Durant Cricket NCCA Championship: Week 1 - Review

Berkshire dodged the rain to open their Durant Cricket National Counties Championship campaign with a ten wickets victory over Devon at Instow in Western Division One.

It was the only positive result in an opening round blighted by bad weather with no play possible on the final day of five of the eight matches.

A century from Euan Woods set up Berkshire’s declaration at 413 for six and the former England Under-19 international then helped to dismiss Devon for 199 by taking two important wickets with his off-breaks.

Woods and slow left-armer Rhodri Lewis prospered on a turning pitch to send Devon, who won the Western Division last season to deny Berkshire the chance to defend their national title, from apparent security at 80 for one to 89 for five inside six overs.

Lewis, leading the spin attack in the absence of the injured Luke Beaven, took a competition-best six for 58 in 22 overs to leave Devon with a victory target of nine which Johnny Connell and Dan Lincoln needed only five balls to reach.

With a first innings lead of 191 Berkshire’s bowlers were able to attack and apply further pressure by crowding the batters with close catchers.

Earlier Woods went from 78 not out overnight to 142 not out with his 226-ball innings containing eight fours and two sixes.

Lewis contributed a half-century and shared a fifth wicket partnership of 106 with Woods with Dan Lincoln’s declaration coming when Berkshire had one over of their allotted 90 unused.

It then became a matter of whether Devon could bat through the day to salvage a draw. They made a decent start with Ben Privett and acting-captain James Horler opening with a partnership of 38.

Privett was run out after he was sent back by his opening partner but Horler (39) and Matt Thompson appeared to have steadied the ship by adding 42 for the second wicket.

The spinners then got to work with Thompson and Elliot Hamilton falling in successive overs, quickly followed by Horler, who was bowled pushing forward to Lewis, and Lawrence Walker Sharland, caught at short leg off Woods.

The slide continued when Charlie Sharland was LBW playing back to Lewis and Ben Beaumont was bowled around his legs sweeping the left-armer.

Calum Haggett and Sam Read then adopted different approaches in an eighth wicket partnership that held up Devon and put Devon in credit.

While Haggett defended doggedly for 26 not out from 109 balls, Read decided attack was the best form of defence with a rapid half-century including six four and two sixes.

Lewis’s tactic of pitching into the rough outside the right-hander’s leg stump was rewarded when Read was also bowled around his legs and when Max Shepherd and Kaz Szymanski soon followed.

Cornwall and Oxfordshire were frustrated by steady drizzle which prevented any play on the final day of their Division One West match at Helston.

Having had a full day’s play on Sunday not a ball was bowled on either of the next two days with heavy rain overnight delaying the scheduled start on the last day and drizzle preventing a planned resumption after lunch.

Defending champions Buckinghamshire began their title defence with a comfortable draw against Lincolnshire at Sleaford in Eastern Division One.

Alexei Kervezee, the former Worcestershire and Netherlands batter, had helped Aadi Sharma to steer Buckinghamshire out of trouble after they were three for three at the start of their second innings.

Kervezee followed Sharma to three figures – his sixth Championship century, and went on to 165, his highest score for Buckinghamshire and one short of equalling his competition best.

Kervezee eventually fell to a return catch to Joe Pocklington having batted for five-and-three-quarter hours and shared a seventh wicket stand of 63 with Cameron Parsons who completed his second half-century of the match.

Buckinghamshire were dismissed for 393 – a lead of 244 – and Lincolnshire were happy to bat out time as they pottered to 106 for three in 39 overs with opener Qundeel Haider finishing unbeaten on 44 from 140 balls and Kervezee pouching two catches off his Halesowen club-mate Ed Bragg to complete a good day’s work.

There was no play in the other Eastern Division One match between Staffordshire and Bedfordshire at Checkley although it was not until after tea that the players and umpires admitted defeat in their battle against the weather.

Worcestershire batter Henry Cullen made his maiden century for Herefordshire in their drawn Western Division Two match against Wiltshire on another truncated day at Corsham.

Cullen’s decision to make his seasonal debut for Herefordshire in a month when Worcestershire have little Second XI cricket was rewarded with a mature innings that helped them reach 324 for nine in their allotted 90 overs.

Cullen struck 12 fours and two sixes in his 181-ball century but fell three balls later when he lofted off-spinner Joe King to long on.

Former Leicestershire all-rounder Nat Bowley finished unbeaten on 41 having helped Cullen add 69 for the seventh wicket.

Wiltshire had a first innings lead of just seven runs which openers James Degg and Dylan Church increased to 35 before rain returned during the lunch interval and the match was abandoned as a draw.

The first result of this season’s Championship came at Peterborough where no play was possible on the final day of Cambridgeshire’s Eastern Division Two match against Hertfordshire.

Heavy overnight rain led to an early abandonment at Bretton Gate with Cambridgeshire taking ten points from the draw and Hertfordshire nine points.

That was quickly followed by another abandonment at the St George’s club in Telford where Shropshire took ten points and Dorset nine from a rain-ravaged draw in Western Division Two.

Rain also washed out the final day at Jesmond where Cumbria were better placed to force victory against hosts Northumberland in a low-scoring Eastern Division Two match.

Durant Cricket National Couties Championship

Final day of three

Eastern Division One

Sleaford: Buckinghamshire 220 (Cameron Parsons 59, Matty Mills 4-57) & 393 (Alexei Kervezee 165, Aadi Sharma 103, Cameron Parson 51, Joe Pocklington 4-75), Lincolnshire 369-8 (Tom Keast 154, Ben Wright 126) & 106-3. Lincolnshire (12pts) drew with Buckinghamshire (8pts).

Checkley: Staffordshire 204 (Tom Moulton 50 not out, Sam Jarvis 6-70) & 133-1 (Matthew Morris 55, Zen Malik 51), Bedfordshire 141 (Rory Haydon 6-22, Liam Hurt 4-54). No play Tuesday – rain. Staffordshire (9pts) drew with Bedfordshire (8pts).

Western Division One

Helston: Oxfordshire 299 (Hayden Rossouw 86, Luke Hayes 61), Cornwall 61-1. No play Tuesday – rain. Cornwall (8pts) drew with Oxfordshire (7pts).

Instow (North Devon CC): Devon 222 (Lawrence Walker 51) & 199 (Sam Read 59, Rhys Lewis 6-58), Berkshire 413-6 dec (Euan Woods 142 not out, Johnny Connell 60, Rhodri Lewis 55, Charlie Dunnett 51, Kaz Szymanski 4-102) & 11-0. Berkshire (24pts) beat Devon (3pts) by ten wickets

Eastern Division Two

Peterborough: Hertfordshire 201 (Ben Clifford 69) & 95-5, Cambridgeshire 258 (Henry Wilson 66, Wayne White 62, Jack Plom 4-56). No play Tuesday – rain. Cambridgeshire (10pts) drew with Hertfordshire (9pts).

 Jesmond: Cumbria 252 (Freddie Fallows 106, Matthew Oswell 6-75) & 109, Northumberland 120 (Ben Walkden 4-24, Sam Sharp 4-28). No play Tuesday – rain. Northumberland (8pts) drew with Cumbria (10pts).

Western Division Two

Oakengates (St George’s CC): Shropshire 327-8 (George Hargrave 93), Dorset 231-5 (Luke Webb 59). No play Tuesday – rain. Shropshire (10pts) drew with Dorset (9pts).

Corsham: Wiltshire 331 (Dylan Church 116, Ed Young 75) & 28-0, Herefordshire 324-9 (Henry Cullen 101 , Nick Hammond 55, Joe King 4-95). Wiltshire (12pts) drew with Herefordshire (11pts).

📸 Conrad Sutcliffe