CONSISTENCY, together with the accolade of becoming the first team to win all six divisional matches since the introduction of a restyled format five years ago, makes Devon favourites to beat Buckinghamshire in the three-day Minor Counties Championship final, starting on Sunday in Exmouth.
Bob Dawson, the former Gloucestershire batsman who is in his fourth season as Devon captain, said: “As well as an outstanding team effort, individuals have shone, such as Neil Hancock, who scored three hundreds in the final two championship games, Richard Foan, another batsman, Andy Procter, an off spinner, and Sandy Allen, our young wicketkeeper.”
Procter, who turns 38 on Thursday, averaged 47 overs in each championship match and took 38 wickets at 20 runs each, while Trevor Anning, an opening bowler, captured 22. Dawson, 36, Exmouth-born, is eager to break the stranglehold of drawn finals that has seen the trophy shared four times in the past five years.
“There was a proposal to extend the final to four days to compensate for any rain interruptions, but it was narrowly defeated,” Dawson said. “I think it would have been a good move, with the weather being unreliable in September.”