Why Devon has become the new hotspot in production line of English cricket talent

Bess, Gregory and Overton twins have emerged from the ‘19th first-class county’, writes Tim Wigmore

English cricket has often gone through phases of relying on one particular source of talent to benefit the national team. In the 1930s, it was Yorkshire; in the 1950s, Surrey; and in the 2000s, South Africa. Devon is a long way away from matching those heights. But with Dom Bess poised to play a crucial role in Sri Lanka, the county will add to its claims to being England’s newest talent hotspot. He is one of three Devonians to play men’s international cricket since September, along with Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton, whose twin brother, Jamie, could also play for England before 2020 is out. Heather Knight, the England women’s captain, grew up in Devon, too. “It’s incredibly fulfilling and rewarding for the whole of the Devon cricket family,” says Matt Theedom, the development manager for Devon Cricket.

Devon do not have a professional team, and are one of the national counties – previously known as minor counties – who operate below the 18 first-class teams. Yet they could be thought of as England’s 19th first-class county. Indeed, in recent years they have contributed far more talent to the English game than many first-class counties. The last England Test debutant to progress from the age-group system at Derbyshire was in 1995; the last to emerge from Glamorgan was in 2002.

Throughout sport, the simple luck of birth goes a long way to determining which players are given the chance to make good on their talents. A study of Irish football found that players born in counties with an Emerging Talent Programme centre were 50 per cent more likely to gain selection to the programmes than those in other counties. The centres were meant to provide equal access for all children, but they did not.

In English cricket, it has been much the same. In theory, anyone could become a professional cricketer. In practice, there has been a chasm between the opportunities enjoyed by those from counties with first-class teams and those from everywhere else. Devon, whose application to become a first-class county was rejected in 1948, have always been one of the “everywhere elsers”, despite vibrant grass-roots cricket.

“I don’t think there were as many opportunities,” Theedom says. “There was a pool of talent which was ignored.”

The abundance of players coming through now reflects what has changed in recent years. In 2009, an indoor centre was built at the University of Exeter, meaning that, for the first time, young cricketers could train throughout the winter in facilities resembling those enjoyed by counties with first-class teams.

Around the same time, the England and Wales Cricket Board created the Emerging Player Programme, allowing players identified as having high potential to be exposed to high-quality coaching throughout the winter. In Devon, the Overton twins were among the first batch on the programme.

These two changes built on Devon cricket’s traditional strength: the grass-roots game, in both private schools and clubs.

Six of the eight Devon players who are professionals in men’s county cricket attended private schools at some stage. Their families tend to be steeped in cricket: when Bess last represented his club, Sidmouth, in June, he was one of four members of his family – batting from two to five in the order – playing alongside his three cousins. In that game, Bess played against Jamie Overton, whose family have been a staple of the

North Devon club.

Both Bess and the Overtons remain involved in promoting cricket at their clubs; naturally, their successes have made the idea of a professional career more attainable. Yet, for Devonian players, perhaps the most crucial shift has been Somerset’s new assiduousness in nurturing the county’s embryonic cricketers. Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, has been particularly focused upon growing links with Devon. “It’s grown over time – there’s been a lot of hard work from both Devon and Somerset into really developing the system,” Hurry says. “Everyone’s really aware of these wider benefits regarding the talent pool.”

So Somerset should be: seven of the eight men’s Devon players with professional county contracts are at the county. Somerset send coaches and academy support to Devon. That means the most promising players enjoy the best coaching, and can even be involved in Somerset under-age tours. Yet they also allow Devon players to continue representing Devon sides growing up, and occasionally to play for that county in national counties cricket. Two years ago, Somerset created Devon Day, allowing members of clubs in Devon to go to Somerset free for a day.

Last September, Somerset and Devon signed a formal memorandum of understanding. Next season, Somerset will play official 50-over matches in Devon and Cornwall. Somerset’s simple insight – that by giving young players from Devon the same opportunities to rise as those from within their own county – has contributed to a golden era of Somerset youth development and sustained success for the first team. No longer does Devon talent, as did Chris Read a generation ago, need to leave the West Country. Even more importantly, no longer are Devon players stunted by an accident of birth.

In Devon, at least, growing up in a county without a first-class team has never been less of a handicap. “Now, it’s less likely a good

Joe Root and Jos Buttler kicked off England’s tour of Sri Lanka with halfcenturies as the tourists were bowled out for 316 on day one of their opening warm-up match in Katunayake.

Root made a sound 78 against a Sri Lanka Board XI before Buttler, who has had a poor run of form, bested him by a run to finish as top scorer.

Buttler occupied the crease for 3¼ hours against a gentle attack, facing 159 balls for his 79 but England admitted pitch conditions were not as expected.

Their last series on these shores, a 3-0 whitewash for the tourists in 2018, was dominated by spin and the first Test starts on Thursday week in Galle, a traditionally turning track. Here, though, England were served up a green-tinged pitch, on which seamers took seven of the 10 wickets to fall.

In the first session, there were two overs of spin, the opposite of what can be anticipated in the series proper.

“We’d expect to see more spin down in Galle,” said head coach Chris Silverwood, who was glad to see Buttler batting with confidence. “He’ll take that forward. It’s great to see him out there doing well,” he added.

player would slip through the net,” Theedom says. “We’ve always had some good players, but recently they’re being given the opportunity to show what they can do.”

There is, to be sure, an element of happenstance in the Devon story. But at a time when grass-roots cricket in much of England appears to be in retreat, Devon’s emergence as a talent hotbed is spectacularly timed.

And, for English cricket, perhaps Devon’s tale has a deeper significance. It suggests that more players can be discovered in areas of the country without professional cricket, ultimately growing English cricket’s talent pool.