Despite two of the best ever individual performances at under 17 level, Devon still failed to take a first innings win against Berkshire and lost out on what might be seven critical points later in the summer. The sun shone on the beautiful Sandford ground for two full days but for the second successive game lady luck did not shine on the home side. Having foolishly advised the team that Gregory and Bess would provide them with an additional 28 overs a day, a long term injury to the captain and an achilles problem when batting resulted in a loss of 43 vital overs from Gilmour and Smith. The net loss of 15 overs is likely to be the main reason a first innings win was not achieved. At last a toss was won, Thompson and Randerson put on 53 in sixteen overs with Randerson showing excellent shot selection and timing. A tired Thompson, who was admitting to problems with concentration, was bowled after successfully blunting the new ball facing 41 deliveries. Seventeen runs later Randerson was disappointingly bowled for yet another fifty off fifty-seven balls, he had hit forty-four of his runs in boundaries. Now he is a established member of the side he should be looking to become a county centurion in the three remaining games, he has the ability but perhaps needs to concentrate more when he is half way there. One player who has suffered with a similar problem is the captain. On joining Lewis Gregory he was to embark on one of the finest and most certainly quickest county under 17 hundreds. His talent has never ever been in doubt; his critics have just been disappointed that he did not convert his good starts and wonderful ability into some really big scores. His natural gift is as good as it gets, he should be up amongst the best batters that have ever played for Devon. At Creedy Park he proved he was. Gregory was in overdrive playing some imperious shots of the highest pedigree. The pair batted a mere thirty-nine minutes facing sixty-nine deliveries and put on 70. It was like watching 40/40 cricket at its best, it is unlikely that Devon has ever batted a first innings at such a tempo. Gregory was caught behind three short of fifty, having hit two magnificent straight sixes and seven fours. His partner’s dismissal did not stop the captain as lunch was taken after thirty-three overs with the score on 159-3 and Smith past his fifty. With Chris Metters he took Devon up to 248 in under fifty overs, their partnership of 108 off 114 balls. It was no nervous nineties for the captain as he reached his hundred in the most incredible manner and one that is unlikely to ever be repeated in this form of cricket. Smith was on 76 at the start of the forty-seventh over which was to be bowled by a new bowler, McGeer. Smith would obviously look at a couple. James Carr was on duty preparing some most useful information for the squad with his PitchPad system and it might be worth a look at this particular over. The first five balls were pulled leg side for 4, now on 96 Smith delicately placed the ball down to the third man boundary for a memorable, magnificent, maiden county hundred.  It had taken just ninety-seven balls and one hundred and four minutes – unforgettable. Metters had been providing good support but was the first of three Devonians to get out on 17, with the score on 248-4. Matt Hickey is the Man for all Seasons, he has a great ability to play to the situation and has a rare brand of intelligence to assess what is actually needed.  With Smith a further 44 were added off 47 balls before the captain’s historic innings game to an end. It might have been only the ninth highest score at this level, sandwiched between two current county players Neil Bettiss and David Lye, but it most certainly is likely to remain in the memory of all those present it had been an innings of classical destruction with shot play out of the top drawer. He had been let off a couple of times early, tried his 2007 Torquay shot before he had reached three figures but he had been devastating. He was going to get himself out and it was an identical dismissal to his demise at Sussex. He chipped to mid on, his first shot in the V all day!  His innings had ensured that he should be able to dictate terms for the remainder of the game, but his own injury and the loss of Gilmour made it substantially more difficult. Smith left eight runs short of the final batting point, it was reached in the fifty-ninth over as Zak Bess and Hickey put on fifty. Bess had created a good impression the previous day with the sixteens and from the seventeens' point of view it is disappointing that the success of the fifteens rule him out of contention for the next game. He batted for a minute over three quarters of an hour for twenty-three. Gater joined Hickey to play four of the best shots of the day, including an effortless six. He then played a sweep, a shot he had only started playing the previous week and was bowled. This was a minor tragedy as another half an hour would have ensured the game plan would have been met without giving the opposition more bowling points. What happened next was a major tragedy. Mark Gilmour was continuing the good work when he pulled up whilst running, as the captain had not done much else in the day and there was a disappointing reluctance by others he agreed to act as a runner. It was a worthless exercise as soon as he entered the arena Gilmour was out. The most serious aspect of the injury was the loss of twenty-five vital overs of leg spin the next day and as Gilly very rarely fails to provide wickets probably a first innings win. The game plan had been 420 leaving an hour to bowl before close of play. At 402 the reliable Hickey was well caught on 48 (105 minutes, 90 balls, 3 fours), his had been the perfect innings, he had been at the crease whilst a hundred and ten essential runs had been added. Luke Tuckett (21 off 24) and Alex Carr took the side up to 411 (a new record highest under 17 score) with eighteen overs left in the day. The instructions had been get to 410 and Tee off.

Wickets were now the order of the day and the Gregory/Thompson combination took two. Bowling up the hill and into the wind Gregory found the edge twice and Thompson, now rested, did the rest. The only clouds were that the star Berkshire batsmen were either not out or still to come and the bowling resources were again likely to be stretched as Smith lasted only two overs and Gilmour was on the ICE. The next day, Debenham ignored the message that could not have been clearer, resulting in the East reaching the ground late, borrowed time might be the appropriate expression. The side knew what was needed but there was a possible feel of lethargy in the warm up, had this been the previous week it would have been just about acceptable. On a decent Sandford track, this one had been re-laid and was in use for the first time, it is always a matter of patience and this is exactly what the side achieved. Somehow they took wickets at just the right time and they were in the game right up to close of play. This was mainly due to one of the finest spells of bowling seen at youth level from Lewis Gregory. It was off spinner Jonathan Debenham who took out Berkshire main man Taj, a batsman with a proven ability of scoring big hundreds. Debenham, who was carrying a nasty social toe injury, held a not too easy caught and bowled at full stretch over his head to send him back to the pavilion for 44. Berkshire was now 65-3 after twenty-nine overs. The fourth wicket put on the highest partnership of the innings 95 with Din digging in and dropping anchor and captain Gumbs playing all the shots. Just before lunch Gregory, having now changed ends and bowling from the top end, struck for the first time in the day,` when a change of ball resulted in an immediate wicket as Bess held the captain at mid on for 70. A wicket to lift the side’s spirits. Berkshire was 168-4 at lunch still needing 243 with six wickets remaining. A second splendid lunch did not help as another sixty-seven were added when Metters took his sole wicket of the innings thanks to a mid off catch by Smith. McGeer departed plus 21 for the game. It was now all Lewis Gregory he removed the anchor Din caught and bowled on 232, Din had batted for three and three-quarter hours facing 192 balls and holding his side together whilst the stroke makers performed, he should have been pleased with his 55. The fourth batting point was the visitor’s first aim but Brook was cleaned up by Gregory at 271 when with the new ball a stump was left horizontal. Three wickets were now needed but Smith was experiencing major problems as most of his bowlers were approaching their full quota for the day. Tea was taken as Berkshire had taken their final batting point and the scorer complained that there had been ten bowling changes since lunch and demanded overtime! Inwardly there was concern that Berkshire would come out of the game with more points than the home side who had dominated the game.  The Rowe's did their stuff for the second day and the captain had calculated what he had left from his bowlers. The coach ensured that Devon would not bowl more than the statutory seventeen in the last hour with Tuckett getting another bowl and a complement from an umpire as being the best Devon wicket to wicket bowler. In the one hundredth and eleventh over (a semi Nelson) Gregory uprooted the stumps to remove the set Beavon who with Hirst had put on 57 for the eighth wicket. Gregory repeated the feat next over to bowl Hirst, he had one more over to take eight. Gregory had ensured full bowling points which had prevented a travesty. Indeed Devon had ten overs to break the final pair. This was mainly from Metters and Debenham and despite ringing the batsman the final coup de grâce was not applied.

If only………… No real point on dwelling as this had been a good game of cricket played exceptionally well by the home side and should leave Devon in good heart for their trip up to Buckinghamshire who are five points behind them in the table and the only side to beat them in the Isle of Wight the previous summer. This game will be remembered for the individual performances of Smith and Gregory but no one should forget what the other ten players put into a remarkable performance.