Durant Cricket NCCA Championship: Week 2 - Preview

Former Leicestershire batter Harry Dearden will make his first Durant Cricket National Counties Championship appearance for Cheshire in eight years in Sunday’s Western Division One match against Oxfordshire at Thame.

Dearden’s previous two appearances in the competition came in the 2016 season, two years before he joined Leicestershire’s staff and went on to enjoy a six-season career at Grace Road.

He returned to Cheshire two years ago and, having previously captained their 50 overs team, he has now also been appointed skipper of their Championship side.

Dearden will make his red ball captaincy debut at Thame with David Wainwright, the former Yorkshire and Derbyshire slow left-armer, taking charge as coach in the format after five seasons as Cheshire’s professional.

Cheshire’s side includes three debutants in Didsbury batter Tom Hafil, Littleborough batter Zac Perren and Moorside all-rounder Seb Botes.

Perren is the son of former Queensland batter Clinton who played twice for Cheshire in List A cricket between 2003 and 2004.

Oxfordshire give a debut to Kenilworth Wardens and former Harrogate and Castleford wicketkeeper Eitan Litvin.

All-rounder Tom Hinley, who has been trialling with Worcestershire, and seamer Prav Chahal also return having missed the rain-ruined draw against Cornwall at Helston.

Berkshire, the only side to win in the opening round of matches, face Cornwall at Wargrave but will do so without seamer Tommy Sturgess who has been ruled out of another meeting with his former county by illness.

Adam Searle is also absent as he is attending his graduation ceremony in Cardiff so off-spinner Yash Lakhani will make his Championship debut.

Archie Carter, who missed the victory over Devon at Instow, has recovered from injury and replaces Sturgess.

Cornwall are able to call on the services of Gloucestershire batter Joe Phillips for the first time this season. It will be Phillips’ first appearance for his native county since last year’s National Counties T20 final and his first in the Championship in two years.

St Austell seamer Adam Snowdon is recalled with Billy Taylor and Alfie MacDonald dropping out of the side that drew with Oxfordshire.

Defending champions Buckinghamshire have added wicketkeeper Ross Richardson to the side that drew with Lincolnshire for their Eastern Division One match against Suffolk at Tring.

Richardson was a late withdrawal at Sleaford last weekend which meant that Alexei Kervezee had to fill-in behind the stumps for the three days.

Suffolk have called up seamer Matt Wareing for his seasonal debut in place of Alex Maynard in the only change to the side beaten by Cambridgeshire in their Trophy quarter-final two weeks ago.

Bedfordshire captain George Thurstance returns to lead the side against Lincolnshire at Dunstable.

Thurstance missed the draw with Staffordshire at Checkley but is one of four changes to the squad this weekend.

Former Leicestershire seamer Alex Evans returns along with slow left-armer Archie Houghton with all-rounder Rohan Mehmi, another Bradford/Leeds UCCE player, a possible debutant.

Lincolnshire have experienced former Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Surrey left-arm quick Mark Footitt back in their side after he missed the draw with Buckinghamshire through injury.

Lindum’s Pranav Pothula is also included in a 12-man squad and will make his first appearance of the season if he plays.

Dorset have Hampshire batter Felix Organ available for their local derby against Wiltshire at Wimborne in Western Division Two.

Organ and Joe Eckland are not required by Hampshire so are included in Dorset’s squad along with two potential debutants, Parley batter Kieran Laird and Burridge seamer Oliver Southon.

All-rounder Charlie Gwynn, whose last Dorset appearance came two years ago, is also recalled.

Former Worcestershire batter Taylor Cornall will make his Championship debut for Herefordshire against Wales NC at Eastnor.

Cornall, who is now playing for Bradford League club Methley, has impressed in white ball cricket for Herefordshire this season and will now have his first taste of three-day cricket with them.

Worcestershire batter Henry Cullen, who made a century in the rain-ruined draw against Wiltshire, is again available and there is a debut for Barnards Green spinner Ben Clarke.

Luke Tulacz and Ollie Hallion, who have appeared in white ball cricket, will make their Championship debuts.

Herefordshire will face a familiar face in leg-spinner Alex Russell who performances for them between 2018 and 2022 helped him to secure his first professional contract with Northamptonshire.

Newport-born Russell played for Herefordshire as recently as last season but made his debut Wales in the National Counties Trophy last month and has again been made available by Northamptonshire in a month when there is little Second XI cricket.

Oxford UCCE pace bowler Will Moore will make his Wales debut and experienced seamer Richard Edwards, who has retired from white ball cricket, will make his first appearance of the season.

Norfolk, relegated from Eastern Division One for the first time last season, begin life in Division Two against Hertfordshire at Bishop’s Stortford.

Great Witchingham batter Drew Beazleigh has been called up for his county debut with brothers Joe and Jordan Everett, wicketkeeper Charlie Hood and Arthur Wilcox all Championship debutants.

Left-arm seamer Alex Gosling will make his first appearance of the season for Hertfordshire and there is a Championship debut for Callum Lloyd of Potters Bar. Lloyd’s only other county appearance came in a Trophy match against Cheshire last month when the match was abandoned after just two balls and before he had the chance to set foot on the field.

Carlisle off-spinner Josh Stirling is set for his first Championship appearance in two years forCumbria against Cambridgeshire at Kendal.

Stirling’s last appearance in the competition – also his debut – came against Cambridgeshire at Furness two years ago.

Workington wicketkeeper Sam Bates will also make his three-day debut having made his county bow in a Trophy match last month.

Cambridgeshire, who drew with Hertfordshire in their opener, have former Leicestershire slow left-armer James Sykes available this weekend along with Dan Andrew and Jack Loveday. Sawston & Babraham batter Yousuf Choudhary is called up for his seasonal debut.

National Counties Championship

July 14-16 (11am)

Eastern Division One

Dunstable: Bedfordshire v Lincolnshire. Tring: Buckinghamshire v Suffolk.

Western Division One

Wargrave: Berkshire v Cornwall. Thame: Oxfordshire v Cheshire.

Eastern Division Two

Kendal: Cumbria v Cambridgeshire. Bishop’s Stortford: Hertfordshire v Norfolk.

Western Division Two

Wimborne: Dorset v Wiltshire. Eastnor: Herefordshire v Wales NC.

📸 Bob Shaw Photography