Durant National Counties Championship: Week 1 Preview

Northamptonshire left-arm wrist spinner Freddie Heldreich is set to make his Durant Cricket National Counties Championship debut for Suffolk against Staffordshire in their opening Eastern Division One match at Bury St Edmunds on Sunday. 

Heldreich made his debut for Suffolk, his native county, in the National Counties Trophy five years ago but he has yet to appear for them in the three-day competition, which is being generously sponsored by Durant Cricket for the first time this season. 

He joined Northamptonshire two years ago and has been a regular in their Vitality Blast side but is not required by them for their County Championship match against Middlesex and he has now been included in Suffolk’s squad. 

Alex Cruickshank and Tom Harper, who have helped Suffolk reach the semi-finals of this season’s National Counties Trophy, are also potential Championship debutants with coach Andy Northcote pressed into service as wicketkeeper as Jacob Marston is on holiday. 

Staffordshire’s new-look squad includes seven players who will make their three-day debuts for them. 

Captain James Kettleborough and slow left-armer Tom Brett have plenty of previous experience in this format with Bedfordshire but Callum Hawkins, Sam Atkinson, Rory Haydon, Liam Hurt and Nils Priestley have only appeared in white ball cricket. 

Newly-promoted Buckinghamshire face Norfolk at Tring in their first match in the top flight with Buckingham Town all-rounder Jake Tarling set for his debut. 

Slow left-armer Teddy Fleming, who made his county debut in the Trophy recently, will have his first taste of three-day cricket with High Wycombe seamer Cameron Parsons returning. 

Norfolk include former Leicestershire batter/wicketkeeper Tom New, their red ball professional, for the first time this season and batter Hudson de Lucchi will make his first appearance in two years. 

Defending champions Berkshire begin their quest to win the Championship for the sixth time in seven seasons against promoted Devon at the Falkland club in Newbury in Western Division One. 

Imran Malik, a Championship regular last season, makes his first appearance of the season for Berkshire and Billy Mead his three-day debut having impressed in the Trophy quarter-final victory over Dorset last weekend. 

Devon give a debut to Fin Hill, a batter/off-spinner from Somerset’s Academy, with Jack Moore and Will Christophers making their first Championship appearances. 

Herefordshire host Oxfordshire, the 2021 champions, at Eastnor where Old Hill all-rounder Sam Keeling-Wright will make his debut and Callum Bennett his first Championship appearance. 

All-rounder Olly Rogoff is back in the three-day side for the first time in four years and batter Jujhar Johal after a two-year absence. 

Gloucestershire all-rounder Jared Warner makes his Championship debut for Oxfordshire along with Tom Powell with wicketkeeper Callum Russell making his first appearance of the season in place of Jonny Cater, who has retired from three-day cricket. 

Dorset, who were relegated last season, begin life in Western Division Two with a trip to Truro to face Cornwall. 

Off-spinner Jon Legg will make his first county appearance in five years for Dorset and Ed Bartlett his first in four years with Jo Huns set for his seasonal debut. 

Kent all-rounder Alex Blake has been called up by Cornwall for his National Counties debut along with Camborne wicketkeeper Liam Weeks and Wadebridge spinner Matthew Lawrence. 

Helston batter Karl Leathley comes into the side for his first appearance of the season. 

Wales NC face Shropshire at the Brymbo club in Wrexham for the first Championship match played there since 1935 when Denbighshire were the host county. 

North Walians Will Ryan (St Asaph) and Harrison Jones (Denbigh) are among four Championship debutants for Wales along with Jack Harding and Tim Moses. 

Cameron Herring, who captains the side, and player/coach Brad Wadlan add experience to a side missing the unavailable Will Smale and Sam Pearce and the injured Connor Brown. 

All-rounder Tim Maxfield, who has seven Championship centuries to his name, will make his debut for Shropshire having switched from Staffordshire. 

Leg-spinner Sam Whitney, who captained Shropshire’s Championship side last season, comes in for his first appearance of the season with Shrewsbury all-rounder Peter Clark set for his three-day debut. 

Bedfordshire, back in Eastern Division Two after a season in Division One, head to Furness to play Cumbria. 

Bedfordshire include contracted Northamptonshire pair Gus Miller and Harry Gouldstone in a 13-man squad. 

Former Bedford School student Gouldstone, the son of former Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire and Hertfordshire batter, Mark will make his National Counties debut. 

Former Kent, Essex and Hampshire all-rounder Matt Coles having recovered from a hand injury and Danyaal Khalid, who made his Bedfordshire debut in a Trophy match against Cornwall three weeks ago, is set for his three-day debut. 

Batters Ben Davidson and JJ Fielding both feature for Cumbria for the first time this season. 

Tynemouth seamer Andrew Jones will make his Northumberland debut on his home ground against Cambridgeshire. 

Jones, who has played for Durham UCCE as well as Second XI cricket for Yorkshire and Leicestershire, is joined by two Championship debutants in Durham all-rounder Luke Doneathy and slow left-armer Jude Roberts. 

Cambridgeshire have included three debutants in their squad in batter Dan Andrew, Saffron Walden seamer Ashleigh Cox and George Gowler, a homegrown seamer who is contracted to Northamptonshire. 

Andrew’s Wollaton club-mate Zain Latif makes his seasonal debut with Sawston & Babraham batter Callum McLean recalled for the first time in two years. 

Durant Cricket National Counties Championship 

July 9-11 (11am) 

Eastern Division One 

Tring: Buckinghamshire v Norfolk, Bury St Edmunds: Suffolk v Staffordshire 

Western Division One 

Falkland CC: Berkshire v Devon, Eastnor: Herefordshire v Oxfordshire. 

Eastern Division Two 

Furness: Cumbria v Bedfordshire, Tynemouth: Northumberland v Cambridgeshire 

Western Division Two 

Truro: Cornwall v Dorset, Brymbo: Wales NC v Shropshire