Devon's cricketing success celebrated at Sandy Park

The annual Devon Cricket Awards were held in Sandy Park's Exeter Suite on Friday, 12th October, celebrating the successes and achievements of Devon's young cricketers.

Presented by England U19 representatives Tom Lammonby and Ethan Bamber and hosted by broadcaster Mark Tyler, young cricketers from under-10 level upwards were rewarded for their efforts in 2018. 

The last award of the evening was the young player of the year award, which for the second year running, was presented to Lammonby. It was a memorable day for Lammonby, who had learned earlier that he had been included in the England U19 party to visit India and Bangladesh either side of Christmas.

The award was handed over by Jim Parker, the chairman of the Devon Youth Cricket Association and the associate editor of the Express & Echo and its weekly sister titles in Devon.

Being named in the England squad and winning the youth award again was a highlight to end a year that contained more than its fair share of disappointments for Lammonby. Things started going wrong when he broke a hand while out in New Zealand with England practising for the U19 World Cup in January.

“I am fed up saying disappointed – I prefer to say turbulent now to take account of the good and bad,” said Lammonby. “I had got back playing again after my hand injury and things were going well for me.

“I had been named captain of England under-19s, had scored back-to-back hundreds for Devon and had just been awarded my first professional contract with Somerset.

“It was the best two weeks of my life, cricket-wise. I took time off from cricket to do my A-level exams at Exeter School (he achieved three Bs), then went into 14 days of continuous cricket. I suspect that is how I got the foot injury.”

The winter tour to the sub-continent is a chance for Lammonby and the squad to experience unfamiliar conditions.

“It is going to be a great learning curve playing spin on tracks in India and Bangladesh,” said Lammonby. “I hope to come back with much more knowledge of how to play spin bowling. Getting on the tour was a target for me all the time I was recovering from my foot injury.”

Lammonby wrote himself a unique place in Devon CCC history in 2018 by scoring three consecutive tons in Minor Counties cricket – two against Wales and a third against Shrophshire. That had never been done before by a Devon player.