Durant Cricket National Counties Championship - Day 1 Review

Buckinghamshire wicketkeeper Ross Richardson equalled two county records on the opening day of the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Eastern Division One match against Staffordshire at West Bromwich Dartmouth. 

Richardson became just the third Buckinghamshire wicketkeeper to make seven dismissals in an innings equalling the record that had been jointly held by Brian Poll against Hertfordshire in 1967 and Colin Tungate against Wales at Bletchley in 1988. Richardson’s seven catches in the innings also equalled Tungate’s previous record. 

Buckinghamshire’s record for dismissals in a match is nine shared by Charles Cobb against Berkshire in 1896 and Walter Franklin against Hertfordshire in 1939.  

Richardson’s smart work behind the stumps helped Buckinghamshire to dismiss Staffordshire for 206 after James Kettleborough and Matthew Morris had put on 77 in a rapid opening partnership. 

Alex Woodland broke the partnership when he held a return catch to account for the in-form Kettleborough and he went on to take the first four wickets. 

Morris held the innings together with a battling half-century before he became one of Richardson’s victims and Staffordshire required an aggressive 46 from Nils Priestley to push them past 200. 

Slow left-armer Conner Haddow wrapped up the tail by taking the last three wickets in 13 balls. 

Buckinghamshire ended the day on 134 for three with Alexei Kervezee making 47 from 39 balls before he was bowled by Scott Winnington. 

Woodland completed a good day’s work by finishing unbeaten on 34 although the day’s real heroes were the Sandwell Park groundstaff who began their mopping up at daybreak to get the ground playable for a prompt start despite heavy overnight rain. 

Rain limited play to 40.3 overs at Sleaford where Lincolnshire reached 120 for three after being put in by Suffolk. 

Qundeel Haider made 32 on his Championship debut with Ben Wright making 58 before he also fell to the left-arm spin of Jack Beaumont. 

Essex and England Under-19 all-rounder Jamal Richards impressed on his National Counties debut for Bedfordshire by taking six for 23 to dismiss Northumberland for 128 at Bedford School in Eastern Division Two, 

Richards, who took five wickets on his first-class debut for Essex against Ireland earlier in the summer, made light work of a Northumberland side who were beaten in two days by Cambridgeshire two weeks ago. 

Durham opener Harry Crawshaw made 33 on his Northumberland debut but the only other innings of substance came from Max Williamson whose 23 not out took them past 100. 

Fayaz Homyoon’s half-century helped Bedfordshire take the lead with four wickets down but slow left-armer Oli McGee, captaining Northumberland in the absence of Stuart Poynter, took five wickets to peg back the hosts. 

Richards chipped in with 33 to help Bedfordshire close an eventful day on 198 for nine. 

Cumbria dominated the opening day at Bishop’s Stortford where they dismissed Hertfordshire for 158 and ended the day only 50 behind with eight wickets in hand. 

Seamer Ben Walkden (four for 32) and slow left-armer Matt Siddall (three for 53) combined effectively to leave Hertfordshire struggling on 86 for seven after they were put in. 

Captain Ben Waring, with 41 not out, and Andrew Neal (23) shored up the innings but Cumbria made rapid progress when they batted with JJ Fielding making an unbeaten half-century. 

Rain also meant a delayed start and interruptions at Thame but there was enough time for defending champions Berkshire to make 314 all out in their 90 overs against Oxfordshire. 

There were solid contributions down the order led by 80 from captain Dan Lincoln which built on an opening partnership of 93 between Archie Carter (40) and Johnny Connell (47). 

Former Durham batter Gareth Harte was one of only three not to reach double figures as he edged Max Mannering to slip for a third ball duck. 

Mannering’s fellow off-spinner George Tait continued his excellent start to his Championship season by taking four for 64 to go with the six he took in the rain-ruined draw with Herefordshire two weeks ago. 

No play was possible in the Cheshire v Herefordshire match at Alderley Edge which was affected by the same weather system that washed out the final day of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. 

Wales NC captain Cameron Herring led from the front with a superb Championship-best 153 not out which took his side to 374 for seven against Wiltshire at Corsham in Western Division Two. 

The former Gloucestershire and Glamorgan wicketkeeper struck 19 fours and three sixes from 174 balls and shared half-century partnerships for the fifth, sixth and eighth wickets with Will Ryan, Tim Moses and Tegid Phillips. 

Wales were 81 for four when Herring came to the crease with seamer Chris Aubrey taking three of the wickets. 

Two former Worcestershire batters, Ollie Westbury and Tom Fell, helped Shropshire to 316 against Cornwall at Bridgnorth. 

Westbury, who made a century for Cornwall against Shropshire at Bridgnorth two years ago, made 85 and Fell 55 with the pair adding 110 for the second wicket. 

Former Staffordshire batter Tim Maxfield also topped 50 but Shropshire were kept in check by off-spinner Ellis Whiteford (four for 84) and seamer Will MacVicar (three for 50). 

Cornwall openers Adam Hodgson and Alfie MacDonald had reduced the deficit by 58 by the close. 

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship 

First day of three 

Eastern Division One 

Sleaford: Lincolnshire 120-3 (Ben Wright 58) v Suffolk. 

West Bromwich Dartmouth: Staffordshire 206 (Matthew Morris 71), Buckinghamshire 134-3. 

Western Division One 

Alderley Edge: Cheshire v Herefordshire. No play Sunday – rain. 

Thame: Berkshire 314 (Dan Licoln 80) v Oxfordshire. 

Eastern Division One 

Bishop’s Stortford: Hertfordshire 158, Cumbria 108-2 (JJ Fielding 53 not out). 

Bedford School: Northumberland 128 (Jamal Richards 6-23), Bedfordshire 198-9 (Fayaz Homyoon 54, Oli McGee 5-70). 

Western Division Two 

Bridgnorth: Shropshire 316 (Ollie Westbury 85, Tom Fell 55, Tim Maxfield 53), Cornwall 58-0.     

Corsham: Wales NC 374-7 (Cameron Herring 153 not out) v Wiltshire. 

Photo Credit: Roger Byrne