SPORT: Seaton start delayed season with in-house match

Seaton started their delayed 2020 cricket season with an in-house match at Court Lane on Saturday with two teams put together by skipper Ben Morgan.

The easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions for recreational sport signalled the green light for local clubs to arrange friendly fixtures in readiness for final arrangements for the Devon League to commence.

It has been reported on social media that the league is considering putting teams into regional groups of four to play each other twice ahead of a series of play-offs to decide an overall winner.

If Saturday, July 25 was to be week one then a six-week competition would run through until the end of August. That would then mean any play-offs and final would be played during the month of September which has four Saturday dates.

Seaton skipper Ben Morgan told the league website: "It is very much in the lap of the gods as to what the groups of four might be.

"If, indeed, that were to be the format then I'd expect us to be in a group with the likes of Sidmouth, Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton. If that happened, it'd be a real experience, not to say challenge for us and we'd get to play at three wonderful venues."

Saturday's contest at Court Lane was between two teams put together by Morgan. "We actually had 28 wanting to play such was the desire and yearning to finally get some action in and so I put together two sides that I felt were well matched," he said.

A report on the website reported that Morgan's XI fielded first and, with the third ball of the game the skipper knocked over the stumps defended by Rhys Davies. Ollie Aplin then had the honour of scoring the first Seaton CC run of the 2020 season and Aplin also struck the club's first boundary while the first catch of the new term was held by Toby Tucker off the bowling of Morgan.

Joel Seward hit a half-century and Joe Berry chipped in with 44 as the first innings closed on 227-8 with Morgan returning the best of the bowling figures, 3-25.

Morgan then top scored with 46 before falling to a catch held by Joe Berry off the bowling of Tim Mitchell as the reply closed on 152-8.

Morgan said: "It was the first time we have played an inter-club game for many years and worked a treat. We opted for an 'in-house' fixture to start with as we wanted to get everybody back together and we were keen to see just how we all coped with the guidelines in place for a safe return of cricket ahead of any competitive action to come."

He continued: "The weather was great and we had a wonderful turn out which meant the bar finally got some much needed use.

"Credit must go to Steve Pritchard for overseeing the implementation of all the necessary guidelines and signage and I have to say that side of things went like clockwork.

"What's more we made sure we were diligent in stopping every 20 minutes for players to sanitise their hands. Yes, all in all, our return to cricket was a huge success."

This coming Saturday (July 18), Seaton travel to meet Uplyme & Lyme Regis while back at Court Lane there's a game between a Seaton Old Boys XI and a side put together by Jamie Bond and Greg Foxwell with that 25-over contest getting under way at 4pm.