National Counties Trophy Week 5 Preview

The two remaining places in this season’s National Counties Trophy quarter-finals and the four teams who will have home advantage in them will be decided on Sunday.

The quarter-final places still up for grabs are in Group Three, where Cheshire and Shropshire meet in a straight shoot-out at Toft to decide who will join Suffolk in the last eight, and Group Two where either Cornwall or Berkshire will progress with Hertfordshire.

Cheshire have named the same side that defeated Cambridgeshire in a high-scoring affair three weeks ago while Shropshire have added Shifnal all-rounder Jack Home to the side who beat Cambridgeshire last Sunday.

The winners at Toft will finish level with Suffolk on six points with the group winners being determined by net run rate.

Berkshire, who have won the Trophy for the last three seasons, must beat Bedfordshire at Southill Park but even that might not be enough to save them from missing out on the quarter-finals for the first time since 2016.

Berkshire will be eliminated if Cornwall take at least a point from their match against unbeaten Hertfordshire at North Mymms. A Berkshire win and a Cornwall defeat would leave both teams on five points and calculators would then be required to split them on net run rate with Berkshire – currently -0.02 – requiring a swing to better Cornwall’s +0.55.

Berkshire are boosted by the availability of leg-spinner Jafer Chohan who has impressed for Yorkshire in their Vitality Blast campaign.

Chohan replaces Adam Searle in the only change to the squad that was named for the Cornwall match two weeks ago which was washed out early in the second innings.

Northamptonshire batter Gus Miller is set to make his seasonal debut for Bedfordshire who are awaiting confirmation of the availability of Worcestershire’s Kashif Ali.

Former Leicestershire seamer Alex Evans and slow left-armer Archie Houghton return to the squad having missed last week’s trip to Cornwall.

Hertfordshire have made five changes to the side that beat Devon last Sunday with James Latham, Alan Jones, Jack Plom, Tanveer Sikandar and Chinmay Mullapudi all returning.

Cornwall, who will top the group if they beat Hertfordshire, welcome back Tommy Sturgess from injury in place of James Turpin.

In Group One, Northumberland and Cumbria have already guaranteed quarter-final places but Cumbria have the chance to guarantee a home tie by beating Lincolnshire at Keswick.

Cumbria welcome back former Durham batter Gary Pratt and ex-Lancashire and Derbyshire seamer Ed Moulton along with wicketkeeper Fin Richardson against Lincolnshire.

But seamer Chris Wright, who this week announced that he will be joining Sussex next season, is required for county duty by Leicestershire this weekend.

Lincolnshire have named two potential debutants in Grantham leg-spinner Qundeel Haider and Appleby Frodingham seamer Matty Harris in their squad.

Sam Evans, fresh from a century for Leicestershire’s Second XI against Kent, returns to Lincolnshire’s squad.

But they head to the Lake District without former Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Surrey left-arm quickie Mark Footitt who claimed a Trophy record seven for 14 against Oxfordshire last week.

Cumbria will be hoping it will be third time lucky for them at Fitz Park as their last two scheduled Trophy matches at Keswick – including a semi-final against Cambridgeshire in 2021 – were completely washed out.

The winners of Pool Four will be decided at Dorchester where Dorset need to beat Wiltshire to overtake them at the top of the table.

Dorset have named Sussex left-arm seamer Brad Currie and Hampshire all-rounder Ross Whiteley in their squad to face Wiltshire.

Currie was due to make his seasonal debut for Dorset last weekend but was withdrawn by Sussex for Vitality Blast duty.

Whiteley was a regular in Dorset’s T20 side earlier this season and is now in line to make his Trophy debut. His Hampshire team-mate Joe Eckland, a homegrown Dorset player, is also in the squad.

Wiltshire have Warwickshire left-arm wrist spinner Jake Lintott available and welcome back seamer Josh Croom who was unavailable for the victory over Wales two weeks ago.

Keron Bennett-Thomas and Matthew Falconer will make their seasonal debuts.

Herefordshire have called up Callum Bennett, Alex Hinkley and Jujhar Johal in place of Olly Rogoff, Zak Abbas and Ollie Walker as they head to Great & Little Tew for their Group One finale against Oxfordshire.

Buckinghamshire host Wales NC in Group Four at Slough which was also a home venue for Berkshire just two weeks ago.

High Wycombe’s Teddy Casterton, Amersham’s Michael Payne and Tring Park’s Tom Weymes return for Buckinghamshire whose win against Staffordshire last weekend came too late to keep them in the hunt for a quarter-final place.

Wales give a debut to Denbigh left-arm spinner/batter Harrison Jones but are missing player/coach Brad Wadlan.

St Asaph’s Will Ryan, who was a late call-up against Dorset last weekend, keeps his place as Will Smale is again required by Glamorgan who gave him his senior debut in the Vitality Blast match against Surrey on Tuesday.

Cambridgeshire conclude their 50-overs campaign with an East Anglia derby against Norfolk at Exning in Group Three.

They have added Will Routledge to the side beaten by Shropshire last Sunday as they seek their first win of the season in white ball cricket.

Norfolk have brought in Will Bowman for his Trophy debut and Cameron Graveling to replace Luke Caswell and Ben Wilcox.

National Counties Trophy

Sunday June 25 (11am)

Group One

Keswick: Cumbria v Lincolnshire, Great & Little Tew: Oxfordshire v Herefordshire.

Group Two

Southill Park: Bedfordshire v Berkshire, North Mymms: Hertfordshire v Cornwall.

Group Three

Exning: Cambridgeshire v Norfolk, Toft: Cheshire v Shropshire.

Group Four

Slough: Buckinghamshire v Wales NC, Dorchester: Dorset v Wiltshire