Staffordshire, Norfolk, Berkshire and Devon will host the Super 12s stage of the National Counties T20 competition after finishing top of their respective groups.

Staffordshire overtook Shropshire, who completed their group programme two weeks ago, to go top of Group One without bowling a ball after both matches in their double-header against Cumbria at Carlisle were abandoned. Staffordshire took a point from each of the washed-out matches.

They will be joined in the Super 12s by Cheshire who nudged Northumberland out of third place by winning twice against them at the South Northumberland club in Gosforth.

Cheshire won the opener by one wicket with Xander Selby seeing them home with 39 not out in partnership with his fellow slow left-armer Isaac Brooks (8 not out).

Earlier Brooks had taken three for 19 to restrict Northumberland to 133 for seven with former Durham all-rounder Johnny Bushnell top-scoring with 32.

In the second match a maiden half-century from Alfie Usher and 45 from Fred Vaughan-Hawkins took Cheshire to 182 for seven. John Oswell’s quickfire 44 kept Northumberland in the hunt for the win they needed to deny Cheshire third place but their hopes faded after he shovelled a catch to cover off left-arm seamer Jack Collett.

Northumberland eventually reached 158 for nine and were beaten by 24 runs in an anti-climactic end to their T20 campaign.

Norfolk went into the weekend knowing they had already secured top spot in Group Two with Lincolnshire confirmed in second place. The other three sides were scrapping for third place and it was Suffolk who secured it by beating Hertfordshire by 30 runs in the second match at Mellis.

Hertfordshire looked to be well placed to go through after they won the opener by five wickets with Ben Clifford’s unbeaten 66 leading a well-paced chase of a target of 150.

Former Essex opener Feroze Kushi continued his excellent form with 74 and Alex Oxley made 33 but from 87 without loss, Suffolk stumbled to 149 for eight.

Suffolk improved on that in the second match with Jacob Marston (34) and Josh Cantrell (26) countering three wickets from Hertfordshire captain Ben Waring to take them to 155 for six.

Three wickets from Ollie Burle restricted Hertfordshire to 125 and clinched an important win for Suffolk who would have qualified for the Super 12s earlier had they not been docked four points for fielding an unregistered player.

Norfolk and Cambridgeshire shared the honours at Exning where Norfolk eased to a 109 runs win in the opener before Cambridgeshire bounced back with a seven wickets victory to round off their T20 campaign.

Brothers Ben and Arthur Wilcox dominated the first match as they shared a third wicket partnership of 97 for Norfolk with Ben making his T20 best of 82 and Arthur his maiden half-century in the format.

Arthur followed up with four for 23, his best figures in the competition, to dismiss Cambridgeshire for 103 and condemn them to their biggest defeat by runs margin and Norfolk’s biggest victory.

Wilcox top-scored with 34 in the second match but Ben Clilverd’s three for 25 helped to dismiss Norfolk for 114 before an unbeaten half century from Ben Saunders saw Cambridgeshire home with 16 balls to spare.

It was tight in Group Three where Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire started the day level on eight points each. Berkshire clinched top spot with contrasting victories over Bedfordshire at Luton where a 69 runs win in the opener was followed by a four wickets  success in a low-scoring second match.

Ben Salter’s 80 in the opener was the only half-century at Wardown Park where Bedfordshire folded to 95 all out with off-spinner Euan Woods taking three for 15.

In the second match Northamptonshire all-rounder Gus Miller top-scored for Bedfordshire with 31 and their total of 116 for eight looked like being a winning one when Berkshire slipped to 78 for six. But Woods (22 not out) and Andy Rishton (26 not out) saw Berkshire home without further alarm and with four balls to spare.

Buckinghamshire broke a series of county records in their two victories over Wales NC at Marlow.

Their 235 for seven in the opener was their highest total in the competition and their 132 runs win, their biggest by runs margin.

Worcestershire batter Rehaan Edavalath, with 89 from 57 balls, and Josh Lincoln (81 from 28 balls) pummelled 125 in nine overs in a Buckinghamshire record fourth wicket partnership. Buckinghamshire’s win extinguished Wales’ hopes of making the Super 12s as they needed to win both matches to have any chance of progressing.

In the second match former Worcestershire left-hander Matt Pardoe struck 112 not out from 56 balls and became the first Buckinghamshire batter to make a T20 century.

It was a second century in the competition for Pardoe, his first coming for Herefordshire, and also a career-best with Edavalath (46) helping him add 123 for the second wicket.

Ollie Rayner (60) and former Nottinghamshire batter Sam King (49) led Wales’ chase with a second wicket partnership of 61 but Buckinghamshire’s spin combination of skipper Conner Haddow and off-spinner Bertie Foreman, who is on a short-term contract with Kent, checked their progress.

From 127 for two, Wales were dismissed for 179 and beaten by 24 runs but Buckinghamshire were unable to improve their net run rate sufficiently to overtake Berkshire at the top of the group. Bedfordshire went through to the Super 12s despite their double defeat at Luton.

Devon won Group Four after they bounced back from a 13 runs defeat in the opener against Cornwall at Werrington to dismiss their hosts for 87 in the second match and clinch a 76 runs victory.

Cornwall’s victory in the first match, built on 45 from captain Paul Smith, briefly took them top of the group.

But Devon soon gained revenge as Seb Linnitt made a fluent 79 in their 163 for five and Ben Privett then took four for 25, including Alex Blake and John Moon in his first over, as Cornwall slipped to 25 for five. A sixth wicket partnership of 45 between Elliot Hooper (23) and Billy Taylor (22) shored up the innings but Cornwall fell well short of their target of 164.

Cornwall finished second in the group on superior run rate just ahead of Wiltshire whose defeat in the opener against Herefordshire at Westbury denied them the chance to finish top of the group.

A half-century from Joel Cox, one of three brothers in Herefordshire’s side, took the visitors to 150 for eight and three wickets for seamer Roshan Venkataraman restricted Wiltshire to 109.

That was Herefordshire’s first win at the ninth attempt but they ended their T20 season with an eighth defeat as Wiltshire won the second match by eight wickets.

Toby Cox’s 47 steered Herefordshire to 142 for eight with seamer Archie Pascoe taking three for 27. Wiltshire chased down their target with 11 balls to spare with Will Naish (48) sharing stands of 62 for the first wicket with Tom Cheater (29) and 57 for the second with Jake Goodwin (36 not out).

The Super-12s will take place on Sunday August 9 with venues and groups to be confirmed.

NATIONAL COUNTIES T20

Sunday July 5

Group One

Carlisle: Cumbria v Staffordshire. Both matches abandoned.

South Northumberland CC. Match One: Northumberland 133-7 (Isaac Brooks 3-22), Cheshire 134-9. Cheshire won by one wicket.

Match two: Cheshire 182-7 (Alfie Usher 64, Fred Vaughan-Hawkins 45), Northumberland 158-9 (John Oswell 44, will Espley 3-37). Cheshire won by 24 runs.

Group Two

Exning. Match one: Norfolk 212-4 (Ben Wilcox 82, Arthur Wilcox 51), Cambridgeshire 103 (Arthur Wilcox 4-23). Norfolk won by 109 runs.

Match two: Norfolk 114 (Ben Clilverd 3-25), Cambridgeshire 115-3 (Ben Saunders 56 not out). Cambridgeshire won by seven wickets.

Mellis CC. Match one: Suffolk 149-8 (Feroze Khushi 74), Hertfordshire 152-5 (Ben Clifford 66 not out). Hertfordshire won by five wickets.

Match Two: Suffolk 155-6 (Ben Waring 3-28), Hertfordshire 125 (Ollie Burle 3-27). Suffolk won by 30 runs.

Group Three

Luton. Match One: Berkshire 164-9 (Ben Salter 80), Bedfordshire 95 (Euan Woods 3-15). Berkshire won by 69  runs.

Match two: Bedfordshire 116-8, Berkshire 117-6. Berkshire won by four wickets.

Marlow. Match One: Buckinghamshire 235-7 (Rehaan Edavalath 89, Josh Lincoln 81), Wales NC 103 (Conner Haddow 3-17). Buckinghamshire won by 132 runs.

Match two: Buckinghamshire 203-5 (Matt Pardoe 112  not out, Rehaan Edavalath 46), Wales NC 179 (Ollie Rayner 60, Sam King 49, Conner Haddow 3-20, Archie Dodds 3-30). Buckinghamshire won by 24 runs.

Group Four

Werrington. Match one: Cornwall 166-7 (Paul Smith 45) Devon 153-9. Cornwall won by 13 runs.

Match two: Devon 163-5 (Seb Linnitt 79), Cornwall 87 (Ben privett 4-25). Devon won by 76 runs.

Westbury. Match one: Herefordshire 150-8 (Joel Cox 56), Wiltshire 109 (Roshan Venkataraman 3-14). Herefordshire won by 41 runs.

Match two: Herefordshire 142-8 (Toby Cox 47, Archie Pascoe 3-27), Wiltshire 145-2 (Will Naish 58). Wiltshire won by eight wickets.

SHOWCASE MATCHES

July 6

Magdelen College School, Oxford: Oxfordshire v Sussex (T20 – 2.30pm)

July 7

Worfield: Shropshire v Worcestershire (11am)