National Counties T20 Week Three Preview

Haydon Mustard will become the latest Durham prospect to gain valuable senior experience with Northumberland when he makes his debut in their National Counties T20 double-header against Cumbria at Barrow on Sunday.

The 16-year-old is a wicketkeeper/batter, as was his father Phil, and is following a path that has been trodden by the likes of Steve Harmison, Matty Potts, Ben Raine and Chris Rushworth.

Northumberland have close links with their first-class neighbours and have helped the development of many of their players by exposing them to senior county cricket at an early stage.

Mustard Jnr has progressed through Northumberland’s age group teams onto the Academy at Chester-le-Street and is set to make his senior debut for them just four years after his father last played for Northumberland after an illustrious career that spanned 15 seasons with Durham, two with Gloucestershire and 12 caps for England in white ball cricket.

After a double washout against Cheshire two weeks ago, Northumberland belatedly got their season underway with a win and loss against Staffordshire at South Northumberland in Group One last Sunday.

Northumberland can again call on all-rounder Luke Doneathy on Sunday but his Durham team-mate George Drissell is not available this weekend.

There are two rounds of double-headers scheduled for the weekend – eight on both Sunday and Monday – and counties will be hoping for a significant improvement in the weather over the Bank Holiday period.

Although this is the third weekend of the season five counties – Cheshire, Cumbria, Norfolk, Shropshire and Wales NC – have yet to bowl a ball in anger.

Cheshire have been the worst affected with their games against Shropshire at Shifnal last week and both also abandoned on the day.

They will hope it is third time lucky on Monday when Staffordshire visit Nantwich where Nottinghamshire off-spinner Matt Carter and Sale wicketkeeper Pat Ashling will finally hope to make their debuts.

Staffordshire have included former Warwickshire and England Under-19s batsman Liam Banks in their squad for Monday and will give debuts to former Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire slow left-armer Tom Brett and Moddershall & Oulton wicketkeeper Callum Hawkins against Shropshire at Leek on Sunday.

Shropshire give a competition debut to Shrewsbury and Worcestershire Academy seamer Harry Darley at Leek. Darley, who played in the Showcase fixture against Derbyshire last summer, comes in for Worcestershire staff man Mitchell Stanley who is unavailable on Sunday.

But Stanley returns for Monday’s double-headers against Cumbria at Wem on Sunday when batsman Andre Bradford will make his seasonal debut and Barnt Green and former Somerset seamer Andy Sutton his first appearance for Shropshire having previously played for Herefordshire and Wiltshire.

Cumbria welcome back captain Michael Slack from injury and also have experienced former Durham batter Gary Pratt available for both of their double-headers.

Group Two leaders Dorset, who won their first three matches before rain washed out the fourth against Devon, host Cornwall at Milton Abbey School – a new county venue – on Sunday and then make the short trip to Warminster to face Wiltshire on Monday.

Dorset give a T20 debut to Ben Chaffey, last season’s county Under-18s captain and have home-produced Hampshire all-rounder Tom Prest available for the first time this season. Hampshire all-rounder Ross Whiteley is again available to Dorset this weekend.

Cornwall began their season with a double over Wiltshire last Sunday and also face a busy weekend with Herefordshire the visitors to Werrington on Monday.

Devon, with a defeat and three washouts from their first four games, face Herefordshire at Sandford on Sunday with Taunton St Andrews spinner Will Christophers called up to replace the unavailable Seb Ansley.

Herefordshire have included debutant Barnards Green’s Ollie Halion, a former Worcestershire Academy all-rounder, in the squad for both days with Ben Chapman-Lilley replacing the unavailable Charlie Williams. Northamptonshire leg-spinner Alex Russell, who played in the double defeat by Dorset two weeks ago, is unavailable this weekend so Zak Abbas comes into the squad.

Group Three has been particularly badly blighted by rain with five of the scheduled eight matches so far failing to produce a result.

But Hertfordshire beat the weather and Lincolnshire twice last Sunday to go clear at the top, two points clear of Cambridgeshire who did manage to get onto the field – albeit briefly – against Suffolk.

Hertfordshire travel to Horsford to face Norfolk in their only double-header of the weekend on Sunday with Chinmay Mullapudi, a Watford-born left-arm pace bowler who has played Second XI cricket for Middlesex, in line for a National Counties debut.

Batter Reece Hussain, who captained Hertfordshire when they won the T20 title four years ago, makes his seasonal bow.

Norfolk give a debut to former Northamptonshire batter Ben Curran, their new white ball professional, against Hertfordshire with batter Alfie Cooper added to the squad for Monday’s games against Suffolk at Ipswich School.

Suffolk will be captained by Alex Oxley against Lincolnshire at Woodhall Spa on Sunday with Mildenhall wicketkeeper Connor Cobbold making his debut. Adam Mansfield, Jacob Marston and Ben Parker all return to the squad against Norfolk.

Lincolnshire have included seamer George Drewery in their squad for a possible debut against Suffolk and also for Monday’s games against Cambridgeshire at March.

Lindum batter Will Wright is also in the squad for both days with Tom Keast being replaced by his brother Nic on Monday.

Cambridgeshire have added seamer Mark Smith and batter Noah Thain to their squad for the double-header at March.

After a double washout against Berkshire two weeks ago Wales NC will hope to see some Group Four action when they hostBuckinghamshire at Lisvane on Sunday before travelling to Ampthill to face Bedfordshire on Monday.

Wales have four of their contracted Glamorgan players – Tom Bevan, Ben Morris, Prem Sisodiya and Ben Kellaway – available to face Buckinghamshire but not for Monday.

Photo of Tom Bevan - Credit: SportsShots

Cardiff UCCE and former Ireland Under-19 wicketkeeper/batter Will Smale – whose only previous appearance for Wales came in 2018 - has been included in the squads for both days. 

Glamorgan seamer Ruaridh Smith, who last played for Wales in 2016, England Under-19 and ex-Somerset left-arm seamer Jack Harding and Cameron Hemp, son of former Glamorgan captain David, are also in both squads. 

Buckinghamshire have called up Alex Woodland and Jack Rodnight for their seasonal debuts in place of the unavailable Northamptonshire pair Saif Zaib and Aadi Sharma. 

Berkshire took the opportunity to go top of the group with a double over Buckinghamshire last weekend and are again able to include a strong contingent of county players in a 15-man squad for Bedfordshire’s visit to Wargrave on Sunday and Monday’s double-header against defending champions Oxfordshire at Thame. 

Seamer Toby Greatwood is set for his first appearance for Berkshire in two years with his Middlesex team-mate Jack Davies, Hampshire all-rounder Toby Albert and Leicestershire’s Tom Scriven again available. 

Bedfordshire welcome back captain Ed Ballard in place of Worcestershire’s Kashif Ali for both their weekend double-headers. 

Oxfordshire, who have won two and lost two in a stuttering start to their title defence, have called up off-spinner Max Mannering in place of Joe Thomas in the one change to their squad which again includes Nottinghamshire and England all-rounder Samit Patel. 

National Counties T20 

Sunday April 30 (11am and 2.30pm) 

Group One 

Barrow: Cumbria v Northumberland, Leek: Staffordshire v Shropshire 

Group Two 

Sandford: Devon v Herefordshire, Milton Abbey School: Dorset v Cornwall. 

Group Three 

Woodhall Spa: Lincolnshire v Suffolk, Horsford: Norfolk v Hertfordshire. 

Group Four 

Wargrave: Berkshire v Bedfordshire, Lisvane: Wales NC v Buckinghamshire 

Monday May 1 (11am and 2.30pm) 

Group One 

Nantwich: Cheshire v Staffordshire, Wem: Shropshire v Cumbria 

Group Two 

Werrington: Cornwall v Herefordshire, Warminster: Wiltshire v Dorset. 

Group Three 

March: Cambridgeshire v Lincolnshire, Ipswich School: Suffolk v Norfolk 

Group Four 

Ampthill: Bedfordshire v Wales NC, Thame: Oxfordshire v Berkshire.