NCCA Counties

Wiltshire CCC v Berkshire CCC @ Henley CC

NCCA Cluberly Championship - Western Division 1

16th – 18th August 2026

Day 1

Berkshire won the toss and chose to bat first. Opener James Isbell (62) and Charlie Dunnett (110) had a third wicket partnership of 81 after Sam Freestone had removed Rhys Lewis and Euan Woods cheaply. Their partnership suffered an unusual delay – the ball went out of shape and a replacement was no better.  The umpires found it difficult to provide a suitable replacement until eventually a ball was provided with the agreement of umpires and captains.

Charlie Dunnett stood firm while wickets tumbled around him. Sam Freestone added to his tally when he bowled James Isbell. Chris Aubrey (3 for 59) made further inroads including centurion Dunnett with all being caught by wicket-keeper Jake Goodwin. A further wicket fell to Sam Freestone with another sharp catch by Jake Goodwin taking the score to 125 for 6 with Wiltshire definitely in the ascendancy.

It was at this point that Berkshire skipper Andy Rishton (47) joined Dunnett and together they added 110 runs taking the score to 235 for 7 until Dunnett fell to Aubrey with the sides now looking well-matched. Rishton became one of Jake Lintott’s two LBW victims.   Samm Daniel added a run-a-ball 38 before becoming Sam Freestone’s fifth victim – a career best Championship tally. The Berkshire innings eventually closed on 295 all out. 

A crucial period of play saw Wiltshire’s  opening pair Jack Mynott (51 not out) and Cyrus Shafi (24 not out)  move the score on to 79 without loss before stumps were drawn at the end of the day's play.

Day 2

Mynott and Shafi made an excellent start for Wiltshire with the score rising to 95 before the loss of the first wicket in unfortunate circumstances. Jack Mynott played a splendid straight drive which bowler Euan Woods deflected on to the stumps with Cyrus Shafi backing up and consequently run out. However, Jake Lintott then came on the scene and added 145 for the fourth wicket.

The two of them each hit a six and found the boundary a further 33 times to  see the score rise to 282 for 4 within reach of the Berkshire total.  Jake Goodwin pressed home the Wiltshire advantage with a run-a-ball 51 with two sixes of his own.  Wiltshire eventually closed on 364 all out and a lead of just 69 runs. It was then Berkshire’s turn to face a few tricky overs at the end of the day.  They proved trickier than anyone could have imagined with Berkshire tumbling to 118 for 9 – a slender lead of just 47 to take into Day 3, but with only one wicket remaining.  The wickets were shared between Sam Freestone, 4 for 53, adding four to his first innings tally and Joe King also taking four wickets with Chris Aubrey snaring Rhys Lewis. Wiltshire fielded well and held on to their catches to add to Berkshire’s nightmare.

Day 3

Lewis Sharp (12) and Toby Greatwood (28 not out) battled to add more runs to the total but Sharp was stumped by Jake Goodwin after advancing down the wicket hoping to hit a boundary. The stumping gave Joe King (5 for 61) yet another 5-wicket haul to add to his impressive record for the county as Berkshire were dismissed for 147 and a lead of 78.

A positive result was definitely expected and four batters were called upon to deliver it. Cyrus Shafi (23) was the first to fall after hitting a six out of the ground and being caught attempting to repeat the shot.  Jack Mynott (25) saw a top edge fly high in the sky with several fielders vying for who should take the catch with the honour eventually falling to captain Andy Rishton who made no mistake. Incoming batsmen Will Naish (15 in14 balls) and Ed Young (17 in 11 balls) finished the task quickly with Ed completing the task with a huge straight six that took the total to 82 for 2 and an eight wicket victory for Wiltshire.

Senior Wiltshire supporters were appreciating the fact that they had not beaten Berkshire in a Championship game since 2014 (when a young bowler called Joe King had taken 8 wickets – 6 in the first innings) Today they were appreciating the efforts of the entire squad, but particularly Wadworth Men of the Match Jack Mynott for his splendid century and Sam Freestone for his match haul of 9 wickets for 134 runs in a marathon 36 overs. 

This result means that Wiltshire now face Devon in their final game next week Sunday 23rd – Tuesday 25th with a top of the table clash at South Wilts CC and the winners potentially  Western Division Champions.                                               

Roy Honeybone, August 2026