Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Final Review

Buckinghamshire wrapped up their first Durant Cricket National Counties Championship since 2009 with a record-breaking 550 runs victory over Devon in the final at West Bromwich Dartmouth. 

The victory was the largest by runs margin in the history of the Championship, which began in 1895, although the previous record of 411 runs was set by Bedfordshire against Hertfordshire just two weeks ago. 

The win was based on a second innings total of 567, which was also Buckinghamshire’s highest in the competition, beating the 560 for four declared they made against Northumberland at High Wycombe ten years ago. 

It is the 11^th time that Buckinghamshire have won the Championship but the first time since Cumberland beat Oxfordshire in 2015 that the title has been won by an Eastern Division county. 

Ross Richardson’s career-best 166 – his second century for Buckinghamshire – was the centrepiece of a ruthless batting display and Devon, having wilted in the field, collapsed under scoreboard pressure. 

As Buckinghamshire had a first innings lead, Devon had to win the match to take the title. But, set 635 – 145 more than the record successful run chase in the competition - in four-and-a-half sessions, they were dismissed for 84 inside 37 overs and were beaten with a day to spare. 

Slow left-armer Conner Haddow made light work of Devon returning figures of 10.1-7-6-5 to finish with match figures of eight for 37. He took nine wickets in the match when Buckinghamshire beat Staffordshire in an Eastern Division One match on the ground six weeks ago. 

Buckinghamshire’s victory also represented a personal success for their Director of Cricket Jason Harrison who has now captained and coached the county to the Championship having skippered the side when they beat Cheshire at Slough in 2009. 

Buckinghamshire’s latest success came just 12 months after they were promoted as Eastern Division Two champions and their performance in the final demonstrated why they have become national champions. 

Although Richardson and two 17-year-olds, Aadi Sharma and George Harvey – who made his second half-century in four Championship innings – produced eye-catching performances, this was very much a team effort. 

Having squandered a promising position on the first afternoon with the bat, they bowled and fielded as a unit to dismiss Devon for an inadequate 118 and then turned a handy first innings lead of 67 into a mountainous one. 

Richardson and Ed Bragg added 108 for Buckinghamshire’s fifth wicket before Bragg miscued to mid-on and Richardson and Harvey then cut loose in an entertaining sixth wicket stand of 92. 

Devon might have hoped for some respite after Harvey was bowled by Fin Hill and Cameron Parsons drove to mid-off but Richardson and his captain Tom Hampton plundered 59 in four overs for the ninth wicket before Richardson skied a return catch to Max Finzel. 

Devon’s only realistic prospect was to bat out the remainder of the match for a draw but their innings unravelled in the space of ten overs before tea. 

From 50 for two they slumped to 60 for seven with Elliot Hamilton bowled by Bragg and Finzel driving Parsons low to extra cover in successive balls. 

Slow left-armer Conner Haddow swiftly accounted for Ben Beaumont, who edged to slip, and Hill, stumped giving him the charge, and Parsons had Matt Skeemer taken at point when he switched to the Birmingham Road End. 

Calum Haggett fired off a couple of defiant shots before he picked out long-on, Jamie Stephens was LBW sweeping Haddow who then wrapped up victory when Max Shepherd was bowled around his legs. 

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Final 

Last day of three 

West Bromwich Dartmouth: Buckinghamshire 185 (Jamie Stephens 4-29) & 567 (Ross Richardson 166, Aadi Sharma 115, George Harvey 61), Devon 118 & 84 (Conner Haddow 5-6). Buckinghamshire beat Devon by 550 runs.