltshire were 99 for two. Play resumed after a 20-minute break and Wiltshire quickly returned to their task.

Kilbee (73) and Jo Breet put on 63 for the third wicket in a stand which ended when Kilbee was stumped taking a pace down the track to Devon skipper Chris Bradley.

Breet is 42 not out in a total of 176 for three with 11 overs to go.

Earlier, Matt Thompson cracked a maiden half-century as Devon overcame a middle-order stumble to reach 258 for nine.

After openers Rob Woodman and Rob Holman has posted a 108-run start, Devon dipped to 148 for five.

Thompson and Josh Bess stopped the rot with a stand of 46 and Thompson carried on until the 48th over when he was ninth man out with the score on 247.

The Torquay left-hander made 53 off 86 balls with two fours and three sixes – two of them crackers over extra-cover.

Devon skipper Chris Bradley lost the toss and was asked to bat, a decision Wiltshire opposite number Josef Breet may have regretted when the visitors were 100 for none in the 14th over.

Openers Homan and Woodman had laid into the bowling and it was 15 overs before Wiltshire made a breakthrough.

First man out was Holman, caught at mid-off by Ash Morrison off Owen Alsop for 39.

Woodman went on to reach his half-century in 56 balls, hitting seven fours and a six.

Devon slowed after losing a wicket and two balls into Alsop’s next over he got Woodman out, this time caught be a running Morrison who had to move to his left to take the catch.

Matt Wood and David Lye pushed the score along to 134 when Wood was stumped having a go at Mukesh Bhatt.

Lye got to 16 when he laid back to cut Tom Bowler and was caught by Alsop in the gully.

Next out was James Burke, who got an edge to Bhat and was pouched by skipper Breet in the slips.

Bess and Thompson put a halt on the tumbling of wickets by adding 46 for the sixth, which got Devon up to 194,

The stand ended when Bess (19) was caught at point by Breet trying to lash away Tahir Afridi.

Thompson (29no) and Trevor Anning (3no) saw Devon past 200 and on to 212 for six with five overs to bowl.

Anining went for 10 to a catch at short-third man, followed by Gary Chappell, who was in and out for two and caught on the mid-wicket boundary.

Thompson became the third player out in the same over from Morrison, caught by Jay Levitt on the point boundary for 53.

Chris Bradley (9no) and Ryan Bougourd (2no) were there at the close.

Devon 258-9 (M W Thompson 53, R J Woodman 52, R J Holman 39; A Morrison 3-53, M Bhatt 2-17), Wiltshire 176-3 (E R Kilbee 73, J R Levitt 47; R Bougourd 2-24). Rain stopped play.

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