NCCA 50 Over Trophy 2025 - Week 2 Review - Sunday

Buckinghamshire bounced back from last week’s defeat against Devon by beating Cornwall by five wickets in a low-scoring contest at Tring.

Cornwall laboured to 133 all out in 44.2 overs with only former Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Glamorgan all-rounder Graham Wagg (29) and captain Paul Smith (21) reaching 20. Seamer Ed Bragg was Cornwall’s chief tormentor with a Trophy-best five for 22.

Buckinghamshire chased down their target inside 35 overs, led by an unbeaten 40 from new captain Alexei Kervezee and 37 from Danny Chapman.

Staffordshire captain James Kettleborough led from the front to help his side open their National Counties Trophy campaign with a comfortable 60 runs win over Herefordshire in Group Two at West Bromwich Dartmouth.

Kettleborough’s 105, his third century in the competition, was the centrepiece of Staffordshire’s 275 which helped them to absorb the loss of their last six wickets for 24 and set Herefordshire a challenging target that they never got to grips with.

Kettleborough shared partnerships of 83 for the fourth wicket with Michael Hill (30) and 69 for the fifth with Matt Morris (49).

But Kettleborough’s departure saw Staffordshire collapse against the left-arm spin of former Worcestershire all-rounder Taylor Cornall who claimed Trophy-best figures of five for 39.

Herefordshire’s innings comprised a series of cameos held together by Ben Chapman-Lilley’s 42, but they unravelled against the canny left-arm spin of Tom Brett and the pace of Reeve Evitts.

They lost five wickets for 23 in mid-innings, with Brett taking three for 31, before James Rudge countered by clobbering six sixes in his 38-ball 62 which dominated a county record last wicket stand of 68 with Adam Hines. Rory Haydon, who is trialling with Derbyshire, ended the entertainment by bowling Rudge.

The win completed a good day for Staffordshire after their former batter Zen Malik had earlier made an unbeaten 49 on his first-class debut to guide Warwickshire to victory over Yorkshire at Headingley.

Reigning champions Norfolk’s grip on the trophy was further loosened by a seven runs defeat against Shropshire at Shrewsbury.

Norfolk needed 17 for victory at the start of the final over and they were favourites when Arthur Wilcox struck the first two balls for fours. But seamer Ben Roberts held is nerve and ended the game in spectacular fashion to take the last three wickets in fourballs to finish with four for 53.

It was a second successive defeat for Norfolk at the start of their title defence and they will need to beat Herefordshire at Brockhampton on Monday and Staffordshire at Sprowston on May 18 if they are to have any chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.

Andre Bradford (69) and supporting innings of 44 from Tom Fell and 41 from George Hargrave took Shropshire to 262 for six with Norfolk responding with solid contributions down the order from Alfie Cooper (55), Sam Arthurton (42), Finlay Wilcox (34), Ethan Metcalf (39) and Charlie Hood (33).

The departure of Hood, one of the heroes of Norfolk’s victory over Cheshire in last season’s final, proved an important turning point as he skied a catch to give Roberts his first wicket.

Berkshire opened their Trophy campaign with an eight wickets victory over Oxfordshire at Wormsley in Group Three in their first competitive match under new Head Coach Bjorn Mordt.

Oxfordshire’s 159 owed much to Arjun Ramkumar’s maiden half-century but Berkshire coasted home with more than 20 overs to spare after Johnny Connell and Rhys Lewis had opened with a partnership of 119 in 18 overs.

Connell, who is trialling with Essex, continued where he left off after a prolific season last year with 65 and Lewis made 56.

Wales NC edged a thriller against Hertfordshire at Sudbrook in Group Four where they got home by six runs.

Wales appeared to be floundering at 139 for six but player/coach Brad Wadlan pulled them round with an unbeaten 84 helped by 31 from Alex Russell who shared an eighth wicket stand of 67.

Russell, the former Northamptonshire leg-spinner, then took three for 35 and slow left-armers Rhodri Lewis and Romano Franco two wickets each, to stifle Hertfordshire’s chase.

Andrew Neal’s 63 kept Hertfordshire in the hunt but when he went LBW to Lewis, the last four wickets went down for 16.

Warwickshire’s Jake Lintott turned in an impressive all-round performance for Wiltshire but still finished on the losing side as Cheshire triumphed by two wickets at Marlborough College.

Lintott made 53 in an opening partnership of 133 with Jack Mynott (73) which laid the foundations for Wiltshire’s 273 for nine.

Lintott followed up with four for 47 with his left-arm spin but Cheshire got home with 32 balls to spare following a second wicket stand of 144 between new captain Sam Perry (61) and Alex Money (81).

Former Leicestershire batter Harry Dearden sustained the chase with a 54-ball 51 and although Lintott removed the dangerous Kevin Carroll, Dan Newton got Cheshire, last season’s beaten finalists, over the line with an unbeaten 26.

Lincolnshire may not have enjoyed the first county match at Barton Town – their most northerly ground – but visitors Northumberland certainly did.

For the second week running Northumberland piled day’s highest total – 331 for eight - and then dismissed their hosts for 160 to romp home by 171 runs.

Former Durham and England Under-19s batter Ross Whitfield was again Northumberland’s star man as he improved on his competition-best 91 against Cumbria last week, with a maiden century, his 110 coming from 102 balls with 14 fours and a six.

Whitfield shared a fifth wicket partnership of 179 with debutant Alex Bovill (66) after Alasdair Appleby had opened with a brisk half-century.

Lincolnshire were soon in trouble in reply, slipping to seven for three before captain Tom Keast (32) and Drew Sylvester (35) managed to shore up the innings. Mark Footit followed up his four wickets with a breezy 47 from 25 balls, but Lincolnshire were dismissed with 16 overs unused.

Career-bests with bat and ball from Matt Sempill and Sam Sharp secured a five wickets win for Cumbria against Bedfordshire at Dunstable.

Sempill’s 107-ball 112, his maiden Trophy century, helped Cumbria to chase down a target of 260 with 16 balls to spare. Sempill shared a fifth wicket stand of 191 with Greg Platten which rescued Cumbria after they had slipped to 68 for four.

Platten, playing only his second Trophy match and first in 12 years, contributed an invaluable 67 not out.

Although Cumbria were able to include Leicestershire seamer Chris Wright, it was Sharp who was their most successful bowler with a competition-best five for 51. Wright went wicketless but conceded only 29 runs in 10 miserly overs.

Bedfordshire’s total of 259 for nine was based on skipper George Thurstance’s 89 with supporting innings from Jamie Dunk, who made 34 on debut) and Patrick Harrington (37).

National Counties Trophy

Group One

Dunstable: Bedfordshire 259-9 (George Thurstance 89, Sam Sharp 5-51), Cumbria263-5 (Matt Sempill 112, Greg Platten 67 not out). Cumbria won by five wickets.

Barton: Northumberland 331-8 (Ross Whitfield 110, Alex Bovill 66, Alasdair Appleby 54), Lincolnshire 160 (Mark Footitt 47 Max Williamson 4-27). Northumberland won by 171 runs.

Group Two

Shrewsbury: Shropshire 262-6 (Andre Bradford 69, Tom Fell 44, George Hargrave 41) Norfolk 255 (Alfie Cooper 55, Sam Arthurton 42, Ben Roberts 4-53). Shropshire won by seven runs.

West Bromwich Dartmouth: Staffordshire 275 (James Kettleborough105, Matt Morris 49), Herefordshire 215 (James Rudge 62, Ben Chapman-Lilley 42). Staffordshire won by 60 runs.

Group Three

Tring: Cornwall 133 (Ed Bragg 5-22), Buckinghamshire 137-5 (Alexei Kervezee 40 not out). Buckinghamshire won by five wickets.

Wormsley: Oxfordshire 159 (Arjun Ramkumar 54), Berkshire 160-2 (Johnny Connell 65, Rhys Lewis 56). Berkshire won by eight wickets.

Group Four

Sudbrook: Wales NC 233 (Brad Wadlan 84 not out), Hertfordshire 227 (Andrew Neal 63). Wales NC won by six runs.

Marlborough: Wiltshire 273-9 (Jack Mynott 73 Jake Lintott 53), Cheshire 276-8 (Alex Money 81, Sam Perry 61, Harry Dearden 55, Jake Lintott 4-47). Cheshire won by two wickets.

Fixtures

Monday May 5 (11am)

Group One

Dunstable: Bedfordshire v Lincolnshire. Peterborough: Cambridgeshire v Northumberland.

Group Two

Brockhampton: Herefordshire v Norfolk. Bignall End: Staffordshire v Suffolk.

Group Three

Slough: Berkshire v Cornwall. Abingdon Vale: Oxfordshire v Devon.

Group Four

Wimborne: Dorset v Hertfordshire. Warminster: Wiltshire v Wales NC.

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