Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy.

The club is based at Exmouth and also plays matches at Budleigh Salterton, Bovey Tracey and Torquay.

The Minor Counties play three-day matches at a level below that of the first-class game. At present, Devon competes in the Western Division of the Minor Counties Championship.

Honours

• Minor Counties Championship (6) - 1978, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2006; shared (1) - 2004
• MCCA Knockout Trophy (4) - 1992, 1994, 1998, 2008

Earliest cricket

Cricket probably reached Devonshire in either the 17th or 18th century. The earliest reference to cricket in the county dates from 1799. There was a county organisation in 1824.

Devon was the scene of a county club's foundation on 18 August 1875, but not its own. Somerset County Cricket Club was founded by a team of amateurs at a meeting in Sidmouth, immediately after a match against a local side.

Origin of club

The present Devon CCC was founded on 26 November 1899 and joined the Minor Counties Championship for the 1901 season.

Club history

Devon applied for first-class status and to join the County Championship in 1948, however they were turned down. Wisden Cricketer's Almanack on page 952 of its 1950 edition, recorded that the application was discussed at the Advisory County Cricket Committee of existing first-class counties on 15 March 1949. It said: "No decision was made but at the meeting the counties could not find anything to support the application."

Devon has won the Minor Counties Championship seven times, one of them shared. It first won in 1978, and then won for four consecutive years from 1994 to 1997, a record for the competition. There was a shared title with Bedfordshire in 2004. Devon's most recent success was in 2006, beating Buckinghamshire in the championship final.

Knockout Trophy

Devon has won the MCCA Knockout Trophy four times since its inception in 1983. It won in 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2008.

Famous players

The following Devon cricketers also made an impact on the first-class game:

• George Emmett
• Len Coldwell
• David Shepherd
• Bob Cottam
• Peter Roebuck
• Roger Tolchard
• Mark Lathwell
• Chris Read
• Roger Twose
• John Childs

References

Further reading

• Rowland Bowen, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970
• E W Swanton (editor), Barclays World of Cricket, Guild, 1986
• Playfair Cricket Annual – various editions
• Wisden Cricketers Almanack – various editions

External sources

• Minor Counties Cricket Association Official Site
• Devon Cricket