Minor Counties Championship

Oxfordshire must bat out the last day if they are to avoid a heavy defeat by Devon in their final Western Division match at Sidmouth.

Resuming on 49-6 in reply to Devon’s 233, Luke Ryan’s side were bowled out for 81 before the hosts rattled up a massive 369-7 dec in their second innings.

That left Oxon, who were reduced to ten men with Richard Cook having broken a finger in the first innings and unable to bat second time around, with an improbable 522 for victory.

By the close they were at least on the right path towards salvaging some respectability after reaching 89-1.

A chastening second day for Oxon began with Cook breaking a finger while batting as he became the first wicket to fall when he was caught behind by Alexander Allen off Trevor Anning.

Chad Keegan was caught close in by David Lye off Matthew Kidd, before Josh Bess polished off the innings by having Ryan caught by Matt Golding and Karl Penhale trapped lbw.

It left Bess with impressive figures of 6-25, and Oxfordshire with a first innings deficit of 152 following an abject batting display.

Things were only to get worse for Oxon as Devon set about batting them out of the game.

Keegan provided some early joy when he won an lbw decision against Robert Woodman, but from then on it was pretty much one-way traffic.

Rob Holman was joined by Devon’s first-innings century-maker, Matthew Thompson, in taking the score to 127, before he was caught by Lloyd Sabin at mid-wicket off Francois Vainker for 35.

David Lye then smashed 66 off 45 balls with eight fours and three sixes, before he holed out to Sabin at cover off Richard Kaufman.

Thompson reached his second century of the match, making 107 from 147 balls with 14 fours and two sixes, before he was caught and bowled by Kaufman to make it 244-4.

Ryan trapped Rhys Davies lbw a run later, but Bess and Allen took the score to 327 before the wicket-keeper/batsman was caught and bowled by Vainker for 49.

With team secretary Paul White on as 12th man in Cook’s absence, Oxon used nine bowlers, but it was only after Vainker picked up his third wicket with an lbw decision against Golding that the hosts declared.

Bess was unbeaten on 66 from 83 balls with five fours and two sixes.

Faced with a monumental task to save the game, Oxfordshire suffered an early blow when opener Joe Barrett was caught by Davies in the slips off Bess.

But then Kaufman made an unbeaten 50 off 80 balls with seven fours, and Sabin batted fluently to reach the close without any further loss.

Scores: Devon 233 & 369-7 dec (M Thompson 107, J Bess 66no, D Lye 66, A Allen 49, R Holman 35, F Vainker 3-57), Oxfordshire 81 & 89-1 (R Kaufman 50no, L Sabin 31no).