NCCA 50-Over Trophy - Quarter Finals Review

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Defending champions Berkshire moved to within a game of a fifth successive National Counties Trophy final by beating Dorset by six wickets in their quarter-final at Slough.

Berkshire, seeking to extend their record-breaking run in the competition to five successive titles, will now travel to play Cheshire, who beat Devon by 110 runs at Oxton, in the semi-finals on August 4.

The other semi-final will be an East Anglia derby with Cambridgeshire, who beat Suffolk by 85 runs at Exning, hosting Norfolk, who were six wickets winners over Lincolnshire at Great Witchingham.

Berkshire’s win was a typically ruthless one and Dorset were unfortunate to get them on the rebound after an unexpected loss to Buckinghamshire in their final group match last week.

Jake Gordon’s patient 82 held Dorset together but only Luke Webb (24) and Will Tripcony (24) kept him company for long and the innings was expertly throttled by Berkshire’s attack, supported by some superb catching in the deep.

Former Cornwall pace bowler Tommy Sturgess finished with four for 52 with Sulaiman Akhtar taking three wickets with his leg spin to go with a stunning catch to account for Connor Smith.

A total of 208 looked well below par and it was quickly made to look hopelessly inadequate as Johnny Connell and Rhys Lewis opened with a rapid partnership of 92 in 13 overs.

The in-form Connell struck ten fours and a six in his 45-ball 60 before Lewis accelerated Berkshire towards their target in partnership with his brother Rhodri in a third wicket stand of 49.

Berkshire got home with 18 overs to spare and the only blemishes on their performance were that the four wickets they lost went to soft dismissals.

It was equally straightforward for Cheshire who passed 300 for the second successive week with Alex Money (85), Rob Sehmi (60) and Henry Dobson (57) all making half-centuries.

Devon had Ben Privett, with a Trophy best four for 53, and Calum Haggett (three for 36) for ensuring that they did not have a bigger total to chase as Cheshire lost their last five wickets for 19 runs in four overs and the innings ended 20 balls early.

But the pressure of sustaining what would have been their record successful run chase proved too much for Cheshire who lost wickets regularly and were 84 for five before Sam Read counter-attacked.

He struck four sixes in his 37-ball 65 which dominated a sixth wicket partnership of 64 with Matt Thompson.

Read was seventh out when he holed out to long off and Steven Green finished things off by having Kaz Szymanski LBW to collect his third wicket of the innings.

Spin bowlers dominated at Exning where Cambridgeshire recovered from a batting collapse to dismiss Suffolk for 101.

Dan Andrew (63) and Joe Tetley (47) appeared to have laid the foundations for a bigger Cambridgeshire total when they shared a third wicket partnership of 107.

But from 141 for three, Cambridgeshire subsided to 186 all out with slow left-armer Jack Beaumont (four for 40) and off-spinner Josh Cantrell (three for 29) doing the damage.

Beaumont then made 20 out of opening partnership of 34 with Alex Maynard (27) but after seamers Wayne White and James Cox made the breakthroughs, Suffolk then came unstuck against former Leicestershire slow left-armer James Sykes.

Sykes took a competition-best four for 14 in 6.2 overs with White, Cox and Jack Loveday taking two wickets apiece as Suffolk were dismissed with more than half their overs unused.

Lincolnshire’s hopes of winning the Trophy for the first time came to an end at Great Witchingham where Norfolk made it two wins out of two from their first visits to Walcis Park.

Lincolnshire’s innings - 183 all out inside 42 overs - comprised a series of promising cameos but no-one topped Jordan Cook’s 37 or bettered his fifth wicket partnership of 47 with Joe Pocklington.

Norfolk’s success was another team effort with Brett Stolworthy (three for 43) being well supported by Joe Everett, Ethan Metcalf and Cameron Graveling, who each took two wickets.

Norfolk then reached their target with 15-and-a-half overs to spare with Ben Wilcox again playing a mature innings of 65 not out from 72 balls.

Wilcox shared a second wicket partnership of 51 with his captain, Sam Arthurton (37) and a third wicket stand of 70 with Josh Cobb (30).

Venues for the semi-finals have yet to be confirmed.

National Counties Trophy quarter-finals

Exning: Cambridgeshire 186 (Dan Andrew 63, Joe Tetley 47, Jack Beaumont 4-40), Suffolk 101 (James Sykes 4-14). Cambridgeshire won by 85 runs.

Great Witchingham: Lincolnshire 183, Norfolk186-4 (Ben Wilcox 65 not out). Norfolk won by six wickets.

Slough: Dorset 208 (Jake Gordon 82, Tommy Sturgess 4-52), Berkshire 212-4 (Johnny Connell 60, Rhys Lewis 57, Rhodri Lewis 40). Berkshire won by six wickets.

Oxton: Cheshire 303 (Alex Money 85, Rob Sehmi 60, Henry Dobson 57, Ben Privett 4-53),Devon 193 (Sam Read 65). Cheshire won by 110 runs.