Mixed Fortunes For National Counties In European T10 Championship

National Counties XI had mixed fortunes on the third day of the Dream XI European T10 Championship’s Championship Week at the Cartama Oval near Malaga.

National Counties produced a superb all-round team performance to beat a previously unbeaten Germany by nine wickets in their opening match of the day but were then beaten by 20 runs by Netherlands, whom they beat in last year’s final, in a high-scoring contest.

Having beaten Spain comfortably in their opening match on Tuesday, National Counties then lost some momentum with three successive abandoned games, including two complete washouts.

But they were quickly back into the winning routine with a brilliant bowling and fielding display that restricted Germany to an inadequate 96 for nine in their first match of the day.

But the task of chasing down a target of 190, which would have been a competition record, proved just beyond National Counties against Netherlands despite belligerent innings from Dorset’s Sam Young (63) Berkshire’s Johnny Connell (49).

Against Germany it was Berkshire’s former Cornwall seamer Tommy Sturgess who led the way with three for 19, with excellent support from the other seamers.

Northumberland’s Seb Allison took three for 41 having bowled both of his two overs in the line of fire in the three-over power play.

Herefordshire paceman Sam Keeling-Wright made his mark in his first match of the tournament by unsettling Germany with his pace and bounce in two rapid overs in which he also claimed the wicket of top-scorer Jamshed Khan, caught behind by captain Dan Lincoln.

At the other end, Berkshire’s former Middlesex seamer Toby Greatwood bamboozled Germany with his clever variations of pace with sharp catching and ground fielding throttling the German innings.

National Counties needed just 34 balls to complete victory with Young making 31 from 12 balls in an opening stand of 54 with Connell.

Connell, who was in outstanding form in all formats in the domestic season, was then joined by Buckinghamshire’s Cam Hemp in an entertaining unbroken second wicket stand of 47 which propelled National Counties to a bonus point win.

Connell finished unbeaten on 40 from just 14 balls with five sixes and a four with Hemp (21 not out from eight balls) clinching victory with his second six.

Against Netherlands National Counties started well with Sturgess and Greatwood helping to restrict the Dutch to 52 for three after four overs.

But things unravelled thereafter as left-hander Shariz Ahmad launched a furious assault on the bowling, plundering 80 not out from 21 balls.

Ahmad, with support from Saqib Zulfiqar, took 60 from the last two overs with Staffordshire paceman Rory Haydon conceding 34 (five sixes and a four) in his last over and Oxfordshire’s contracted Worcestershire slow left-armer Tom Hinley 26 in his only over.

No side had ever successfully chased more than 183 in the four seasons of the competition but, thanks to Young and Connell, National Counties appeared to be well on course as they took 93 from the first four overs.

But Connell picked out backward point having struck seven sixes in his 15 balls and Hinley went first ball, caught behind off Netherlands captain Sebastiaan Braat.

Young, a former Somerset batter, rode his luck having been dropped twice in the deep to reach his half-century from just 16 balls, half of which cleared the rope.

He added another six before his luck ran out and when skipper Dan Lincoln holed out to deep backward square in the penultimate over, the task of scoring 35 from the final over proved beyond Dorset’s David Scott and Staffordshire’s Nils Priestley.

National Counties, who are again representing England in the 32-nation competition, will continue their title defence on Friday with their final group matches against Scotland (12.45pm BST) and a re-match with Netherlands at 5.30pm BST.

Dream 11 European T10 Championship

Cartama Oval, Malaga

Match One: Germany 96-9 (Jamshed Khan 28, Tommy Sturgess 3-17, Seb Allison 3-41, Toby Greatwood 2-7, Sam Keeling-Wright 1-9), National Counties XI 101-1 (Johnny Connell 40 not out, Sam Young 31, Cam Hemp 21 not out). National Counties XI won by nine wickets.

Match Two: Netherlands 189-4 (Shariz Ahmad 80 not out, Sikander Zulfiqar 35, Damien van den Berg 27, Toby Greatwood 2-19), National Counties XI 169-4 (Sam Young 63, Johnny Connell 49). Netherlands won by 20 runs.

📸 Diana Oros & European Cricket Network