Durant Cricket National Counties Championship: Week 4 - Day 2 Review

Slow left-armer Luke Beaven led Berkshire’s fightback with a six wicket haul but the defending champions still face an uphill struggle to avoid defeat against Herefordshire in their final Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Western Division One match at Eastnor. 

Berkshire need to win the match to have any hope of topping the Western Division and progressing to next month’s final and, thanks to Beaven, they restricted Herefordshire to a first innings lead of just 18. 

But Berkshire’s top order failed for the second time in the match against Herefordshire’s new ball pair of James Rudge and Roshan Venkataram and limped to 46 for four at the close. 

Opener Johnny Connell, who made 95 in the first innings, was unbeaten on 29 with captain Dan Lincoln yet to get off the mark despite facing 31 balls. 

Morning rain prevented play until mid-afternoon and Herefordshire, who began the day only 100 behind with nine wickets intact, soon found themselves 121 for five with Beaven and Andy Rishton sharing the four wickets between them. 

Ben Chapman-Lilley and Luke Powell repaired the damage with a sixth wicket stand of 73 in 21 overs before Beaven had Powell LBW for 48. 

Chapman-Lilley looked like becoming only the second Herefordshire batter to carry his bat as he held the innings together with a composed 91 only to be eighth out when he was run out trying to take a second run off Rishton. 

Herefordshire only nudged themselves into the lead in the 85^th over of their innings with Beaven finishing with six for 46 in 34.4 miserly overs. 

Ryan Findlay’s aggressive half-century rescued Norfolk but Suffolk finished the day strongly at Horsford in Eastern Division One. 

Suffolk appeared to be on course for a handy first innings lead when Norfolk were 125 for seven and left Findlay, who took five first innings wickets, with only the tail to keep him company. 

Findlay went on the attack, hitting ten fours and a six in his 75-ball 67, which took Norfolk to 186 and limited Suffolk’s lead to 23. 

But Suffolk stretched that to 118 by the close despite interruptions for rain and bad light. Jack Beaumont completed his second half-century of the match and debutant Ollie Burle played a calm supporting role with 23 not out. 

The best weather of another rain-blighted day was at Hertford when Hertfordshire turned a first innings lead of 44 into 187 for the loss of two wickets in their Eastern Division Two match against Cambridgeshire. 

Half-centuries from Will Routledge, Dan Andrew – his first - and Ben Clilverd plus 43 from former Leicestershire batter Aadil Ali helped Cambridgeshire to 321 for nine against Hertfordshire’s slow left-armers Andrew Neal and Ben Waring. 

Neal claimed his second five wicket haul in the Championship with Waring taking the other four. 

A half-century from James Latham and an unbroken third wicket partnership of 55 between Jamie Southgate (42 not out) and David Burnell (22 not out) took Hertfordshire to 143 for two in their second innings. 

Wales NC seamer George Pritchard took his first five wicket haul in National Counties cricket to leave Western Division Two leaders Cornwall facing a sizeable first innings deficit at Abergavenny. 

Rain wiped out the first session and Cornwall struggled either side of a sixth wicket partnership of 69 between Will MacVicar (41) and Tommy Sturgess (61). 

Pritchard, who plays his club cricket for Swansea, accounted for the top five in the order including MacVicar. 

From 213 for five, Cornwall slipped to 246 for nine, still 106 behind Wales. 

Just 46 balls were bowled at Carlisle before rain arrived during which time Northumberland’s eighth wicket pair of Matthew Oswell and Oli McGee completed a half-century partnership and extended the lead over Cumbria by 25 to 51. 

There was no play possible in the Eastern Division One match between Staffordshire and Lincolnshire at Checkley, the Western Division One match between Cheshire and Devon at Chester Boughton Hall and the Western Division Two derby between Wiltshire and Dorset at the South Wilts club in Salisbury. 

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship 

Second day of three 

Eastern Division One 

Horsford: Suffolk 209 (Jack Beaumont 89, George Rhodes 50, Ryan Findlay 5-57) & 95-0 (Jack Beaumont 62 not out), Norfolk 186 (Ryan Findlay 67).

Checkley: Lincolnshire 281 (Tom Keast 93, Ben Wright 50, Tom Brett 7-93), Staffordshire 54-0. No play Monday – rain. 

Western Division One 

Chester Boughton Hall: Devon 423-9 (James Horler 165, Steve Green 5-99), Cheshire 19-3. No play Monday – rain.

Eastnor: Berkshire 210 (Johnny Connell 95, James Rudge 5-57) & 46-4, Herefordshire 228 (Ben Chapman-Lilley 91, Luke Beaven 6-46). 

Eastern Division Two 

Carlisle: Cumbria 169 (Freddie Fallows 51, Oli McGee 5-59), Northumberland 220-7 (John Oswell 71).

Hertford: Hertfordshire 365-5 (Dominic Chatfield 132, David Burnell 97, Arjun Patel 66 not out) & 143-2 (James Latham 53), Cambridgeshire 321-9 (Will Routledge, Dan Andrew 56, Ben Clilverd 53 not out, Andrew Neal 5-92). 

Western Division Two 

Abergavenny: Wales NC 352-7 (Harry Friend 120, Brad Wadlan 102), Cornwall 246-9 (Tommy Sturgess 61, George Pritchard 5-56).

South Wilts CC: Dorset (Sam Young 177, Alex Eckland 96), Wiltshire 52-1. No play Monday – rain. 

Photo Credit: John Aston