Double Success For National Counties XI In European Championship

National Counties XI resuscitated their bid to retain the Dream 11 European T10 Championship with emphatic victories over Italy and Netherlands at the Cartama Oval in Malaga.

Having lost to both those countries on Tuesday, National Counties – who are again representing England at the multi-nation competition – gained quick revenge by beating Italy by 39 runs in their first match of the day then ending Netherlands’ unbeaten start to the competition with a 44 runs win.

The double victories were National Counties’ first in their defence of the title they won 12 months ago and sets them up for their matches against Scotland and hosts Spain on Thursday.

Solid batting down the order took National Counties to 124 for nine against Italy with opener Harrison Ward (Oxfordshire and Sussex) making 27 from ten balls, including three sixes.

Berkshire’s Andy Rishton, with four sixes in his nine-ball 28, and the Wales NC pair of Tom Bevan (27 from 13 balls) and Sam Pearce (22 not out from ten balls) weighed in with valuable contributions.

National Counties followed up with an excellent team bowling display which restricted Italy to 85 for eight and denied them a repeat of their last ball victory on Tuesday.

Wiltshire’s Arthur Godsal (two for 14) and Suffolk’s Ben Claydon (two for 13) led the attack with Italy captain Baljit Singh (29) the only batter to reach 20.

Against Netherlands, National Counties piled up 175 for three, the joint second-highest total in this season’s tournament. Only Denmark, who made 177 for two against Hungary, have made more.

Captain Dan Lincoln (Berkshire) led the assault with 60 not out from 20 balls, a brutal innings that included nine sixes.

Bevan, with 32 not out from 11 balls, joined Lincoln in a rapid unbroken fourth wicket stand of 81 from the last four overs of the innings from which they plundered 68 in boundaries - ten sixes and two fours.

Ward (39 from 15 balls) and Claydon (35 from 15 balls) had got the innings off to a flying start with an opening partnership of 64 in the first four overs.

Rishton claimed the wicket of Musa Ahmad with the fifth ball of Netherlands’ replay and Claydon then took a decisive hand by taking three wickets in four balls in his first over when he replaced Rishton.

Claydon had Boris Gorlee caught behind by Lincoln for a duck, ended Clayton Ford’s threatening cameo of 33 from 11 balls and had Netherlands’ captain Sebastiaan Braat stumped first ball.

Claydon added a fourth wicket – Saqib Zulfiqar – and finished with four for 26 which reduced Netherlands to 62 for six at the halfway stage of their chase.

Ryan Klein rallied Netherlands with 44 from 15 balls before he fell to Berkshire’s Mungo Russell having added 47 for the seventh wicket with Olivier Elenbaas.

Rishton returned to have Elenbaas LBW but was then thumped for three sixes by Shirase Rasool in an eventful penultimate over of the innings.

Pearce brought the innings to a swift conclusion by having Asad Zulfiqar stumped off the first ball of the final over and Udit Nashier caught off the third as Netherlands were dismissed for 131.