Durant Cricket National Counties Championship day 1 review

Sam Young and David Scott re-wrote a chapter of Dorset’s record books with a partnership of 415 on the opening day of the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Western Division Two match against Shropshire at Wimborne.

Their third wicket stand was a record for any Dorset wicket in the competition - which they first entered in 1897  - and also the highest for any wicket by any county against Shropshire.

Dorset’s previous record partnership was 269 for the first wicket between Gordon Tovey and Philip Hopkins against Berkshire at Dorchester in 1947.

Although a Dorset best, Young and Scott’s effort was 16 short of equalling the competition’s third wicket partnership record of 431 between Ed Ballard and Tanveer Sikander for Hertfordshire against Buckinghamshire in 2015.

Former Somerset batter Young was unbeaten on 217 when Dorset’s innings ended after 90 overs, just two short of equalling the county’s record individual score made by Nick Park against Wiltshire in 2009.

Scott’s 183 not out was also his career-best and the record partnership rescued Dorset from 20 for two 11 overs into their innings.

For the second consecutive match Shropshire’s attack conceded 400 runs in the first innings but their openers, Ollie Westbury and George Hargrave, saw them to 62 without loss by the close.

Spinners dominated in the other Western Division Two match at St Austell where Cornwall slow left-armer Max Tryfonos claimed a maiden five wicket haul against Wiltshire.

Tryfonos had taken only one wicket in his previous five Championship matches but he triggered a slump that saw Wiltshire slip from 82 without loss to 124 for six.

Tom Cullen’s half-century and useful runs down the order from Harry Broderick (26) and Chris Aubrey (33) helped Wiltshire recover to 265, who had taken only one wicket in his five previous Championship matches, took five for 69 to dismiss Wiltshire for 265.

Tryfonos was batting by the end of the day as Cornwall struggled to 93 for five with off-spinner Joe King and left-arm seamer Josh Croom taking two wickets apiece.

Defending champions Berkshire suffered further frustration in their pursuit of a first win of the season against Cheshire in Western Division One at Finchampstead.

Cheshire inflicted a 253 runs defeat on Berkshire at Nantwich 12 months ago and again put them under pressure with the bat by making 381 having lost Ali Chughtai to the first ball of the match.

There were solid contributions right down the order, led by an aggressive career-best unbeaten 80 from 52 balls from seamer Chris Sanders and 70 from Henry Dobson.

The last two wickets added 113 with Flowery Field wicketkeeper Owen Feakes contributing a valuable 32 on debut and keping Sanders company for 12 overs.

Andrew Jackson removed Berkshire openers Archie Carter and Jonny Connell cheaply before Joe Cooke had Euan Woods caught behind to leave Berkshire 55 for three and with work to do.

Oxfordshire were indebted to a maiden Championship century from Zach Lion-Cachet for giving them the advantage at Exeter against Devon.

Lion-Cachet’s 146-ball innings included three sixes and six fours and he shared a third wicket partnership of 116 with George Tait, who continued his excellent start to the Championship season with 45.

Gloucestershire all-rounder Jared Warner weighed in with an unbeaten half-century but Oxfordshire lost their way against the spinners and slipped from 214 for four to 291 all out.

Off-spinner Jamie Stephens took the fifth five wicket haul of his career with fellow spinners Max Shepherd and Will Christophers sharing the other five wickets.

Devon countered with an opening stand of 51 between captain James Horler and Elliot Hamilton but then ran into trouble against the spin trio of Max Mannering, Tait and Olly Clarke.

They ended the day on 99 for four with Horler’s unbeaten half-century providing some stability.

Eastern Division One leaders Buckinghamshire took early control of their match against Lincolnshire at Chesham after their captain Tom Hampton had won the toss for the third match running.

Despite Saturday’s deluge and further showers during the morning the ground had recovered remarkably well but another excellent team bowling performance justified Hampton’s decision to put Lincolnshire in.

The in-form Ben Wright made 42 out of the first 55 and Joe Pocklington a battling half-century on his Championship debut but otherwise it was hard going for Lincolnshire, last season’s Eastern Division champions, who were dismissed for 148.

Seamer Cameron Parsons led Buckinghamshire’s attack with four for 25 and was well-supported by Ed Bragg and Tom Weymes who each took two wickets.

Buckinghamshire, seeking a third straight win since they were promoted to the top-flight, ended the day only nine adrift with eight wickets in hand with Alex Woodland and Alexei Kervezee making unbeaten half-centuries in an unbroken third wicket partnership of 90.

There was no play in the other Eastern Division One match at Horsford between Norfolk and Staffordshire which was the fourth consecutive washed out day between the two counties following an abandonment at Leek last season.

There was also a blank at Jesmond in the Eastern Division Two match between Northumberland and Hertfordshire but a full day was possible at Saffron Walden where Bedfordshire had the better of the opening exchanges against hosts Cambridgeshire.

Cambridgeshire, who were put in, made a positive start with captain Wayne White (40) and Will Routledge (33) opening with a partnership of 70 but they slipped to 130 for seven before Mohammed Danyaal (51) and Ben Clilverd (35) repaired some of the damage inflicted by seamers Matt Coles and Alex Evans.

Having dismissed Cambridgeshire for 232, Bedfordshire ended the day on 129 for one with two more former first-class players, Oli Soames and Sam Bates making unbeaten half-centuries in an unbroken  second wicket stand of 121.

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship

First day of three

Eastern Division One

Chesham: Lincolnshire 148 (Joe Pocklington 54), Buckinghamshire 139-2 (Alexei Kervezee 60 not out, Alex Woodland 50 not out).

Horsford: Norfolk v Staffordshire. No play Sunday – rain.

Western Division One

Finchampstead: Cheshire 381 (Chris Sanders 80 not out, Henry Dobson 70, Joe Cooke 53, Luke Young 51), Berkshire 55-3.

Exeter: Oxfordshire 291 (Zach Lion-Cachet 100, Jared Warner 52 not out, Jamie Stephens 5-86), Devon 99-4 (James Horler 52 not out).

Eastern Division Two

Saffron Walden: Cambridgeshire 232 (Mohammed Danyaal 51 not out), Bedfordshire 129-1 (Oli Soames 65 not out, Sam Bates 51 not out).

Jesmond: Northumberland v Hertfordshire. No play Sunday – rain.

Western Division Two

St Austell: Wiltshire 265 (Tom Cullen 57, Jack Mynott 51, Max Tryfonos 5-69), Cornwall 93-5

Wimborne: Dorset 435-2 (Sam Young 217 not out, David Scott 183 not out), Shropshire 62-0.