Devon recover from early season wobbles to record opening win

After winning the toss, Devon elected to bat on a wicket that looked and felt quite firm considering the amount of rain that had fallen the previous evening at the picturesque Hayle CC. On a pitch that lacked pace the Devon openers Rebecca Bertrand and Frances Lausen added 71 for the first wicket. Devon then had a mad 10 minutes as four wickets fell for just six runs, annoyingly three were run outs. Bertrand (35) was unlucky to be run out when a caught and bowled chance offered by Lausen was dropped and rolled back on to the stumps at the non-striker's end with Rebecca out of her ground. Lausen (22) then, for reasons only known to herself, decided to call her partner through for a run with the ball in the keeper's hands, 6ft from the stumps! Not surprisingly the keeper hit the stumps.

There was then a further run out as Esme Ansley called a run, set off, then stopped and then set off again, and in the confusion got herself run out. The mayhem continued as Amara Carr, normally such a straight bat, decided to swing across the line and was bowled. Rebecca Piddock (20) was joined by Jodie Dibble and together they took the score past 100 before Dibble was also bowled playing across the line, and it was left to the lower order to perform exceptionally well to get the score up to 141 from the 35 overs. An excellent effort to recover the innings from a position that looked far from secure at 77-4.

On a pitch that offered little pace and bounce Devon’s bowlers knew that a disciplined performance from the seamers would be sufficient to make things difficult for the hosts. Rebecca Donohue and Jodie Dibble produced that from the outset with an opening spell of nine overs for just 19 runs, which also yielded the important wicket of Nicole Richards, to put Cornwall on the back foot. Despite a patient 20 from the other opener Jodie Davis, Cornwall were never really able to put the Devon bowling nder any pressure, with Rebecca Piddock picking up 2-12, Clara Nielson 2-1 andh debutant Miriam Harris also getting in on the act. Cornwall's innings ended on 74-9, giving Devon a 67-run win and 20 points. It was a victory that owed a lot to the team’s belief in themselves as they recovered well.