Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Week 3 preview

Warwickshire seamer George Garrett will make his first appearance for Shropshire in four years in the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Western Division Two match against Dorset at Wimborne starting on Sunday.

Garrett, who played his formative cricket in Hertfordshire, joined Warwickshire while he was studying at Shrewsbury School and made his only previous appearance for Shropshire against Dorset in a rain-affected Championship match at his home club Shrewsbury in 2019.

His Warwickshire commitments have since limited Garrett’s availability but he is not required for Metro Bank One Day Cup duties this weekend and also has no Second XI commitments so he will head to Wimborne.

Garrett is one of two changes to the side beaten by Cornwall with Shifnal and Worcestershire Academy all-rounder Jack Home recalled. Home and Garrett replace Sam Ellis and Tim Maxfield.

Dorset have included batters Kieran Laird and Ben Rogers, both members of this season’s county Under-18s team, in their squad for possible debuts.

Ben Fletcher makes his seasonal debut and Jacob Gordon his first Championship appearance in two years.

Cornwall host Wiltshire at St Austell without batter Alex Blake who is on Metro Bank Cup duty with Kent. England Under-19 all-rounder Fateh Singh, who replaced Blake for the last four sessions of the Shropshire match, is required by Nottinghamshire this weekend.

Former Shropshire batter Xavie Clarke is recalled and Helston’s Dan Jenkin will make his Championship debut.

Wiltshire welcome back wicketkeeper/batter Ben Draper but travel without former England Under-19 all-rounder Arthur Godsal.

Defending champions Berkshire will hope that it is third time lucky when they host Cheshire at Finchampstead in Western Division One in their final home match of the season.

Berkshire’s first two Championship matches against Devon and Oxfordshire were both rain-affected draws although bad weather has also prevented anyone else from stealing an advantage in the Western Division’s top- flight.

Berkshire welcome back all-rounder Andy Rishton, who replaces Gareth Harte, in the only change to the side that came close to forcing victory against Oxfordshire.

Cheshire suffered a complete washout against Herefordshire at Alderley Edge which meant that Flowery Field wicketkeeper Owen Feakes missed out on his county debut.

Feakes has retained his place in this weekend’s squad but Cheshire have made four changes with Luke Young, Andy Jackson, Sam Grant and Charles Lowen coming in.

The absentees include Nottinghamshire off-spinner Matt Carter who is playing for Trent Rockets in The Hundred.

Devon face Oxfordshire at Exeter with Plympton batter Elliot Hamilton and his club-mate, all-rounder Ben Privett, included in a 13-man squad.

Both missed the draw with Berkshire through injury and come into the squad along with Cornwood’s bowling all-rounder Matt Skeemer.

Matt Jeacock, Sandford’s opening bowler, is in a senior squad for the first time.

Batter Zach Lion-Cachet will make his first Championship appearance in two years for Oxfordshire as a replacement for Tom Condon in the sole change to the side that drew with Berkshire.

Eastern Division One pacesetters Buckinghamshire host Lincolnshire, last season’s national runners-up, hoping to make it three straight wins since they were promoted last season.

Buckinghamshire have added off-spinner Hashan Ramandanpulle to the side that beat Staffordshire last time out.

Lincolnshire’s squad includes Scunthorpe Town’s teenage batter Savraj Nijjar who has been in the runs for club and county age group teams this season.

Cleethorpes seamer Josh Knapton and Farsley batter Joe Pocklington are set for their Championship debuts.

Norfolk and Staffordshire have each made three changes from the sides beaten by Buckinghamshire for their meeting at Horsford.

Norfolk have called up slow bowlers Ryan Findlay and Charlie Rogers plus batter Ben Wilcox with Rogers set for his first county outing of the season. They replace Alfie Cooper, Freddie Fairey and Cameron Graveling.

For Staffordshire, all-rounder Zen Malik, who played in the win over Suffolk, returns for another trip to East Anglia with seamers Sam Atkinson and Rory Haydon, who were withdrawn by Warwickshire from the Buckinghamshire match, available this weekend. Tom Moulton, Dan Richardson and Scott Winnington make way.

Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, the two counties with 100 per cent records in Eastern Division Two, meet at Saffron Walden.

Former Leicestershire batter Aadil Ali makes his National Counties debut for Cambridgeshire with Joe Tetley and Harrison Craig coming into the side that beat Northumberland last month.

Seamer Ashleigh Cox, who took six wickets in the first innings of his debut in that match, will be the familiar surroundings of his home club this weekend.

Bedfordshire’s side shows two changes to the one that beat Northumberland with former Hampshire batter Oli Soames and current Northamptonshire batter Harry Gouldstone returning.

They replace Danyaal Khalid and all-rounder Jamal Richards, who impressed on his National Counties debut but has now been included in Essex’s Metro Bank Cup squad.

Northumberland, beaten by both Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, return to Jesmond, the scene of their victory over Durham in last weekend’s Showcase game, where Hertfordshire are this week’s visitors.

Former Durham and Ireland wicketkeeper/batter Stuart Poynter and Sean Tindale return for Northumberland in place of Bobby Green and Alasdair Appleby.

Hertfordshire have recalled wicketkeeper Benji Cowell and left-arm seamer Alex Gosling who replace  Aaron Beard – who is back on Essex duty -and Chinmay Mullapudi in the changes to the side that drew with Cumbria.

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship

Sunday August 6-Tuesday August 8 (11am)

Eastern Division One

Chesham: Buckinghamshire v Lincolnshire, Horsford: Norfolk v Staffordshire.

Western Division One

Finchampstead: Berkshire v Cheshire, Exeter: Devon v Oxfordshire.

Eastern Division Two

Saffron Walden: Cambridgeshire v Bedfordshire, Jesmond: Northumberland v Hertfordshire.

Western Division Two

St Austell: Cornwall v Wiltshire, Wimborne: Dorset v Shropshire.