The AGM and Annual Dinner took place last Friday at Exeter Court Hotel.  Everyone enjoyed the evening and were able to share in reflecting upon what had been a good season for the Club. The stats and the matches are set out in the   Keeper of the Records Report compiled by Lynn Whitfield.

The winners of the annual Club trophies were:

The Batting Award : Harry Everett. He was otherwise engaged but Wendy Hardy was able to present it on Tuesday at the end of the Walkers and Talkers event at Taunton. Harry had conducted a very interesting Q&A session for about 70 people. They were enthusiastic in applauding him on receiving  the trophy. Harry had already given  Dumplings a couple of mentions, and the interviewer was well briefed, referring to his century at Seaton against the Free Foresters. The trophy ended up sitting next to the Vitality Blast Trophy.

The Jeffrey Stanyer Bowling Award went to Aditya More, our leading wicket taker this season. We hope he will return to Devon in 2026 when he can take possession of it.

The Peter Spencer Wicket Keeping Trophy was awarded to Kian Burns.

The Fielding Cup was awarded to Kia Croft received in absentia by Matt Hewer.

The Junior Dumpling was awarded to Alex James for his commitment to Dumplings during the season, often opening the bowling for us. The award was presented to Dominic Tuohey on his behalf.
 
This Saturday Wendy was able to present the Silver Dumpling to Peter Jolliffe in recognition of all he has done for the Club over the years- Fixture Secretary, Keeper of the Records and two spells as President. It is a well-deserved award that goes with our congratulations to all the winners.

 

 

The annual struggle between Dumplings and Stragglers played out for the first time this year in Somerset at the lovely Bishop's Lydeard ground. The resulting win means the Trophy will be staying in Somerset until at least next year. It can in the meantime be seen in the Museum at the Taunton  cricket ground.
A detailed report can be found on the fixtures page

Fixture List and The Oxford Tour
There are 25 fixtures this season. Members are encouraged to contact match managers if available. New members are always welcome and if you know anyone at your club that would enjoy Dumplings cricket it would be great to see them. Any changes to fixtures or cancellations due to the weather will be on Play-Cricket and the Facebook page.
The Oxford Tour is booked for Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th August:
  Tuesday 5th August: South Oxfordshire Amateurs
  Wednesday 6th August: Nomads
  Thursday 7th August: Frogs
The costs have once again been kept at £25 per game including food. Optional barbecues are £10. Camping costs £5 per night on the ground and there is a range of local accommodation options including hotels and university halls.
If you would like to tour for all or some of the games, please contact tour organiser Peter Jolliffe
(phg.jolliffe@btinternet.com, 07928 294293, 01626 330216 or Facebook Messenger) or by posting on our Facebook page.
Club Events During the Season
1. The Peter Spencer Memorial Trophy match vs. Somerset Stragglers is being played away at Bishops Lydeard this year. The game is on Wednesday 4th June, 1pm start. All welcome.
2. Patrons’ and Former Players’ Day on Tuesday 8 th July at Exeter CC. 11.30am start. We are playing the Wye Rustics, and there will be refreshments provided. This is to say thank you to all patrons and for former players to meet and watch some Dumplings cricket.
3. Ladies Day is our last game of the season against the SOA, on Thursday 14th August at Exeter. We especially would like to thank the ladies for supporting the club and enabling our players to play for us.
If you would like any information about the above events, please contact Wendy Hardy (details on the fixture card) who is still co-ordinating cricket games. Keep an eye on emails and Facebook for more details closer to the events.
Walking Cricket
Walking Cricket is a low-impact version of traditional cricket designed to accommodate players of all ages and abilities, especially older adults or those with reduced mobility. The game retains the essence of cricket, including batting, bowling, and fielding, but with simplified rules and a slower pace to ensure inclusivity and enjoyment for everyone.
The rules of Walking Cricket are adapted to suit players' abilities while maintaining the core of the sport:
No Running: All movement is limited to walking, whether between wickets, bowling or fielding.
Shorter Matches: Matches are typically shorter, lasting an hour or so.
Modified Equipment: Softer balls and lightweight bats reducing the risk of injury.
Smaller Teams: Teams are usually smaller, accommodating fewer players on the pitch.
Inclusive Rules: Flexibility is key, allowing players of different fitness levels to participate.
Walking Cricket provides health benefits, improving overall health while having a low impact on joints and engaging in a fun and social activity can improve our mental health.
The Club is exploring whether we can provide this, possibly indoors during the winter. If you have any comments or are interested in trying this growing walking sport, please contact Wendy Hardy or Richard Tidball. They would love to hear from you. Contact details are on the enclosed Fixture card.

Follow the Season Online
Play-Cricket (https://devondumplings.play-cricket.com): The majority of our scorecards can be followed live in real-time on the website or the Play-Cricket Live app. All scorecards will be available on our Play-Cricket website at some point after the match. Match reports will also be posted on the website.
Website   Match reports will appear on the website a few days after games.
Instagram (devon.dumplingcc): Details of the game will also be posted with photographs of teams on Instagram after the game.
Information will also go out on Facebook and email. Please check that we have your current email address.
The Annual Dinner and Awards for 2024
Following the Annual Dinner, the following awards were presented. It was announced that the Bowling Trophy will now be the Jeffrey Stanyer Bowling Trophy following his huge achievements and contributions.
Silver Dumpling: James Horler
Batting Trophy: James Horler
The Jeffrey Stanyer Bowling Trophy:
Aashay Dube
Fielding Trophy: Billy Buckingham
The Peter Spencer Wicketkeeping Trophy: Jeremy Tojy
Mini Dumpling Outstanding Cricketer of the Year: Joe Poustie

Committee Role Updates
Harry Kandampully is the new President from this season.
  Dominic Tuohey has taken on the safeguarding role from Richard Pyle. Richard has given a huge amount to the Dumplings in various roles over the last three decades. He is now stepping down from the committee with the Club’s grateful thanks for all he has done.
We are still looking for an additional member of the committee to take on the role of Hon. Secretary.
If any members would be willing to give some time to help with a role or have a stint helping on the committee please contact Harry. It would be good to have all ages represented.
Club Policies, Safeguarding and Insurance
Policies can be found on the website and Play-Cricket site. We want all members and guests to feel welcome and safe when involved in Dumplings events. If you have any safeguarding concerns please contact Dominic, Harry or any other member of the committee.
A note that the Club’s insurance, similar to league clubs, does not provide personal accident insurance.
Club Clothing
Promote the Club by wearing our colours. Club Clothing such as playing, training and leisure wear is available from Devon County Sports via their website at https://www.devoncountysports.com/Club-Shop. Club ties and our “three shades of green” striped blazer material are still available direct from the Club. These can be obtained from Wendy - ajw781@outlook.com.
The Club will continue to fund caps and shirts for young players and students in their first game, and overseas players in their third game. This was originally possible thanks to Peter Spencer’s bequest.
Club Patrons
The Club would again like to record its gratitude to all those members who are Patrons. They enable us to continue with our policy of providing an element of subsidy to the match day costs of school and university students and other young players. It is encouraging to watch the younger players and to see them enjoy our format of cricket, especially the all-day declaration games. Anyone is eligible to be a Patron and if you are interested do get in touch with Wendy or any other committee member.

Best wishes to all members for an enjoyable and a successful season of cricket in 2025!

Good to see the one-time junior Dumpling Marnus Labuschagne play a significant role in the Final game of the competition. A remarkable end to what has been an entertaining though variable series of games.
Any Englishman's naturally ingrained aversion to celebrating an Aussie success will have been neutralised by the sight of Narendra Modi sitting in the enormous Narendra Modi stadium having to watch as India lost the one game that they really had to win.
At least the national cricket team is one place where there is amity between Hindu and Muslim.

The scheme introduced in 2022 via Peter Spencer's bequest for capping new young players has continued in the most promising way this year.
There were three at the Exeter School gane and another three at the Wye Rustics game
Katie Donovan received her's at Exeter and Josh Paget, Alex Jarman and Alex Tipper ( grandson of the late veteran tea-lady Pearl) played in the Wye Rustics game.
The Club wishes them all a long and enjoyable career wearing them.

 It is with great sadness that Devon Dumplings have lost the Club’s most remarkable post-war cricketer.

As a bowler he was both idiosyncratic and deadly. With one exception he took more wickets than any other Dumpling in the course of a long spell that started in 1961 and continued into this century. Peter Spencer recalls that by 2001 he had 1012 wickets at an average of 20.37.

In addition he is the only member who has been awarded the Silver Dumpling three times.

 Along with his deft skills on the pitch, he will also be remembered for his huge contribution in organising cricket for the Dumplings and Exeter CC. In addition to his Committee roles he was a regular match manager and transporter of players around the County.

As so many cricketers will know, his culinary expertise would result in a range of unusual and enticing lunches and teas for games at Exeter CC.

For many years he undertook the demanding role of Fixture Secretary, maintaining links via the telephone and Royal Mail with all those far-flung clubs who had ever visited Devon over the years. This was combined with an encyclopaedic knowledge of Devon’s cricket history.

He can properly be described as unique, and he has left a cricketing legacy that will survive in the memories of all those who have ever played with him.

Our deepest sympathy goes to his family.

Details of his funeral will be made available here as soon as they are known.

Congratulations to Mark on being selected for the England over-50s squad to play India at Loughborough on Tuesday 5th July.
Mark and his offspring have been enthusiastic contributors to Dumplings teams for some time now and it is heartening to think that his success as Captain of the Devon 50s has brought him to the attention of the England selectors. 
Devon was the only Minor County to progess to the semi-finals in last year's National competition.
All fellow Dumplings wish him well for next week's game.

 He died on the 30th October at the age of 88 years and was buried yesterday,15th November at Shobrooke Church.

Peter was a member of Devon Dumplings, Somerset Stragglers, the MCC and many other clubs during his more than 60 years of playing. 

He was  twice awarded the Silver Dumpling,  and most memorably wrote "Three Shades of Green" a comprehensive history of the Club and a most useful statistical resource. 

He served as President,  Keeper of the Records and also as a Committee member for many years. 

His other lasting contribution to Dumplings was to induct Peter Jolliffe  into the Club when playing at Shobrooke against Somerset Stragglers .  

A wonderful innings indeed.