National Counties Trophy Final: Cumbria vs Berkshire - Preview

Berkshire have included Middlesex pair Jack Davies and Toby Greatwood in their squad for Sunday’s National Counties Trophy final against Cumbria at Wormsley (11am). 

Davies helped Berkshire win the Trophy for a third successive season last year but his commitments with Middlesex have restricted him to just two appearances for his native county this year. 

The first of those came in the T20 semi-final defeat by Staffordshire at Finals Day at Tring in May and the second in the Trophy semi-final victory over Wiltshire at Salisbury where he steered them home with an unbeaten half-century. 

Although Davies played in all eight of Middlesex’s Metro Bank One Day Cup matches and in their two most recent LV= County Championship games, they have no cricket this weekend and so he has been released to play for Berkshire. 

Greatwood, who is being released by Middlesex at the end of the season, has been a regular in Berkshire’s side in recent weeks, playing in all four of their Durant Cricket National Counties Championship matches and also the Trophy semi-final – his first appearance in the competition. 

Toby Albert (Hampshire) and Tom Scriven (Leicestershire) are both required for Metro Bank Cup matches and leg-spinner Jafer Chohan is still involved in The Hundred. 

But left-handed batter Savin Perera returns from a period trialling with Nottinghamshire having missed last year’s final because of a hand injury. 

Berkshire’s 13-man squad includes nine survivors from last season’s final while Cumbria’s side shows four changes. 

Freddie Fallows, Ed Moulton, Drew Postlethwaite and Sam Sharp come into the side with Sharps replacing experienced seamer Chris Wright who is required by Leicestershire for their Metro Bank Cup semi-final on Tuesday. 

Marcus Stables misses out because of injury and JJ Fielding will find himself in opposition to Berkshire slow left-armer Rhodri Lewis having been team-mates for Glamorgan’s Second XI against Northamptonshire earlier in the week. 

Berkshire have won all seven of their previous Trophy finals and will be attempting to maintain their record of having won at least one piece of silverware in each of the last seven seasons – no competitive cricket was played in 2020 due to Covid. 

Berkshire: Dan Lincoln (captain), Savin Perera, Johnny Connell, Euan Woods, Jack Davies, Archie Carter, Andy Rishton, Rhodri Lewis, Toby Greatwood, Tom Nugent, Luke Beaven, Charlie Dunnett, Adam Searle. 

Cumbria: Michael Slack (captain), Freddie Fallows, Sam Dutton, Ben Walkden, JJ Fielding, Matthew Sempill, Ed Moulton, Nico Watt, Drew Postlethwaite, Sam Sharp, Matthew Siddall. 

The Road to Wormsley 

Berkshire 

Group 2

May 29: Lost to Hertfordshire at Henley by 85 runs

June 4: Beat Devon at Exeter by six wickets

June 11: No result v Cornwall at Slough

June 25: Beat Bedfordshire at Southill Park by five wickets 

Quarter-final

July 2: Beat Dorset at Wimborne by seven wickets 

Semi-final

July 16: Beat Wiltshire at South Wilts CC by six wickets 

Cumbria 

Group 1

May 29: Beat Herefordshire at Brockhampton by one wicket

June 4: Beat Oxfordshire at Kendal by six wickets

June 11: Beat Northumberland at Allendale by 74 runs

Jun 25: Beat Lincolnshire at Keswick by nine wickets 

Quarter-final

July 2: Beat Cheshire at Keswick by 14 runs 

Semi-final

July 16: Beat Suffolk at Sudbury by four wickets 

Previous Trophy final appearances 

Berkshire

2004: Beat Northumberland by seven wickets at Lord’s

2011: Beat Hertfordshire by six wickets at Lord’s

2013: Beat Shropshire by 128 runs at Wormsley

2017: Beat Lincolnshire by five wickets at Wormsley

2019: Beat Cumberland by one run at Wormsley

2021: Beat Cumbria by 151 runs at Wormsley

2022: Beat Cumbria by five wickets at Wormsley 

Cumbria

1989: Beat Hertfordshire by nine wickets at Lord’s

1999: Lost to Bedfordshire by eight wickets at Lord’s

2012: Beat Wiltshire by seven wickets at Wormsley

2019: Lost to Berkshire by one run at Wormsley

2021: Lost to Berkshire by 151 runs at Wormsley

2022: Lost to Berkshire by five wickets at Wormsley