NCCA 50 Over Trophy: Week 4 - Review

Defending champions Berkshire and Norfolk booked their places in the quarter-finals of this season’s National Counties Trophy with a round of group matches to play.

Berkshire made it three wins in a row with a five wickets victory over Oxfordshire at the Falkland club in Newbury in Group Three while Norfolk also ensured qualification for the last eight despite going down by 19 runs to Suffolk in their final Group Three match at Sudbury.

Berkshire will face winless Buckinghamshire at Chesham next Sunday while Devon host Cornwall at Cornwall at Cornwood to determine who will top Group Three and have home advantage in the quarter-finals on June 30.

Suffolk could overtake Norfolk at the top of Group Two if they beat Herefordshire in their final match at Colwall next Sunday but Herefordshire along with Staffordshire and Shropshire – who meet at Moddershall – could cash in if Suffolk lose.

Oxfordshire’s campaign ended with a defeat by Berkshire that would have been heavier but for a county record sixth wicket partnership between Hayden Rossouw – with a competition-best 93 – and Dylan Driscoll (67).

There was very little either side of that partnership as only two other batters reached double figures against Berkshire’s new ball pair of Andy Rishton (four for 31) and Tommy Sturgess (four for 40).

Berkshire got home with more than ten overs to spare with Archie Carter’s half-century being supported by Charlie Dunnett (31) and an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 61 between captain Dan Lincoln (42 not out) and Rhodri Lewis (34 not out).

Cornwall kept alive their interest in the competition by beating Buckinghamshire by 124 runs at Redruth where Will MacVicar was in excellent form with bat and ball.

MacVicar made 91 not out which, with support from skipper Paul Smith (41) and Max Tryfonos (35) took Cornwall to 245 for nine.

MacVicar then took three for 29 and Ellis Whiteford four for 48 on his home ground as Buckinghamshire folded for 121 and Cornwall recorded their second highest victory by runs margin in the competition.

It was a high-scoring affair at Sudbury where Suffolk’s 331 for six was their record total in the competition.

It was based on a maiden Trophy century from Darren Ironside (128 from 120 balls with 16 fours and three sixes) with solid supporting innings from Alex Oxley (60) and George Rhodes (34).

Norfolk responded with an opening partnership of 123 between Sam Arthurton and Ethan Metcalf (58) which seemed to have put them on course for what would have been their record successful run chase.

But Arthurton fell ten short of his second successive Trophy century and although Ben Wilcox, Josh Everett and Charlie Hood tried to sustain the chase, Suffolk’s spinners gradually throttled the innings with off-spinner Tom Harper taking a competition best five for 50.

Shropshire’s 21 runs victory over Herefordshireat Whitchurch was their first of the season and it also kept them in the hunt for a quarter-final place.

Tom Fell’s 99-ball 90 and 62 from Andre Bradford in a third wicket partnership of 124 got Shropshire almost halfway to their total of 287 for five but captain Charlie Home provided the late acceleration with 40 not out from 27 balls.

Herefordshire found the going difficult against Shropshire’s spinners and their chase was in danger of petering out when Daniyal Khan fell to Lewis Evans for a competition-best 63.

But James Rudge took the attack to Shropshire by thumping eight sixes – three in an over from Jacques Banton – in his whirlwind career-best 78 from 39 balls.

Luke Tulacz (40) helped Rudge add 51 for the eighth wicket but it was not enough to deny Shropshire.

Cumbria, beaten finalists in each of the last four seasons the competition has been played, saw their hopes of another visit to Wormsley recede as they went down to Northumberland in a rain-affected Group One contest at Furness.

The match was switched from Kendal after heavy rain on Saturday but Cumbria limped to 138 all out thanks mainly to a ninth wicket partnership of 73 between Nico Watt (43) and Ed Moulton ((21 not out).

That rescued them from 60 for eight with a third of those runs being scored by debutant Will Fraine, the former Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire batter.

Seamer Callum Fletcher did the damage with four for 24 and a half-century from Ross Whitfield and 21 not out from Harry Crawshaw, another former Durham batter, had Northumberland well on their way to victory when the rain arrived. They won by 46 runs under the DLS method.

Cambridgeshire beat Lincolnshire by 40 runs at Sawston to overtake Bedfordshire as Group One leaders on net run rate.

Cambridgeshire’s 225 for nine was based on useful contributions from Jack Loveday, Callum Guest and Henry Wilson after Mark Footitt, the former Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Surrey pace bowler, had taken three wickets.

Grantham batter Nafis Shaikh impress with a half-century on his Lincolnshire debut but the innings unravelled after Cambridgeshire broke a third wicket partnership of 74 between Shaikh and Tom Keast (34).

The last eight wickets went down for 50 with slow left-armer Harrison Craig taking four for 22.

Wiltshire suffered their first Trophy defeat of the season with Dorset claiming the local bragging rights with a five wickets win in their final group match at Warminster.

Jake Goodwin’s half-century helped Wiltshire reach 247 but Dorset got home with almost five overs to spare with half-centuries from skipper Luke Webb and David Scott plus supporting innings from James Degg (46) and Hampshire’s Felix Organ (29).

Wiltshire’s defeat meant that they surrendered the lead of Group Four to Cheshire who were frustrated by rain at Panteg which prevented any play against Wales NC.

Cheshire host Wiltshire in the group decider at Didsbury next Sunday while Hertfordshire host Wales NC at Hitchin knowing that victory would secure a quarter-final place and eliminate Dorset. 

National Counties Trophy

Group One:

Sawston: Cambridgeshire 225-9 (Callum Guest 46, Jack Loveday 41 not out), Lincolnshire 185 (Nafis Shaikh 64, Harrison Craig 4-22). Cambridgeshire won by 40 runs.

Furness: Cumbria 138 (Callum Fletcher 4-24), Northumberland 116-3 (Ross Whitfield 55). Northumberland won by 46 runs (DLS).

Group Two

Whitchurch: Shropshire 287-5 (Tom Fell 90, Andre Bradford 62, Charlie Home 40 not out),Herefordshire 266-9 (James Rudge 78, Daniyal Khan 60, Luke Tulacz 40). Shropshire won by 21 runs.

Sudbury: Suffolk 331-6 (Darren Ironside 128, Alex Oxley 60), Norfolk 312 (Sam Arthurton 90, Ethan Metcalf 58, Ben Wilcox 46, Josh Everett 43, Tom Harper 5-50). Suffolk won by 19 runs.

Group Three

Falkland CC: Oxfordshire 218 (Hayden Rossouw 93, Dylan Driscoll 67), Berkshire 219-5 (Archie Carter 50, Dan Lincoln 42 not out). Berkshire won by five wickets.

Redruth: Cornwall 245-9 (Will MacVicar 91 not out, Paul Smith 41), Buckinghamshire 121 (Ellis Whiteford 4-48). Cornwall won by 124 runs.

Group Four

Panteg: Wales NC v Cheshire. Match abandoned.

Warminster: Wiltshire 247 (Jake Goodwin 53), Dorset 249-5 (David Scott 57, Luke Webb 54). Dorset won by five wickets.