Devon seconds B West

Tavistock seconds v Plymouth thirds

TAVISTOCK seconds XI started the new season with a home match against the old enemy Plymouth, who given the depth of talent at the city club are one of the pre-season favourites for promotion.

Tavistock skipper Andy Gauler won the toss and elected to put the visitors into bat, it was a decision that he soon started to regret as the Plymouth openers, through a mixture of good play and undisciplined bowling, got off to a flyer reaching 93 in just 13 overs before they lost their first wicket to Will Scott Munden. Scott Munden bowled with great control from one end, but at the other end the Plymouth batsman continued to score at a pace.

Opener Marten reached 55 before he was caught down the leg side to a brilliant juggling catch by keeper Webber, off the bowling of Ben Russell. Following this Tavistock then enjoyed a fruitful period, as firstly Scott Munden and then skipper Gauler grabbed some control back, as the visitors collapsed from 93-0 to 108-5.

However lower order batsman Luke Edmunds, in an unorthodox batting style, started to carve the ball to all areas of the ground; he was assisted by Knapman and big Phil Taylor and between the three of them, they pushed the eventual score onto 352-7. Edmunds ended up with 153 not out, although on another day he could have been given out stumped off Gauler, caught off Russell and run out from the arm of Matt Anderson.

Will Scott Munden was the pick of the Tavistock bowlers with 2-34 and Gauler 2-45.

 In reply Tavistock got off to an even better start with Webber and Russell, crashing 81 off the first nine overs; however, the onslaught did not last as Russell had to retire prematurely for 41 and Webber 47.

The other top order batsman could not keep the blitz going and the visitors quickly picked up wickets, leaving Tavistock on 137-5 at which point they consolidated under Phil Bees 24, Andy Gauler 30 and Will Scott Munden, who chipped in with a useful 13.

Tavistock cleared the 200 mark and ended up on 216-9, before bad light stopped play.

 Tavistock need to learn lessons from this game and in particular address the issues they had with the bowling that was too full and too wayward.