Ottery St Mary Under-10s were ultimately defeated by Thorverton, but not without giving then Mid Devon side a real game.

Unfortunately without a number of regular players, Tigers went into the match determined as ever, but in the knowledge that they were up against it with the visiting outfit laden with district standard players.

Robert Boote was called into the side to make his first appearance of the season and Tom Swait, a veteran of the previous campaign, stepped in at short notice to ensure a full compliment were on duty for the home side. It was Swait who drew the loudest early applause when, showing no signs of any rustiness, sent the stumps flying with his very first delivery!

Ottery were skippered by the excellent Thomas Major and he led his team terrifically well. The Tigers worked hard against some strong batting, but any errors, either with delivery of ball or in the outfield, were clinically punished by the Thorverton batsmen.

It was the change bowlers who made a significant impact with first Jonathan Triner and then Robert Boote proving to be a real handful, each claiming three wickets with some outstanding bowling.

Jack Swait was in superb form behind the stumps taking one excellent catch and further wickets were taken as Thorverton’s innings closed on a very respectable 173.

The Ottery reply was immediately put under pressure by some very quick bowling! Jason Ferguson and Thomas Major batted with discipline and were well-supported by Ollie Sycamore facing some rapid deliveries, but against such accurate bowling runs were in short supply.

Lewis Morgan and Jake Swait came out for the last four overs and managed to put on a rapid 19 runs with some well-placed boundaries, but in the end Ottery fell short of the Thorverton score.

Tigers’ Allen Morgan said: “Despite the defeat this was a good team display. There is still much to work on but with both bat and ball. The most pleasing thing is that the team showed they can compete with some of the best local teams on their day.”