Durant Cricket NCCA Championship: Week 6 - Review

Staffordshire booked their place in the final of the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship by clinching the Eastern Division One title with a 67 runs win over Buckinghamshire at High Wycombe.

Staffordshire’s win ended Buckinghamshire’s reign as both Eastern Division and national champions and they will now face Berkshire in the four-day final at West Bromwich Dartmouth starting on September 1. The last time the sides met in the Championship was in the 2019 final when Berkshire won a low-scoring thriller by one wicket.

Former Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire slow left-armer Tom Brett was Staffordshire’s matchwinner as he followed up his seven first innings wickets with five more to give him match figures of 12 for 186 as Buckinghamshire were dismissed for 178 on a turning pitch.

Brett was well supported by rookie off-spinner Oliver Tucker who took four for 65 in a Buckinghamshire second innings in which there were just eight overs of seam.

At the start of the day Sam Atkinson stretched Staffordshire’s lead by making a valuable 41 before he was last out with Buckinghamshire slow left-armer Conner Haddow taking four for 57 to finish with nine wickets in the match.

Buckinghamshire’s chase was soon as disarray as they slipped to six for three but Ross Richardson (47) and Danny Chapman (40) kept the hopes of the defending champions flickering until they were snared by the spin twins.

Suffolk secured their First Division status – and relegated Bedfordshire – by beating Lincolnshire by ten wickets at Copdock.

Quendeel Haider’s 84 extended Lincolnshire’s second innings resistance but Josh Cantrell wrapped up the innings with his fifth wicket and Suffolk knocked off the 58 runs they needed for victory without alarm.

Lincolnshire earned sufficient bonus points to take them above Bedfordshire, who sat out the final round of matches, in the table.

Bedfordshire will be replaced by Cambridgeshire, who took the Eastern Division Two title with an 82 runs win over Norfolk at Horsford.

Seamer James Cox followed up his six first innings wickets with seven for 49 in the second to skittle Norfolk for 95.

Cox’s match return of 13 for 130 was a personal best and also Cambridgeshire’s best match return in 13 years.

Cambridgeshire’s win ended the hopes of both Norfolk and Hertfordshire of denying them promotion after an absence of four years.

Hertfordshire did all they could by beating Northumberland by nine wickets at Hertford where former Essex seamer Jack Plom took his first five wicket haul in the competitionto end Northumberland’s stubborn resistance and leave Hertfordshire requiring 44 for victory.

Cheshire suffered relegation from Western Division One after they were unable to force victory against Cornwall at Chester Boughton Hall and Devon beat Oxfordshire by 167 runs at Banbury.

Cheshire lost their grip on the game on Monday evening when Cornwall skipper Paul Smith and Ellis Whiteford added 152 for the last wicket and they never regained control.

Instead of being in a position to enforce the follow-on, Cheshire found themselves with little room for manoeuvre after rain delayed the start of the final day.

Half-centuries from Alex Money and Luke McCoy took Cheshire to 195 for four declared in their second innings but a last day run chase had no appeal for Cornwall who needed only a draw to secure their Division One status.

Openers Karl Leathley and Max Tryfonos shared a partnership of 112 for the first wicket and the loss of three quick wickets proved too little too late for Cheshire.

By that stage Devon, last season’s Western Division champions, had ensured they would not finish bottom as they shot Oxfordshire out for 131 in their second innings.

Off-spinner Sam Read took six for 27 – his maiden five wicket haul - with only Luke Hayes (23), George Tait (26) and Prav Chahal (29) delaying Devon’s victory march.

Herefordshire will replace Cheshire next season as they made certain of a swift return to Division One with a four wickets victory overShropshire at Eastnor.

Shropshire needed only a draw to finish top of the division and it looked like they were on course for it after Peter Clark (94) and Tom Fell (154) extended their second wicket partnership to 208 and deep into the morning session.

But the departure of Clark and Andre Bradford just before lunch opened the door for Herefordshire who produced an outstanding team bowling performance in the afternoon session led by seamer James Rudge’s four for 61.

Former Worcestershire batter Fell departed after a marathon five hour innings when he clipped Rudge to mid-on and only captain Charlie Home (30) resisted for long as Shropshire lost their last seven wickets for 57.

Herefordshire faced a tricky short chase in the final session – 132 in 33 overs, but were given a flying start by a captain’s innings from Matt Pardoe.

He made 53 of the first 68 runs before falling LBW which was followed by the loss of Olly Walker, Ben Chapman-Lilley and Luke Tulacz in quick succession.

But the experienced Nick Hammond calmed any nerves by seeing Herefordshire home with almost five overs to spare, making 35 not out and sharing an unbroken seventh wicket partnership of 30 with Roshan Venkataraman.

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship

Final day of three

Eastern Division One

High Wycombe: Staffordshire 275-8 dec (Reeve Evitts 93, Callum Hawkins 65 not out, Conner Haddow 5-92) & 229, Buckinghamshire 259 (Cameron Parsons 61, Tom Brett 7-112) & 178 (Tom Brett 5-74.) Staffordshire (23pts) beat Buckinghamshire (5pts) by 67 runs.

Copdock: Lincolnshire 326-9 dec (Ben Wright 126, Joe Pocklington 55, Jack Beaumont 4-68) & 162 (Qundeel Haider 84, Josh Cantrell 5-49), Suffolk 438-5 (Jack Beaumont 115, Darren Ironside 94, George Rhodes 94 not out) & 54-0. Suffolk (24pts) beat Lincolnshire (5pts) by 10 wickets.

Western Division One

Chester Boughton Hall: Cheshire 396 (Harry Dearden 188, Dan Newton 57, Will MacVicar 5-72) & 195-4 dec (Alex Money 87, Luke McCoy 75), Cornwall 350 (Paul Smith 133, Michael Finan 4-111) & 149-3 (Karl Leathley 60 not out). Cheshire (12pts) drew with Cornwall (12pts).

Banbury: Devon 402-8 (Sam Elstone 156, Ben Privett 75, Ben Beaumont 73) & 197 (Lawrence Walker 54), Oxfordshire 301 (Max Mannering 96, Tristan Rossouw 56) & 131 (Sam Read 6-27). Devon (24pts) beat Oxfordshire (6pts) by 167 runs.

Eastern Division Two

Hertford: Northumberland 202 (John Oswell 61, Harry Crawshaw 51) & 261 (Harry Crawshaw 92, Jack Plom 5-62), Hertfordshire 419-8 (Dominic Chatfield 189 not out, Andrew Neal 96, Troy Henry 51 not out) & 45-1.Hertfordshire (24pts) beat Northumberland (2pts) by nine wickets.

Horsford: Cambridgeshire 194 (Ben Claydon 54, Brett Stolworthy 5-71) & 178 (Will Routledge 63, Joe Everett 5-30), Norfolk 195 (Sam Arthurton 108, James Cox 6-81, Matt Rees 4-50) & 95 (James Cox 7-49). Cambridgeshire (21pts) beat Norfolk (5pts) by 82 runs.

Western Division Two

Eastnor: Shropshire 178 (Simon Gregory 60) & 179-1 (Tom Fell 154, Peter Clark 94, James Rudge 4-61), Herefordshire 416-9 Luke Tulacz 88 not out, Nick Hammond 87 not out, Ben Chapman-Lilley 51, Henry Cullen 51) & 135-6 (Matt Pardoe 53). Herefordshire (24pts) beat Shropshire (5pts) by six wickets.

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