BERKSHIRE played with an adventurous spirit on Tuesday to hold Devon to a draw in a high-scoring game at Blundell’s School in Tiverton.
With the National Counties Western Division One leaders and defending champions making 342 and 374-5 declared, either side of their opponents' 348-8 declared, Berkshire were set an improbable target of 369 in their second innings, but, to their credit, they were prepared to have a go.
They were given a flying start by acting-captain Rhys Lewis with 63 from 45 balls, and sharing an opening stand of 83 in 13.4 overs with debutant Will Hamilton.
Berkshire were still rattling along at more than five runs an over when Euan Woods, who had scored 127 in the first innings, was bowled for a quickfire 39, having added 62 in 11 overs with Hamilton.
In the next over, Hamilton fell to a flying one-handed catch in the slips for 45, leaving the total on 153-3 in the 27th over.
When Charlie Dunnett was bowled for one, the visitors had lost three wickets for nine runs in 13 balls.
Ben Salter (29) and Toby Greatwood, also 29, rebuilt with a fifth-wicket stand of 57, but when they went in the space of three balls of each other, Berkshire were 211 for six, and Devon sniffed victory.
Undeterred, Eddie Campion and Andrew MacEwen continued to average more than five runs an over going into the final hour of the match.
In the final over, Campion smashed 52 off 45 balls, and Andrew MacEwen made 17 in an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership, taking the total to 284-6 in the 56th over.
The draw suited Devon more than Berkshire. They top the table on 58 points with one game left against Wiltshire on August 23, while Berks are third on 35 points with two matches remaining, including their final home fixture against Wiltshire at Henley, starting on Sunday, August 16.
Summary: Devon 342 (Euan Woods 4-63) and 374-5dec (Nilesh Bhandari 3-81) drew with Berkshire 348-8dec (Woods 127, Charlie Dunnett 53, Rhys Lewis 50) and 284-6 (Rhys Lewis 63, Eddie Campion 52no, Will Hamilton 45).
* Rhys Lewis also skippered Wargrave when they lost to Home Counties Premier League Division 2 title rivals Oxford by 29 runs at the Jordan Hill ground last Saturday.
The hosts posted 255-6, building on an opening stand of 160 by Gaajuran Ganagabalan, who went on to make 115 off 97 balls, and Josh Towell with 56, while Euan Woods took 3-74 and Nilesh Bhandari 2-80.
Wargrave made a spirited effort to reach their target, with Rob Farina making 46, Jay Barson 33, Andy MacEwen 31 and Lewis 27, taking them to an all-out 226.
They slip to third place in the table with 222 points, trailing Oxford by 21 points and Datchet by one point.
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