National Counties XI Edged Out In European Championship Final

National Counties XI relinquished their Dream 11 European T10 Championship title to Netherlands after they were edged out by five wickets in a tense final at the Cartama Oval in Malaga.

Netherlands got home by with five balls to spare in an intriguing contest under floodlights after National Counties, representing England at the multi-nation tournament, had reached the final the hard way.

They lost their first four group matches, which left them with no margin for error, but then won four on the bounce to clinch third in the Championship Week table and a place at Finals Day.

National Counties made it six wins in a row by beating Scotland by eight runs in their eliminator and they again held their nerve to overcome hosts Spain by 15 runs in their qualifier contest – effectively the semi-final.

But they came up just short in the final, their third match in a row at the end of a long day, but made Netherlands work hard to chase down a target of 100.

Netherlands, who topped the group table, lost only two matches all week and booked their place in the final by beating Spain by 30 runs in the first qualifier.

While Netherlands had more than six hours to rest before the final, National Counties had just 75 minutes to catch their breath after they had beaten Spain.

Skipper Dan Lincoln won all three tosses in the day and he opted to bat first on each occasion but in the final National Counties lost wickets at regular intervals and struggled for momentum with leg-spinner Saqib Zulfiqar taking three for seven in his two overs.

With Tom Bevan(Wales NC) run out without facing and dangerman Lincoln caught off a top-edge, National Counties were in deep trouble at 59 for six and required some late clean striking from Sam Pearce (Wales NC) and Mungo Russell (Berkshire) to take them to 99 for eight.

Russell then ran out Clayton Floyd from the first ball of Netherlands’ reply and Rishton bowled Musa Ahmad with the ninth.

Lincoln briefly turned to his trio of leg-spinners which brought rewards when Alex Russell (Herefordshire and Northamptonshire) had Boris Gorlee taken at deep midwicket and Zulfiqar perished in similar fashion to Jafer Chohan (Berkshire).

But Ryan Klein and Sebastiaan Braat turned the match in Netherlands’ favour with a fifth wicket partnership of 39 before they both departed with victory in sight.

Klein was run out trying to take a single off a wide from Wiltshire’s Arthur Godsal and Braat carved the next ball to point.

Godsal conceded only a single from the last three balls of the over but, with five needed for victory from Chohan’s final over, Shirase Rasool pulled the first ball for six.

Against Scotland in their first match of the day Lincoln (Berkshire) and Harrison Ward (Oxfordshire and Sussex) put National Counties in command against Scotland with aggressive half-centuries.

Left-handed opener Ward struck six sixes and four fours in 59 from 24 balls before Lincoln flayed 58 not out from just 18 balls which also included six sixes.

Lincoln dominated a fourth wicket stand of 62 with Bevan which took National Counties to 155 for four.

Scotland’s chase was led by Oli Hairs (38) and sustained by Kess Sajjad, with 50 from 21 balls, and Callum Garden (25) who added 68 for the eighth wicket.

But Mungo Russell (two for 22), Pearce (two for 25) and Godsal (two for 37) took wickets at regular intervals and restricted Scotland to 147 for eight.

Against Spain, Berkshire’s Andy Rishton produced a superb all-round performance to break the hearts of the home supporters.

National Counties were struggling at 62 for six before Rishton pummelled four sixes and a four in an over from Spain off-spinner Yasir Ali that cost 30.

Rishton reached his half-century from 18 balls and although he fell to the next ball, caught behind off a top-edged pull, his assault took National Counties to 123 for seven.

Spain made a strong start to their chase with Daniel Doyle-Calle and Ali putting on 53 in five overs for the first wicket.

Alex Russell made the breakthrough when he had Doyle-Calle caught by Rishton but Hamza Saleem Dar followed up with a brisk 29 before was taken at deep midwicket off Suffolk seamer Ben Claydon.

Rishton then struck two decisive blows in his final over – and the penultimate one of the match – when he held a steepling return catch to dismiss Ali and then had Muhammad Ishan taken at deep midwicket.

Rishton finished with two for eight in his two overs and also had two catches dropped in his final over.