Openers Elliot Hamilton and Sam Elstone gave Devon the advantage with a century partnership on an intriguing second day of the NCCA Cluberly Championship final against Buckinghamshire at West Bromwich Darmouth.

Devon had a first innings lead of just 11 which, in effect, made the match a one innings contest and Hamilton and Elstone extended that to 138 by the close with a commanding partnership of 127.

Elstone picked up where he left off in the first innings, when he made a century, by compiling a patient 55 not out while left-hander Hamilton played a more aggressive innings, striking two sixes and eight fours in his 134-ball 70.

The partnership was broken late in the day when Hamilton edged Conner Haddow to slip and Buckinghamshire’s captain added a second wicket in the final over when nightwatchman Matt Whalley went LBW.

That took Haddow’s wickets haul to 40 in eight innings at West Bromwich Dartmouth although he had to wait until the last ball of his 16th over for the breakthrough today.

Haddow was into the attack as early as the sixth over of Devon’s second innings at the Golf Course End. He switched himself to the Birmingham Road End and bowled 12 wicketless overs before he gave himself a short breather then returned to end a partnership that threatened to become a match-winning one.

There were just 19 runs between these sides 12 months ago when Buckinghamshire won the national title, and there was again little to choose between the sides on a day of tight and competitive cricket.

Five Buckinghamshire batters reached 20 yet no-one made a half-century with Rhys Nicholas and Matt Pardoe both falling for 48 and Middlesex  and former England Under-19s batter Aaryan Sawant for 42.

Sawant played fluently and appeared to have laid the foundations for a big score but then edged seamer George Daldorph to wicketkeeper Matt Thompson.

Nicholas and Pardoe then dominated the morning session with an enterprising fourth wicket partnership of 92 in 29 overs but both perished in quick succession either side of lunch.

Nicholas holed out to mid-on  from a mistimed pull from an unthreatening delivery from Ben Privett and Pardoe appeared as surprised as anyone when he shaped to turn the first ball of the afternoon session off his legs and was bowled by Callum Harvey.

Josh Lincoln arrived with attacking intent and thumped Harvey for successive sixes – the first into the Birmingham Road traffic – but he then lofted Privett to mid-off and Daksh Sabherwal then miscued to midwicket to give Privett another wicket.

It was left to George Harvey and Ed Bragg to get Buckinghamshire close to Devon’s first innings total in an eighth wicket partnership of 44, before Harvey drove to backward point, Bragg holed out to long on and Haddow was stumped.

NCCA Cluberly Championship Final

Second day of four

West Bromwich Dartmouth CC: Devon 290 (Sam Elstone 104, Conner Haddow 5-103) & 127-2 (Elliot Hamilton 70, Sam Elstone 55 not out), Buckinghamshire 279 (Rhys Nicholas 48, Matt Pardoe 48, Ben Privett 3-32, Callum Harvey 3-80).