Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Day 3 Review

George Hargrave produced a record-breaking performance to take Shropshire to a stunning five wickets win over Dorset at Wimborne in the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Western Division Two. 

The Oxford University opener became the first batter in the history of a competition that dates back to 1895 to score a double century and a century in a match. 

He also became the first Shropshire batter to make a double century having overtaken the county’s previous highest score of 182 made by Gary Fellows against Wales in 2005. 

It was only the second time a Shropshire player had made two three-figure scores in a match after John Abrahams, who made 105 and 113 without being dismissed, against Buckinghamshire at Wellington in 1990. 

Thanks to Hargrave’s 201 Shropshire chased down a target of 385 - their highest fourth innings total – inside 84 overs to win a match in which they had been behind for the first two days. 

Hargrave batted for just short of four hours, faced 190 balls and struck 27 fours and three sixes and shared partnerships of 131 for the first wicket with Ollie Westbury and 165 for the second with Tom Fell. 

He eventually departed to a return catch to David Scott and Shropshire lost three wickets for 17 as they closed in on victory. 

Former Worcestershire batter Fell calmed any nerves Shropshire may have had and reached his first Championship century with the winning boundary. 

Cornwall made it back-to-back wins with a tense two wickets victory over Wiltshire at St Austell. 

The match was evenly-poised when play eventually got underway at 4.30pm and fortunes fluctuated throughout the short final session. 

Will MacVicar’s 45 nudged Cornwall closer to victory but he went LBW to off-spinner Joe King who finished with four for 67. 

There were four wickets for Ed Young but Tommy Sturgess saw Cornwall home with 15 not out to leave Wiltshire to rue their batting collapse on the second day. 

Oxfordshire beat the weather and Devon to go 14 points clear at the top of Western Division One with a 198 runs win at Exeter. 

While Cheshire were frustrated by rain, which washed out the final day of their match against Berkshire at Finchampstead, Oxfordshire dodged the showers to secure the first positive result in the Western Division’s top-flight this season and a 23 points haul.  

Off-spinners George Tait (four for 58) and Max Mannering (three for 54) worked their way through Devon’s second innings but Oxfordshire’s push for victory was delayed by Ben Beaumont and Jamie Stephens who added 55 for the eighth wicket. 

Beaumont batted two-and-a-half hours for his career-best 66 not out but Devon were dismissed for 188 in mid-afternoon with left-arm spinner Tom Hinley clinching victory when he had Kaz Szymanski LBW. 

Berkshire were facing their first home Championship defeat in nine years until rain wiped out the last day at Finchampstead and they escaped with a third successive draw. 

Berkshire travel to Eastnor on Sunday to face Herefordshire in their final match knowing that they need to win to have any hope of overhauling Oxfordshire or Cheshire, who are nine points behind them but with two matches still to play.  

Staffordshire also capitalised on the misfortune of Buckinghamshire, who were washed out on the final day of their match against Lincolnshire at Chesham, to throw the Eastern Division title race wide open with a ten wickets win over Norfolk at Horsford. 

Staffordshire led by 105 on first innings but Norfolk appeared to be grinding their way to safety when they cleared their arrears in the 44^th over of their second innings with only four wickets down. 

But Norfolk then lost their last six wickets for 24 – including three in 12 balls – in a spectacular collapse that left Staffordshire requiring just 34 for their second win of the season. 

Ashcombe Park slow left-armer Anis Raza took five for 27 – his maiden five wicket haul – and was well supported by pace bowler Liam Hurt (three for 36) and senior spinner Tom Brett (two for 47). 

There were 12 double figures scores for Norfolk in the match but only Ethan Metcalf reached 30. 

Staffordshire openers Callum Hawkins and Matthew Morris knocked off the runs inside ten overs to complete victory in two days after the first day washout.  

Earlier Michael Hill had made an unbeaten half-century before Staffordshire declared their second innings with Norfolk seamer Brett Stolworthy taking five wickets. 

Staffordshire are now just eight points behind Buckinghamshire and will have the opportunity to overtake them when they host Lincolnshire at Checkley in their final divisional match which starts on Sunday. 

Buckinghamshire sit out the next round of matches before travelling to Copdock to play Suffolk in the final round starting on August 20. 

Bedfordshire were denied their third successive win in Eastern Division Two by rain which washed out play after lunch at Saffron Walden when they were on their way to beating Cambridgeshire. 

A maiden century from Alex Peirson, who batted more than four-and-a-half hours for his 116, held up Bedfordshire who were eventually dismissed for 281. 

Former Kent, Essex and Hampshire seamer Matt Coles took six for 125 to take his season’s wicket tally to 24 in three games, three more than Buckinghamshire slow left-armer Conner Haddow. 

Bedfordshire were left with a target of 120 and were well on their way when openers Sam Bates and Fayaz Homyoon took them to 81 without loss in 15.5 overs when the rain arrived and a tea-time abandonment followed. 

Northumberland and Hertfordshire showed enterprise in trying to conjure something from their rain-affected contest at Jesmond but had to settle for a tense draw in the best weather of the match. 

Hertfordshire declared their first innings with a deficit of 85 before Durham staff man Harry Crawshaw made a maiden half-century in Northumberland’s 186 for nine declared. 

A target of 272 always looked on the stiff side even on a high-scoring ground particularly after Hertfordshire lost openers Dominic Chatfield and Arjun Patel cheaply. 

Former Essex all-rounder Jack Plom clobbered four sixes in his belligerent 32-ball 48 before he was caught behind hooking and the sides shook hands with Hertfordshire having rattled to 155 for seven in 33 overs. 

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship 

Final day of three 

Eastern Division One 

Chesham: Lincolnshire 148 (Joe Pocklington 54) & 145-4 (Qundeel Haider 64), Buckinghamshire 396 (Alexei Kervezee 145, Alex Woodland 56, Joe Pocklington 5-99). No play Tuesday – rain. Buckinghamshire (12pts) drew with Lincolnshire (8pts). 

Horsford: Norfolk 142 (Tom Brett 5-65) & 138 (Anis Raza 5-27), Staffordshire 247-9 dec (Michael Hill 63 not out, Zen Malik 60, Matthew Morris 54, Brett Stolworthy 5-85) & 36-0. Staffordshire (22pts)  beat Norfolk (4pts) by ten wickets. 

Western Division One 

Finchampstead: Cheshire 381 (Chris Sanders 80 not out, Henry Dobson 70, Joe Cooke 53, Luke Young 51) & 261-8 dec (Henry Dobson 121, Luke Young 52), Berkshire 174 (Andrew Jackson 5-60) & 75-3. No play Tuesday – rain. Berkshire (8pts) drew with Cheshire (12pts). 

Exeter: Oxfordshire 291 (Zach Lion-Cachet 100, Jared Warner 52 not out, Jamie Stephens 5-86) & 261-8 dec (Zach Lion-Cachet 105, Jared Warner 50), Devon 166 (James Horler 54, Max Mannering 5-58) & 188 (Ben Beaumont 66 not out). Oxfordshire (23pts) beat Devon (4pts) by 198 runs. 

Eastern Division Two 

Saffron Walden: Cambridgeshire 232 (Mohammed Danyaal 51 not out) & 281 (Alex Peirson 116, Aadil Ali 61, Matt Coles 6-125), Bedfordshire 394-9 (Oli Soames 89, Sam Bates 64, Matt Taylor 64, Harry Gouldstone 61, Callum Guest 5-101) & 81-0. Cambridgeshire (10pts) drew with Bedfordshire (12pts). 

Jesmond: Northumberland 260 (Stuart Poynter 96, Ross Whitfield 57) & 186-9 dec (Harry Crawshaw 57), Hertfordshire 175-7 dec (David Burnell 52) & 155-7. Northumberland (9pts) drew with Hertfordshire (9pts). 

Western Division Two 

St Austell: Wiltshire 265 (Tom Cullen 57, Jack Mynott 51, Max Tryfonos 5-69) & 109 (Max Tryfonos 5-35), Cornwall 183 (Joe King 6-56) & 194-8 (Xavie Clarke 52). Cornwall (21pts) beat Wiltshire (6pts) by two wickets. 

Wimborne: Dorset 435-2 (Sam Young 217 not out, David Scott 183 not out) & 210-7 dec (Jacob Gordon 58), Shropshire 261 (George Hargrave 115, Ed Bartlett 6-53) & 385-5 (George Hargrave 201, Tom Fell 103 not out). Shropshire (16pts) beat Dorset (8pts) by five wickets.