NATIONAL COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIP- WEEK 3- DAY THREE REVIEW

Cumbria slow left-armer Matt Siddall took 14 wickets in the match but it was not enough to save them from a 74 runs defeat by Buckinghamshire in their National Counties Eastern Division Two match at Chesham.

Siddall took six for 120 in Buckinghamshire’s second innings to finish with match figures of 14 for 208, which may be a Cumbria record.

Pace bowler David Halliwell is credited with taking 14 for 92 against Suffolk at Carlisle in 1986 although it may well be that he was erroneously credited with a second innings wicket and that his match figures should be 13 for 92. Cumbria are attempting to provide a definitive answer.

What is certain is that Siddall now has 35 wickets in three Championship matches this season and he has taken at least five wickets in each of the six innings, a record by a Cumbria bowler in a Championship season.

But his outstanding individual effort went unrewarded as Ross Richardson and Conner Haddow, with his maiden half century, had extended Buckinghamshire’s resistance in the morning session.

A target of 281 in the fourth innings was always likely to be challenging and so it proved as seamer Ed Bragg claimed a maiden five wicket haul in only his second Championship match.

Cumbria were 95 for six before captain  Michael Slack and Finlay Richardson held up Buckinghamshire’s with a seventh wicket partnership of 81.

But Richardson fell to the off-spin of Haddow who also snared Siddall then Brodie Glendinning to secure victory.

Cambridgeshire did not take long to wrap up a nine wickets victory in the other Eastern Division Two match against Northumberland at Peterborough.

Northumberland’s last two wickets resisted for long enough to avoid an innings defeat but Cambridgeshire needed only 21 to complete an easy win.

Oxfordshire also won by nine wickets against Oxfordshire in Western Division One at Finchampstead.

An unbeaten 46 from Andy Rishton ensured that Berkshire reached a target of 85 with ease to avenge a defeat at Thame last season which cost them the chance to win a record fifth successive title.

Cheshire opener Ali Chughtai made a century on debut but still finished on the losing side as Worcestershire Academy batter Henry Cullen guided Herefordshire to a four wickets win - their first of the season in the Championship - at Brockhampton.

Chughtai made 129 from 246 balls and he shared a seventh wicket partnership of 132 with Nick Anderson.

But Herefordshire were calm and organised in their chase with Ben Chapman-Lilley (51) and Matt Pardoe (40) laying the foundations and Cullen finishing the job with 73 not out from 113 balls.

Cornwall opened their account in Western Division Two with a thrilling one wicket win over Shropshire at St Austell.

A brilliant 111 from 74 balls from Christian Purchase wrested control from Shropshire.

Cornwall were 85 for six before Purchase was joined by Dan Lello in a match-changing seventh wicket stand of 104.

Purchase struck 12 fours and six sixes but Cornwall were still 25 short of their target of 271 when he was ninth out, caught behind off Ben Roberts.

Cornwall were not finished and their last wicket pair of Tom Dinnis (17 not out) and Ellis Whiteford (7 not out) got them to their target in 22 balls.

Wales NC beat Wiltshire by four wickets with a perfectly-paced run chase at Panteg.

Connor Brown and Greg Smith led the way with a second wicket stand of 127 but it was Sam Pearce who provided the acceleration with 79 not out from just 46 balls with seven sixes and five fours.

Earlier Ed Young (48) and Cameron Harding (44 not out) had also scored freely before Wiltshire declared.

Staffordshire suffered their first abandonment in a home Championship match in ten years after rain again washed out play against Norfolk at Leek.

The match had already been reduced to a one innings contest but the sides were happy to take eight points each from a soggy draw which leaves Lincolnshire 13 points clear at the top of the Eastern Division One table.

National Counties Championship  

Final day of three 

Eastern Division One 

Leek: Staffordshire v Norfolk. Match abandoned. Staffordshire (8pts), Norfolk (8pts).  

Western Division One 

Finchampstead: Oxfordshire173 (Jonny Cater 77) & 185 (Euan Woods 6-57), Berkshire 274 (Dan Lincoln 121, Imran Malik 55, Max Mannering 6-118) & 85-1. Berkshire (22pts) beat Oxfordshire (4pts) by nine wickets.

Brockhampton: Cheshire238 (Rob Sehmi 88) & 282 (Ali Chughtai 129, Nick Anderson 65), Herefordshire 257 (Matt Pardoe 61, Henry Cullen 61) & 264-6 (Henry Cullen 73 not out, Ben Chapman-Lilley 51). Herefordshire (22pts) beat Cheshire (6pts) by four wickets.  

Eastern Division Two 

Chesham: Buckinghamshire237 (Alex Woodland 121, Matt Siddall 8-88) & 351 (Ross Richardson 62, Teddie Casterton 55, Conner Haddow 55 not out, Alexei Kervezee 50, Matt Siddall 6-120), Cumbria 308 (Sam Dutton 167, Finlay Richardson 76, Cameron Parsons 5-70) & 206 (Michael Slack 51, Ed Bragg 5-59). Buckinghamshire (22pts) beat Cumbria (7pts) by 74 runs.

Peterborough: Northumberland164 (Stuart Poynter 62) & 289 (John Oswell 72, Jack Jessop 54), Cambridgeshire433-8 (Wayne White 173, Callum Guest 92, Lee Thomason 50) & 22-1. Cambridgeshire (24pts) beat Northumberland (3pts) by nine wickets.

Western Division Two 

St Austell: Shropshire 286-7 dec (Graham Wagg 143) & 209 (Graham Wagg 63, Joe Stanley 58), Cornwall225 (Christian Purchase 67, Ben Ellis 56) & 271-9 (Christian Purchase 111). Cornwall (21pts) beat Shropshire (7pts) by one wicket.

Panteg: Wiltshire362-5 (Ed Young 102, Jake Goodwin 100 not out) & 208-9 dec, Wales NC284 (Brad Wadlan 77, Jake Lintott 6-67) & 287-6 (Connor Brown 87, Sam Pearce 79 not out, Greg Smith 71). Wales NC (21pts) beat Wiltshire (8pts) by four wickets.