NCCA 50-Over Trophy Final - Preview

Sam Arthurton was a member of the supporting cast the last time Norfolk reached the National Counties Trophy final but he will be their leading man when they take on Cheshire at Wormsley on Sunday.

Arthurton celebrated his 17th birthday on the day Norfolk beat Staffordshire by 104 runs at Chester-le-Street in July 2009 when he made his debut in the Trophy but his contribution was just two runs from three balls batting at number seven.

Since then Arthurton has established himself at the top of the order and has become one of Norfolk’s all-time greats, scoring 8,395 runs for them across all formats including 15 Championship centuries and four more in the Trophy.

In June Arthurton made 180 not out – Norfolk’s record score in the Trophy – to help them chase down Shropshire’s 295 with nine wickets and almost six overs to spare.

That innings was also the highest score by anyone in this season’s competition and was followed by another match-winning century – 139 – in the semi-final victory over Cambridgeshire at Great Witchingham.

That took Arthurton’s aggregate in this season’s Trophy to 535 – more than 200 runs ahead of Sam Perry, who will be an opponent on Sunday, although Cheshire had two of their group matches rained off.

Arthurton is more than a runs machine. He is now Norfolk’s captain and he has helped to nurture a young and mostly homegrown side through a period of transition which saw them relegated in the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship last year then lose Chris Brown, their influential coach, to Ireland.

Arthurton has struck up an effective management team with Norfolk’s new coach, former Leicestershire wicketkeeper and ex-Norfolk professional Tom New, and they have enjoyed early success by taking the county to their first Trophy final in 15 years.

In fact it will be Norfolk’s first appearance in a final in any of the three formats since then although did reach National Counties T20 Finals Day at Wormsley in 2018 when they were beaten by 46 runs in the semi-finals by Cheshire despite Arthurton’s 70.

Arthurton is one of three survivors from Norfolk’s side that day in their squad for Sunday – Brett Stolworthy and Andy Hanby are the others – with Nick Anderson Cheshire’s sole survivor.

Alongside their three stalwarts Norfolk could field three sets of brothers on Sunday with Ben and Arthur Wilcox, Joe and Jordan Everett and Ethan and Callum Metcalf also in the squad for what could be a first in a final. Arthur Wilcox did not play in the semi-final.

Experienced batter Josh Cobb is available for the final as Worcestershire have no white ball cricket this weekend.

Cheshire’s 13-man squad comprises the 11 who beat defending champions Berkshire plus Andy Dufty and left-arm quick Mike Finan, who made his first appearance for them in two years in the Championship match against Cornwall earlier in the week.

Finan has not played a Trophy match for Cheshire since June 2022 but he has recent 50 overs experience having played in three of Northamptonshire’s Metro Bank Cup matches.

Cheshire: Harry Dearden (C), Sam Perry, Alex Money, Rob Sehmi, Andrew Jackson, Chris Sanders, Xander Selby, Kevin Carroll, Steve Green, Andy Dufty, Mike Finan, Nick Anderson, Luke Young.

Norfolk: Sam Arthurton (C), Ethan Metcalf, Ben Wilcox, Josh Cobb, Jordan Everett, Charlie Hood, Arthur Wilcox, Callum Metcalf, Joe Everett, Brett Stolworthy, Andy Hanby, Cameron Graveling.

Previous Trophy Final appearances

Cheshire

1983: Beat Bedfordshire by 36 runs at Macclesfield

1987: Beat Cambridgeshire by nine wickets at Oxford (Christ Church)

1996: Beat Bedfordshire by nine wickets at Lord’s

2000: Lost to Herefordshire by 42 runs at Lord’s

2018: Beat Devon by two runs at Wormsley

Norfolk

1984: Lost to Hertfordshire by three wickets at Fenner’s

1986: Beat Hertfordshire by 30 runs at St Albans

1997: Beat Shropshire by 52 runs at Lord’s

2001: Beat Devon by 114 runs at Lord’s

2005: Beat Wiltshire by six wickets at Slough

2009: Beat Staffordshire by 104 runs at Chester-le-Street