Last Saturday, the statisticians were salivating and the spectators in North Devon ran out of superlatives, as Miles Lewis, 17 years old, broke the Sidmouth Cricket Club league batting record with a score of 220 from just 81 balls.

Batting at No.3 for the Sidmouth 3rds v North Devon 3rds, Miles walked in with the score on 6-1 and had to fight to protect his wicket against some decent opening bowling. After his first 22 balls he had ‘only’ scored 20 runs and during that time the team lost their second wicket.

In the 9th over, Miles gave the gathered crowd (mainly sheep!) the first view of what was to come. After a solid forward defence on the first ball, the second, third and fourth balls all went for 6!

North Devon’s captain threw the ball to his first change bowler and their fate was sealed. Miles hit the first two balls for six and reached 51 in 29 balls. His appetite for runs not satisfied he proceeded to hit the next four balls also for 6, achieving a feat only Sir Garfield Sobers (1968 v Glamorgan) and eight other male cricketers have achieved in First Class cricket: six 6s in an over.

Nine balls later, Miles blazed another boundary and reached 100 for the first time. In the 17th over he hit three 6s on the trot for the third time in his innings and in the 18th over he did it again, the first of those 6s seeing him to 153 from 57 balls.

He was finally dismissed by an excellent catch taken by Fairbrother on 220 from 81 balls, including a mind boggling 25 6s and 13 4s! After his ‘slow’ start, Miles scored 200 runs from just 58 balls.

And so, on Saturday, May 21, 2022, Isaac Thomas had to step aside to allow Miles Lewis to take his place as the owner of Sidmouth CC’s highest league score of all time. As he returned to the Fortfield, he was met with a standing ovation and an emotional mum and stepdad.

The game itself ended in a 262-run victory for Sidmouth.

Sidmouth Herald: Miles' innings up in lightsMiles' innings up in lights (Image: Anthony Griffiths)