Double Defeat Again For National Counties XI In European Championship

National Counties XI suffered two more defeats in the day as their defence of the Dream 11 European T10 Championship title faltered at the Cartama Oval in Malaga.

National Counties, representing England at the tournament, suffered an agonising last ball three wickets defeat against Italy in their first match of the day and were then beaten by 30 runs by a strong Netherlands side in the second.

Having also lost to hosts Spain and Scotland in their first two matches on Monday, National Counties will go into Wednesday’s matches against Italy and Netherlands bottom of the table.

Against Italy, National Counties put themselves in a useful position at the halfway stage as they made 121 for nine in their ten overs with opener Harrison Ward (Oxfordshire and Sussex) making 28 from 11 balls and Wiltshire all-rounder Arthur Godsal providing the late acceleration.

Godsal struck 40 not out from just 11 balls, an innings that included four sixes and three fours, but he was quickly overshadowed by Italy opener Amir Sharif.

Sharif struck the first five balls of Berkshire leg-spinner Jafer Chohan for successive sixes before a dot ball off the sixth prevented him from emulating the likes of Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri.

Sharif made 44 from 16 balls before Godsal snared him but his assault on the luckless Chohan had given Italy important early impetus.

Godsal (two for 14), Cornwall seamer Tom Dinnis (two for 21) and Herefordshire and Northamptonshire leg-spinner Alex Russell (two for 32) all played their part in then pegging Italy back.

Six runs were required off Andy Rishton’s final over and the Berkshire seamer looked like he was going to be a matchwinner for National Counties as he conceded just three singles from the first five balls.

But Italy wicketkeeper Zain Naqvi smashed the last ball of the match over cover for his fourth sixth in an innings of 29 not out to take his side to victory at 125 for seven.

In the second match of the day unbeaten Netherlands made 137 for six with opener Musa Ahmed making 45 and Ryan Klein 35.

Leg-spinner Sam Pearce (Wales NC and Glamorgan) took two for 37 with Rishton conceding only nine runs in his two overs.

National Counties needed a good start if they were to chase down a stiff target but they lost Ward to the first ball of the innings and Buckinghamshire’s Eliot Callis to the fifth.

Tom Bevan (Wales NC) and Ben Claydon (Suffolk) quickly followed and from 16 for four National Counties were in a hopeless position.

Skipper Dan Lincoln (Berkshire) fought back by crashing six sixes in his 13-ball 42 but National Counties were 66 for six when he departed.

Berkshire’s Mungo Russell made sure National Counties reached three figures with two sixes in his 14 not out but the innings fizzled out at 107 for nine with Netherlands easing to their fourth straight win.