Ottery St Mary third team went down by four wickets in their Tolchards Devon League D Division East meeting with Thorverton, writes Richard Kitzinger.

Ottery skipper Richard Kitzinger chose to bat first, but was let down by a flurry of early wickets, including his own tame dismissal for a duck!

Barry Flicker showed the many youngsters in his team how to sit in and patiently accumulate runs. He eventually found a willing ally in Albie Southall-Brown and the pair put on 77 runs for the fourth wicket. Young Albie was the chief aggressor, scoring at better than a run-a-ball for his 52. He launched the ball to all parts, but was undone the ball after celebrating his half-century.

Flicker continued to pile on the runs, but was needlessly run out after a misunderstanding with Jack Ellison who made 16 himself. Respectability and batting points were added by the lower order as Joe Button (18), Jack Dallyn (21 not out) and the Glanvilles father and son (Richard and Ethan, each making 9) took Ottery to a competitive score.

If the Otters had planned to restrain the Thorverton batsmen in their chase with a hearty tea, Johnny Wells-West was not playing to script. Although he lost his opening partner to an early duck, clean bowled by Button, the Thorverton keeper and overseas pro rattled up 39 in quick time. It was then the third wicket partnership between Alex Hills and Alan Birmingham that took Thorverton to the brink of victory with a terrific display of patience and judicious shot selection. Button returned to the attack to persuade Hills to drive to gulley off the outside edge for 53 but Birmingham marched on to 74. He then popped a catch to short mid-wicket off the generously flighted off breaks of Kitzinger but enough had been done to see his team across the line. Young leggie Ethan Glanville struck twice late on to earn the Otters an extra point but the win was secured with a handful of overs to spare.

The difference between two largely well-matched teams had been the extra patience displayed by Thorverton’s experienced batsmen and the greater discipline from the victorious bowlers in finding a good line to bowl. Ultimately, however, the philosophy behind both of these clubs running a third team is the same: both are seeking to develop the future of their resources by giving valuable game time to young cricketers. Therefore, though Thorverton triumphed on the day, the game of cricket was undeniably the winner.

Ottery St Mary 3rd XI 221-9 (A Southall-Brown 52, B Flicker 50, J Dallyn 21*, P Gray 2-35), Thorverton 3rd XI 222-6 (A Birmingham 74, A Hills 53, J Wells-West 39, J Button 2-29, E Glanville 2-53). Thorverton (19pts) bt Ottery St Mary (8pts) by 4 wickets.

Ottery Man of the Match: Albie Southall-Brown