Former Essex batter Feroze Khushi continued his prolific season with a career-best 145 which helped Suffolk to pile up 418 for nine on the opening day of their NCCA Cluberly Championship Eastern Division One match against Northumberland at Bury St Edmunds.

Khushi had already made two centuries in helping Suffolk reach the Super 12s of the National Counties T20 competition and two more for the South Asian Cricket Academy and he continued his hot streak with a 130 ball innings which included 14 fours and five sixes.

It was a tough introduction to First Division cricket for Northumberland, last year’s Eastern Division Two champions, and they had to wait a long time for their first wicket after Jack Beaumont (78) and Ollie Burle (74) opened with a partnership of 163.

Beaumont and Burle eventually departed in the space of 10 balls but Khushi sustained the attack adding 111 for sixth wicket with former Northamptonshire spinner Freddie Heldreich.

Khushi was eventually stumped by 17-year-old wicketkeeper Rory Mustard to give slow left-armer Mohsin Mukhtar his third wicket.

Mukhtar departed early in Northumberland’s reply but debutant George Fishwick (31 not out) and skipper Ross Whitfield (36 not out) added 66 in an unbroken second wicket partnership.

Defending champions Buckinghamshire fought back hard against Staffordshire at Chesham.

Buckinghamshire were dismissed for 211 but that represented a significant recovery after Staffordshire’s new ball pair of Liam Hurt and Sam Keeling-Wright had reduced them to 36 for four at one stage.

A half century on Championship debut for Kent all-rounder Bertie Foreman and 44 from all-rounder Ed Bragg began the fightback.

Bragg then took three wickets and Tom Weymes two to leave Staffordshire wobbling at 44 for five but Dan Lincoln (28 not out) and Joe Hawkins (24 not out) dropped anchor in a sixth wicket partnership of 51 in 25 overs before the close.

Earlier Lincoln had held a catch to dismiss his younger brother Josh for 12 off the bowling of Jake Garlick. The Lincoln brothers were county team-mates at Berkshire before this season.

Oxfordshire’s Luke Hayes was unluckily denied a maiden century against Berkshire at the Falkland club in Newbury in Western Division One.

Hayes was left stranded on 99 not out when last man Oliver Armstrong was run out, unable to make his ground as the pair tried to scramble the single that would have taken his partner to three figures for the first time.

But Hayes’s resistance and a half-century from Freddie Smith helped Oxfordshire to recover from 132 for six to 279 all out on a dry pitch which is expected to turn as the match progresses.

The value of those runs increased as Armstrong then took three wickets to help reduce Berkshire to 119 for six at the close with Toby Greatwood holding things together with 27 not out.

Devon, last season’s Western Division champions, had the better of an attritional first day against Herefordshire at Sidmouth.

Seamer James Matravers took three wickets to send Herefordshire from 24 without loss to 28 for four before captain Luke Tulacz shored up the innings with 82 with support from James Rudge (35) and debutant Freddie Ammonds (32).

Callum Harvey and Matthew also took three wickets before Devon responded with 88 for two with Seb Linnitt (40 not out) and Matt Thompson sharing an unbroken third wicket partnership of 75.

Dorset captain Luke Webb made a career-best 172 against Wales NC at Ebbw Vale in Western Division Two.

Webb’s second Championship century led Dorset to 396 for eight and he featured in a sixth wicket partnership of 155 with Ed Ellis, who made 82 on his seasonal debut.

That followed a third wicket stand of 141 between Webb and Hampshire batter Felix Organ whose 70 was his highest score for Dorset in any format.

Former Surrey and England Under-19s seamer Luke Griffiths took five wickets on his debut for Wales who ended the day in trouble on 38 for three.

Former Glamorgan and Leicestershire pace bowler Roman Walker came to Shropshire’s rescue with the bat against Cornwall at Truro.

Walker made a rapid 61 which, with 43 from captain Charlie Home in his first innings of the season, boosted Shropshire to 188 all out.

Elliot Hooper, the former Kent and Sussex slow left-armer took five for 45 on his Championship debut and seamer Ben Ellis produced a miserly opening spell of 15-5-19-2 as Shropshire struggled to 91 for six before Walker joined Home.

Cornwall’s batters also struggled for runs and slipped from 80 for one to 86 for four with a three wicket burst from seamer Ben Roberts, including Alex Blake and Billy Taylor in successive balls. Cornwall closed on 119 for five with Will MacVicar unbeaten on 37.

Sixteen wickets fell on the opening day at Furness where Cumbria, seeking their first Eastern Division Two win in four years, were dismissed for 173 by Hertfordshire.

Cumbria seamer Sam Sharp then took five wickets as Hertfordshire slipped to 68 for six before all-rounders Jack Plom (29 not out) and Sam Davis (55 not out) counter-attacked with an unbroken seventh wicket stand which took Hertfordshire to 154 for six.

Cumbria’s total would have been even more modest without a half century from Nathan Waterston and 36 from Max Winskill with seamers Alex Gosling and Dan Orchard causing them early difficulties.

Runs were easier to come by at Sleaford where half-centuries from Sam Arthurton (84), Charlie Hood (76) and Alfie Cooper (68) took Norfolk to 374 for nine against Lincolnshire.

Arthurton shared a partnership of 106 with makeshift opener Nathan Muggeridge before Hood and Cooper added 106 for the fourth wicket.

Lincolnshire reduced the deficit by 43 for the loss of skipper Nic Keast.

NCCA CLUBERLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Day One

Eastern Division One

Chesham: Buckinghamshire 211 (Bertie Foreman 51), Staffordshire 95-5.

Bury St Edmunds: Suffolk 418-9 (Feroze Khushi 145, Jack Beaumont 78, Ollie Burle 74, Freddie Heldreich 50),  Northumberland 75-1.

Western Division One

Falkland CC: Oxfordshire 279 (Luke Hayes 99 not out, Freddie Smith 65), Berkshire 119-6.

Sidmouth: Herefordshire 193 (Luke Tulacz 82), Devon 88-2.

Eastern Division Two

Furness: Cumbria 173 (Nathan Waterston 51), Hertfordshire 154-6.

Sleaford: Norfolk 374-9 (Sam Arthurton 84, Charlie Hood 76, Alfie Cooper 68),  Lincolnshire 43-1.

Western Division Two

Truro: Shropshire 188 (Roman Walker 61, Elliot Hooper 5-45), Cornwall 119-5.

Ebbw Vale: Dorset (Luke Webb 172, Ed Ellis 82, Felix Organ 70, Luke Griffiths 5-74), Wales NC 38-3.