The Mid-Season Report – 1st XI – Jake Choules Interview

As the first half of the Devon Cricket League drew to a close with the 1st XI beaten by Exeter, we digest the season so far with Jake Choules.

So, the 1s currently sit in 6th, 21 points off second & 17 above the relegation zone. What’s the goal from the halfway point?

The goal is to continue to consolidate in this league. We won 4 in the first half so if we can go one better and win 5 in the 2nd that would be great.

What has been the high point of the season so far?

Budleigh away is sticking out, a great game on a sunny day at their impressive new ground. Brilliant to post 250 with Jack getting a ton then getting over the line by one runs thanks to an amazing last over by Slavs.

And the low point?

The batting collapse at Abbots was a tough one to take. I’m hopeful lessons can be learned though.

It must’ve been nice to receive essentially two byes in the Wombat Devon T20 as we play in the quarter final on Friday, how do you rate our chances of progressing in the competition?

To be honest, it feels a bit odd being in a quarter final without playing a game. I would’ve much preferred to have done it the hard way like we did with the Corinthian Cup. Excited to test ourselves against a good Plympton side though, we will go down there with a positive attitude and nothing to lose.

Jack Geraghty leads the runscoring charts with 335 runs, how impressed have you been with the overseas signing?

Really happy with Jack, he’s clearly a seriously talented batter. I think there is more to come though and hope he can kick on in the second half with bat and ball.

Stats aside, who have you been most impressed with so far this season?

There’s been some great team performances, especially in the field. But aside from Jack, Dan and Andy have shown some form at the top of the order so I hope to see that continue. Harry has shown real maturity in the middle order and I doubt many teams would say no to an opening bowling pair of George and Slavs.

What’s been the funniest moment of the first half of the season?

Jack being introduced to the Great British stinging nettle.

You’ve used 18 players so far including debuts for Billy Wakeley & Henry Squire. Can we expect that number to exceed the 20 players used last season?

Availability has actually been pretty good in general, we named an unchanged side for 3 weeks in a row at one stage. I think the high number is more a testament to the strength of the squad – also demonstrated by how well the 2s are doing.

Luke is deservedly back in on Saturday and I’m sure there will be opportunities for others throughout the season too.

Have you identified any areas for improvement?

The batting collapses in the last 2 weeks can’t be ignored and we need to nip that habit in the bud quickly. If we bat then overs we will win more than we lose. We’re bowling and fielding pretty well but always room for improvement. Hopefully we’ve already hit our quota for dropped catches this season!

How’s the dressing room atmosphere compared to previous years?

The atmosphere is always good at Thorvy but Billy and Jack have been really positive additions and are great guys to have around the dressing room.

Finally, cricket has been in the headlines for all the wrong reason again recently, do you have any thoughts on the state of the game generally?

Personally I think the report was overdue and it seems that the ECB are going to respond positively so it will be interesting to see how it filters down to village cricket.

1st XI Stats at the halfway mark:-

Batting (min 100 runs)

J.Geraghty – 335 runs @ 67.00

A.Pitt – 163 runs @ 23.39

D.Robbins – 161 runs @ 20.13

A.Chilcott – 116 runs @ 38.67

Bowling (Min 10 wickets)

J.Choules – 13 wickets @ 19.08

B.Slaviero – 11 wickets @ 16.82

A.Jopling – 11 wickets @ 17.91

G.Daldorph – 10 wickets @ 27.80

Fielding (min 5 dismissals)