Durant Cricket National Counties Championship: Week 5 - Preview

Buckinghamshire will blood 17-year-old wicketkeeper George Harvey in their Durant Cricket National Counties Championship Eastern Division One decider against Suffolk which gets underway at Copdock on Sunday. 

Harvey, who plays his club cricket for Eastcote in Middlesex, is a product of Buckinghamshire’s age group system and will make his senior debut as a replacement for the unavailable Ross Richardson. 

Harvey is the only change Buckinghamshire have made to the side that was frustrated by a last day washout against Lincolnshire at Chesham two weeks ago. 

Buckinghamshire require a maximum of six points to secure top spot and a place in next month’s final against the Western Division One champions at West Bromwich Dartmouth. 

Buckinghamshire were promoted as Eastern Division Two champions at the end of last season and are aiming to end the current campaign with their first Championship title since 2009. 

Suffolk will also have a youthful look about their side with 16-year-old opening batter Ollie Burle, who made his debut against Norfolk last weekend, joined in the squad by his Ipswich School team-mate Barney Morton. 

Morton has been called up for a possible debut because Ben Claydon is still troubled by an ankle injury and Alex Oxley missed the last day of the Norfolk match through illness. 

Seamer Raj Singh suffered a quadriceps injury against Norfolk and will not face Buckinghamshire so Luke Froggatt is set to make his first appearance of the season. 

Avoiding relegation will be the sole concern of Lincolnshire and Norfolk who meet at Cleethorpes in the other Eastern Division One match. 

Lincolnshire have called up Scunthorpe Town’s promising pace bowler AJ Dosanjh for a possible debut and recalled batter Jaden Fell and all-rounder Alex King. 

Batter Freddie Fairey returns for Norfolk in place of Luke Caswell in the only change to the side beaten by Suffolk. 

In Western Division One both matches will determine who finishes top and who is relegated. 

Oxfordshire, who host Cheshire at Banbury, and Devon, who entertain Herefordshire at Sidmouth, both go into the final round of divisional matches with the chance of overtaking Berkshire, who have a seven points lead but have completed their four-match programme. 

Bizarrely, all four counties in action this weekend, are not yet mathematically safe from relegation although Herefordshire and Cheshire are the two most in peril. 

Devon have added off-spinner Sam Read to the squad that was on duty for the victory over Cheshire. 

Herefordshire are again missing their captain Matt Pardoe as the former Worcestershire batter is unavailable, but they can call on the services of Worcestershire batter Rehaan Edvalath who made his debut in the defeat by Berkshire. 

The experienced Barney Morgan returns along with Conor Smith and Charlie Williams. 

Oxfordshire won the Western Division title two years ago and went on to be crowned national champions by defeating Suffolk in the final at Tring. 

The winner of Eastern Division Two – and promotion to the top-flight – is likely to be decided at Flitwick where leaders Bedfordshire host Hertfordshire who are 14 points behind them. 

Seamer Jigar Mehta and wicketkeeper/batter Charlie Mumford return for Hertfordshire in place of James Latham and Benji Cowell. 

Cambridgeshire, whose promotion chances were badly dented by their defeat by Hertfordshire on Tuesday, complete their season against Cumbria at Peterborough. 

Cambridgeshire have called up seamer Mark Smith for his first appearance of the season with batters Lee Thomason and Jow Tetley and slow left-armer Harrison Craig all included in a 12-man squad. 

Cornwall have already won Western Division Two and completed their programme which leaves the four teams in action this weekend scrapping to avoid the wooden spoon. 

Shropshire, who face Wiltshire at Whitchurch, currently occupy bottom spot but they are only one point adrift of the visitors and Dorset and Wales NC who meet at Wimborne. 

Shropshire are without opening batter George Hargrave whose record-breaking efforts in the victory over Dorset – he was the first player in the history of the Championship to score a double century and century in the same match – have attracted Northamptonshire’s interest. 

He has been selected to play for Northamptonshire’s Second XI against Glamorgan at Milton Keynes starting on Monday so will miss the Wiltshire match. 

Leg-spinner Sam Whitney is unavailable to all-rounder Lee Thornton and Joe Stanley have been called up. 

Dorset have included two potential debutants, Kieran Laird and Ben Rogers, in their squad while Wales have named a much-changed squad. 

Brislington batter Milo Ayres is in line to make his National Counties debut with Cardiff left-arm seamer Harry Robins, who played once for Wiltshire last season, likely to make his first appearance for Wales. 

There is a seasonal debut for Pentyrch batter Todd Wilcox and first Championship appearance of the season for Morgan Bevans but opening batter Harry Friend is unavailable due to exam commitments. 

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship   

August 20-22 (11am)   

Eastern Division One   

Cleethorpes: Lincolnshire v Norfolk, Copdock: Suffolk v Buckinghamshire.   

Western Division One   

Sidmouth: Devon v Herefordshire, Banbury: Oxfordshire v Cheshire.   

Eastern Division Two   

Flitwick: Bedfordshire v Hertfordshire, Peterborough: Cambridgeshire v Cumbria.   

Western Division Two   

Wimborne: Dorset v Wales NC, Whitchurch: Shropshire v Wiltshire.