NATIONAL COUNTIES ONE DAY TROPHY - SEMI FINALS

Berkshire and Cumbria will meet in the final of the National Counties Trophy for the third successive season following comfortable victories over Dorset and Oxfordshire in today’s semi-finals. 

Defending champions Berkshire, who are aiming for a hat-trick of Trophy titles to go with the ones they won in 2019 and 2021 – the competition was not played in 2020 owing to COVID-19 – beat Dorset by 88 runs at Finchampstead. 

Cumbria, who last won the Trophy ten years ago, beat Oxfordshire by four wickets at Great & Little Tew and will now make the familiar trip to Wormsley on Sunday August 28 hoping it will be third time lucky following defeats by Berkshire by one run in the 2019 final and 151 runs 12 months ago. 

Berkshire were indebted to captain Dan Lincoln for batting them out of trouble at Finchampstead where they were wobbling at 30 for three when he came to the crease. 

Lincoln struck four sixes and five fours in his 85-ball 73 which, with support from Rhodri Lewis (22) then Andy Rishton (22) ensured Berkshire would have a competitive total to defend. 

Jafer Chohan weighed in with a breezy 22 at the end of the innings before he became a third wicket for seamer Ben Ladd-Gibbon who was playing his first match in the competition since May 2013. 

On a dry, turning pitch Berkshire spin-heavy attack dominated with only three of the 39 overs bowled in Dorset’s innings being delivered by seamer Rishton. 

From a promising 107 for four, Dorset lost their last six wickets for 24 in ten overs with the departure of former Somerset batter Sam Young for 38 triggering the collapse. 

All ten wickets fell to spin with slow left-armer Lewis finishing with a competition-best four for 36 and off-spinner Euan Woods three for 18 in six overs. 

Lancashire Academy batter JJ Fielding played the decisive innings for Cumbria at Great & Little Tew where his 71 took them to within 30 of their victory target of 213. 

Fielding struck 11 fours and two sixes his 79-ball innings before he was fourth out, stumped off the bowling of off-spinner Max Mannering. 

Cumbria lost two more wickets before Luke Grey struck the winning boundary to secure their place in the final with 17 balls to spare. 

Oxfordshire needed someone to anchor their innings as Fielding did Cumbria’s after they won the toss and made staccato progress to 212 for nine. 

Seven batters made double figures, three topped 30 yet no-one reached 40 with a seventh wicket partnership of 50 between Ollie Clarke, who top-scored with 36, and Gloucestershire all-rounder Luke Charlesworth (34) proving the biggest of the innings. 

Four bowlers took two wickets each in an solid team effort from Cumbria with Matt Siddall, who has taken 35 wickets in three National Counties Championship matches, transferring that form to whit ball cricket by two for 21 in ten tight overs which also included three maidens. 

Sam Dutton ensured Cumbria made a solid start to their chase with 44 before Fielding played a composed match-winning innings which included a fourth wicket partnership of 77 with his Lancashire Academy team-mate Ben Walkden (37).  

National Counties Trophy 

Semi-finals 

Finchampstead: Berkshire 219 (Dan Lincoln 73), Dorset 131 (Rhodri Lewis 4-36). Berkshire won by 88  runs 

Great & Little Tew CC: Oxfordshire 212-9, Cumbria 213-6 (JJ Fielding 71 ). Cumbria won by four wickets