NATIONAL COUNTIES TROPHY REVIEW - WEEK 5

Wales NC reached the quarter-finals of the National Counties Trophy despite being beaten by six wickets by Dorset in their final Group Four match at Wimborne. 

Wales’ early defeat meant that they faced an anxious wait for the outcome of the Buckinghamshire v Staffordshire match at Gerrards Cross, knowing that they would be level on points with the winner and net run rate would determine who went through with Dorset. 

Buckinghamshire got home by three wickets but could not reach their target of 188 quickly enough to improve their run rate and deny Wales a place in the quarter-finals. 

Chris Marrow (53) and Conrad Louth shared a third wicket partnership of 70 for Buckinghamshire but it was Ross Richardson, with 35 not out from 77 balls, who got them over the line. 

Dorset won with more than ten overs to spare at Wimborne where left-arm seamer Brad Currie claimed competition-best figures of five for 28. 

Former Glamorgan all-rounder Connor Brown held together the Wales innings but David Scott and Alex Eckland saw Dorset home with an unbroken fifth wicket partnership of 99. 

Suffolk claimed second place behind Group Three winners Cambridgeshire with a comfortable 66 runs win over Cheshire in a shoot-out for the quarter-finals at Didsbury. 

Ben Claydon’s 127, his maiden Trophy century, was the centrepiece of Suffolk’s 304 all out but there were solid supporting innings from Alex Oxley and Ben Parker. 

Captain Rob Sehmi led the chase with 73 from 64 balls but Cheshire faded after he was run out and with it went their quarter-final hopes. 

Shropshire ended a disappointing Trophy campaign with an eight wickets mauling by Norfolk at Manor Park where they were dismissed for 96. 

It was the second time in the three matches in which they batted that Shropshire failed to reach three figures with their last eight wickets going down for 43 in their latest collapse. 

Seamer Callum Metcalf took Trophy-best figures of four for 26 before Norfolk knocked off the runs with 29 overs to spare. 

Oxfordshire won Group One to secure home advantage in the quarter-finals after they edged out Lincolnshire by one run in a thriller at Aston Rowant. 

Oxfordshire required resilience with bat and ball, first after George Tait with a maiden Trophy half-century rescued them from 129 for eight. 

Tait and Ollie Currill added 45 for the ninth wicket with Prav Chahal and Max Mannering adding a further 36 runs for the last wicket. 

Lincolnshire were favourites when Tom Keast and Ben Wright added 93 for the fourth wicket but after Keast was bowled by Mannering for 64, Wright was left to supervise the chase on his own. 

He almost got Lincolnshire home but was last man out off the second ball of the final over for a 96-ball 61. 

Cumbria secured their quarter-final place earlier in the day after their match against Northumberland at Keswick was washed out. 

Northumberland then needed Lincolnshire to do them by beating Oxfordshire and with a sufficient net run rate swing to sneak into the last eight. 

Holders Berkshire and Devon progressed from Group Two with wins over Hertfordshire and Cornwall respectively. 

Devon won a match of fluctuating fortunes at Sidmouth by 20 runs which enabled them to pip their rivals from across the Tamar to second place in the group on superior run rate. 

Half centuries from Matt Thompson, Calum Haggett and Somerset staffman Ned Leonard gave Devon the initiative but it was Dan Goodey who struck what proved to be the decisive blows in the penultimate over of their innings. 

Goodey struck seamer Ben Ellis for four sixes in an over that cost 32 which boosted Devon to 290 for nine. 

Devon appeared on course for a more comfortable win when they reduced Cornwall to 189 for seven but Max Tryfonos led the counter-attack with four sixes of his own in a 76-ball 93. 

A century was in sight for Tryfonos until he was run out by an underarm throw from wicketkeeper Thompson after he set off for a single and was sent back. 

Berkshire captain Dan Lincoln steered his side to a six wickets win at North Mymms with an unbeaten half century. 

Charlie Scott’s county-best 45 helped Hertfordshire to 184 for eight but Berkshire made light work of their target, easing home with almost half of their overs unused. 

National Counties Trophy 

Group One 

Keswick: Cumbria v Northumberland. Abandoned. 

Aston Rowant: Oxfordshire 211 (George Tait 53, Curtis Free 4-41), Lincolnshire 210 (Tom Keast 64, Ben Wright 61). Oxfordshire won by one run. 

Group Two 

Sidmouth: Devon 290-9 (Matt Thompson 77, Calum Haggett 62, Ned Leonard 51, Adam Snowdon 4-55), Cornwall 270 (Max Tryfonos 93). Devon won by 20 runs. 

North Mymms: Hertfordshire 184-8, Berkshire 185-4 (Dan Lincoln 50 not out). Berkshire won by six wickets. 

Group Three 

Didsbury: Suffolk 304 (Ben Claydon 123, Alex Oxley 50, Ben Parker 50, Luke Young 4-18), Cheshire 238 (Rob Sehmi 73). Suffolk won by 66 runs. 

Manor Park: Shropshire 96 (Callum Metcalf 4-26), Norfolk 98-2. Norfolk won by eight wickets. 

Group Four 

Gerrards Cross: Staffordshire 187, Buckinghamshire 190-7(Chris Marrow 53). Buckinghamshire won by three wickets. 

Wimborne: Wales NC 181 (Connor Brown 54, Brad Currie 5-28), Dorset 182-4 (David Scott 57 not out). Dorset won by six