Durant Cricket NCCA Championship: Week 5 - Review

Berkshire clinched the Western Division One title of the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship and a place in next month’s final by drawing their final divisional match against Oxfordshire at the Falkland club in Newbury.

A draw was all that Berkshire, who sit out next weekend’s final round of matches, needed to scupper Oxfordshire’s hopes of overtaking them and they comfortably achieved that by batting through the final day.

Centuries from Euan Woods and captain Dan Lincoln denied Oxfordshire a sniff of victory with Lincoln unbeaten on 147 when he declared on 469 for nine.

Woods and Lincoln shared a fifth wicket partnership of 113 before Woods departed for 133 from 259 balls but Lincoln remained and was given excellent support by Rhodri Lewis who clattered a quickfire 38 as Berkshire put the game beyond Oxfordshire’s reach.

Berkshire now have more than two weeks to prepare for the four-day final at West Bromwich Dartmouth starting on Sunday September 1.

Oxfordshire’s remaining task is to ensure they secure Division One status next season in their final match against Devon at Banbury this weekend.

Devon, last season’s Western Division champions, were frustrated by Cheshire resistance and bad light which meant their match at Sidmouth ended as a draw.

Half-centuries from Sam Perry, Rob Sehmi and Nick Anderson stretched Cheshire’s second innings to 317 which left Devon to chase 207 for their first win of the season.

They were in trouble at 32 for four but were rallied by an unbroken fifth wicket partnership of 89 between Lawrence Walker (51 not out) and Calum Haggett (34 not out) which took them to 121 for four.

The light then deteriorated and the umpires took the players off at 5pm with play abandoned 45 minutes later after the forecast rain arrived on the south coast.

Cheshire now face Cornwall at Chester Boughton Hall in their final match with both counties also in peril of relegation.

Defending champions Buckinghamshire secured their first win of the season with a 34 runs success against Bedfordshire at Flitwick in Eastern Division One.

Buckinghamshire’s second innings slump to 134 all out appeared to have opened the door for Bedfordshire who had most of the final day to chase 224.

But from 70 for one, Bedfordshire slipped to 77 for four in three overs with the in-form Oli Soames and George Thurstance both falling to Tom Hampton.

Sam Kelsall’s battling half-century kept Bedfordshire’s hopes flickering but only last man Jack Fuller – with 24 from 19 balls – stayed with him for long and by then it was too late.

Hampton ended the last wicket partnership of 33 when Fuller was caught in the deep trying to clear the boundary to claim his fifth wicket.

Buckinghamshire now face a potential Eastern Division showdown with Staffordshire at High Wycombe starting on Sunday.

Staffordshire opened up a four points lead over Buckinghamshire by beating Suffolk in a perfectly-paced run chase at Stafford to also secure their first victory of the season.

A century from former Worcestershire and Leicestershire batter George Rhodes – his fourth in the competition – and 89 from Darren Ironside in a third wicket partnership of 170 set up Suffolk’s declaration at 378 for six..

That challenged Staffordshire to make 307 for victory which may have appeared a stiff task, but they got home with six overs to spare thanks to an excellent team batting performance on a good pitch that was being used for county cricket for the first time.

Matthew Morris (49) and Callum Hawkins (50) added 94 for Staffordshire’s second wicket, Reeve Evitts and Tom Moulton – both with their second half-centuries of the match – sustained the chase with a fourth wicket stand of 112 before Michael Hill (29 not out) and Sam Atkinson (35 not out) sealed victory with an unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 57.

Suffolk’s defeat saw them drop to the bottom of the table, seven points behind both Lincolnshire – who they meet at Copdock in their final match – and Bedfordshire who are facing the prospect of a second relegation in three years having now completed their four match programme.

Cambridgeshire opened up a nine points lead over Hertfordshire at the top of Eastern Division Two by crushing Northumberland by 276 runs at Sawston.

Ali Appleby’s 97 delayed the inevitable along with cameos from George Darwood (29), Jacques du Toit (20) and Seb Allison (37).

But Wayne White and James Sykes, who shared 14 wickets in the match, combined to dismiss Northumberland for 257, which was not quite half-way to their target of 534.

Northumberland face another long trip to complete their season against Hertfordshire at Hertford this weekend while Cambridgeshire head to Horsford to face Norfolk who kept alive their own hopes of a swift return to Division One with a five wickets victory over Cumbria at the same venue.

Cumbria’s second day collapse handed the initiative to Norfolk in what had been a tightly contested affair and Sam Arthurton, with his second half-century of the match, and 64 from Nottinghamshire’s Sammy King saw them to a target of 161 with few alarms.

Cumbria’s defeat left them winless and with the Eastern Division wooden spoon for the second successive season.

In Western Division Two, Herefordshire and Shropshire set up a promotion showdown at Eastnor this weekend by beating Dorset and Wales NC respectively.

Herefordshire were the day’s first winners as they beat Dorset by ten wickets at Wimborne.

Dorset managed to avoid an innings defeat – but only just – thanks to the efforts of Greg Willows (55) and Connor Smith (30).

But with James Rudge – who finished with eight wickets in the match - and Matt Pardoe sharing eight second innings wickets, Dorset were dismissed for 306, a lead of just two.

Rudge was promoted to open the batting in Herefordshire’s second innings and needed just one ball from Will Tripcony, which he thumped for six, to wrap up an emphatic win.

Dorset ended the season winless and will be Western Division wooden spoonists unless Wiltshire fail to collect two points from their last match against Wales NC at Abergavenny.

Wales’s hopes of playing First Division for the first time were virtually extinguished by their 149 runs defeat by Shropshire at Bridgnorth.

Shropshire’s early declaration challenged Wales to make 352 in two-and-a-half sessions but, after a promising start led by Callum Nicholls’s half century, they subsided from 90 for one to 133 for nine.

High quality seam bowling from North Walian Ben Roberts, playing against his former side, and the aggression of Ollie Currill unsettled Wales with Roberts taking his maiden five wicket haul in the competition.

But Shropshire were made to wait for their victory by a frustrating last wicket partnership of 69 between Will Moore (19) and Romano Franco (50 not out).

The left-handed Franco decided attack was the best form of defence as he rattled to a maiden half century while Moore dug in at the other end.

Although the tea interval was delayed for 30 minutes, Shropshire could not dislodge either of the pair but Roberts was recalled after the break and soon had Moore taken at second slip to claim his sixth wicket and clinch a second consecutive win.

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship

Final day of three

Eastern Division One

Flitwick: Buckinghamshire 468-7 (Alexei Kervezee 180, Cameron Hemp 105, Ed Bragg 55) & 134 (Jack Fuller 4-48), Bedfordshire 379 (George Thurstance 108, Oli Soames 70, Conner Haddow 6-142) & 189 (Sam Kelsall 63 not out, Tom Hampton 5-36). Buckinghamshire (24pts) beat Bedfordshire (7pts) by 34 runs.

 Stafford: Suffolk 277 (George Rhodes 70, Josh Cantrell 51, Tom Brett 4-64) & 378-6 dec (George Rhodes 130, Darren Ironside 89),Staffordshire 349-6 dec (Michael Hill 116 not out, Reeve Evitts 81, Tom Moulton 52) & 308-5 (Tom Moulton 77, Reeve Evitts 53, Callum Hawkins 50). Staffordshire (24pts) beat Suffolk (5pts) by five wickets.

Western Division One

Falkland CC: Berkshire 317-7 (Charlie Dunnett 118 not out, Dan O’Driscoll 96) & 469-9 dec (Dan Lincoln 146 not out, Euan Woods 133),Oxfordshire 278-8 dec (Tristan Rossouw 95 not out, Luke Beaven 4-80). Berkshire (10pts) drew with Oxfordshire (10pts).

Sidmouth: Cheshire 287 (Harry Dearden 55) & 317 (Sam Perry 74, Rob Sehmi 53, Nick Anderson 52, Luke McCoy 52, Sam Read 4-91),Devon 398 (Ben Beaumont 154, Calum Haggett 115, Sam Elstone 67, Dan Wilson 5-92) & 121-4 (Lawrence Walker 51 not out). Devon (12pts) drew with Cheshire (11pts). Eastern Division Two

Sawston: Cambridgeshire 475-6 (Wayne White 199, Will Routledge 90, Callum Guest 82) & 186-3 dec (Ben Claydon 56 not out, Dan Andrew 52 not out), Northumberland 128 (Wayne White 4-26, James Sykes 4-45) & 257 (Ali Appleby 97). Cambridgeshire (24pts) beat Northumberland (2pts) by 276 runs.

Horsford: Cumbria 411-8 (Will Fraine 235, Freddie Fallows 70, Ed Moulton 57 not out, Brett Stolworthy 5-68) & 103 (Joe Everett 5-34),Norfolk 353 (Ben Wilcox 106, Ethan Metcalf 80, Sam Arthurton 65, Nico Watt 6-107, Freddie Fallows 4-89) & 164-5 (Sam Arthurton 64, Sammy King 64). Norfolk (23pts) beat Cumbria (8pts) by five wickets.

Western Division Two

Wimborne: Dorset 156 (James Rudge 4-32) & 306 (Luke Webb 74, Greg Willows 55, Finn Gordon 52, Matt Pardoe 4-52, James Rudge 4-90), Herefordshire 460-8 (Matt Pardoe 184, Taylor Cornall 101, Olly Cox 76) & 6-0. Herefordshire (24pts) beat Dorset (3pts) by 10 wickets.

Bridgnorth: Shropshire 206 (Tom Fell 117, Tim Moses 4-48) & 324-9 dec (Andre Bradford 58, Ollie Currill 57), Wales NC 179 (Steffan Roberts 54) & 202 (Callum Nicholls 51, Romano Franco 50 not out). Shropshire (21pts) beat Wales NC (5pts) by 149 runs..