NCCA Cluberly Championship: Week 3 - Day Three Review

Devon, NCCA Cluberly Championship Western Division champions and beaten national finalists two years ago, improved their prospects of topping the division again by beating Cornwall by six wickets at Cornwood.

Cornwall collapsed to 91 all out in their second innings with England Deaf international seamer George Greenway taking four for 34 in his second Championship appearance.

Off-spinner Jamie Stephens gave splendid support with figures of 7-5-5-3 to finish with match figures of seven for 51 with Alex Blake (21) the only batter to reach 20.

Devon were left a target of 77 with plenty of time to get them and, despite a couple of wobbles, they eased to victory and banked 23 points.

Herefordshire were denied their first win over Berkshire in 11 years by another defiant innings from Dan Lincoln at the Falkland club in Newbury.

Lincoln followed up his first innings century with a restrained unbeaten 87 which guided Berkshire to a draw in a tense finish.

There were 42 balls remaining when last man Adam Searle joined his captain but the pair survived with the tall off-spinner facing 23 balls for his eight runs.

Herefordshire spinners Imaad Mahmood (four for 78) and Taylor Cornall (three for 85) were unable to dislodge the last pair although Cornall finished with match figures of ten for 155.

Berkshire, the reigning Western Division champions, were 346 for nine, 64 short of their target of 410.

Buckinghamshire slow left-armer Conner Haddow returned career-best innings and match bowling figures against Cambridgeshire at Chesham in Eastern Division One but it was his batting that helped them secure a draw.

Haddow took seven for 91 to dismiss Cambridgeshire for 237 in their second innings and give him match figures of 13 for 211, the best by a Buckinghamshire bowler in 31 years.

Buckinghamshire were set 351 for their second win of the season but they had to fight a long rearguard action to deny Cambridgeshire their first win.

Buckinghamshire slipped to 77 for six and then 113 for seven when captain Alexei Kervezee was caught behind off James Sykes for 47. But Haddow then dropped anchor in partnership with Ed Bragg to deny Cambridgeshire another wicket.

Bragg finished unbeaten on 32 balls with Haddow facing 45 balls for his 13 not out.

Staffordshire wicketkeeper Callum Hawkins made his maiden Championship century but it was not enough to secure victory against Suffolk at Copdock.

Hawkins was pushed up the order to open as Staffordshire made a brave attempt to chase down a target of 260 in 33 overs. He was given a licence to thrill and with Liam Hurt and Sam Atkinson also pushed up the order Staffordshire were on course at the midway point of their innings.

But they called off the hunt after Michael Hill and Matt Morris departed in quick succession to Freddie Heldreich and Hawkins then settled in with his captain James Kettleborough to secure the draw. Hawkins reached his maiden century in style, with a six off Jack Beaumont from the final ball of the match.

Staffordshire had earlier been frustrated by Ollie Burle who batted five-and-three-quarter hours for his 96 not out but was denied a maiden century when Beaumont declared.

Wiltshire captain Ed Young spun his side to a 122 runs victory over Dorset at Corsham in Western Division Two.

The former Gloucestershire slow left-armer took five for 22 as Dorset crumpled from 113 for four to 131 all out in 14 overs.

Young was well-supported by leg-spinner Charan Chahal who capped a fine match by taking three for 15. Charan had earlier made his second half-century of the match to follow Will Naish’s 78 which took Wiltshire to 276 and left Dorset to chase 254.

Dylan Church made 76 against the county he left last summer which kept Dorset in the hunt but the end came quickly after he went LBW to Chahal.

Northumberland beat Hertfordshire by 256 runs, the second-largest victory by runs margin in their history, at South Northumberland in Eastern Division Two.

Slow left-armer Oli McGee took six for 45 as Hertfordshire, who were set an improbable 387 for victory, were shot out for 130. Alex Gosling, who was sent in as nightwatchman, put in some overtime to top score with 30.

Scotland Under-19s batter Jamie Dunk became the first Bedfordshire batter to make a century on his Championship debut in 24 years in the draw against Norfolk at Flitwick.

Dunk made 128 out of Bedfordshire’s 341 for three declared with former Hampshire batter Oli Soames falling one short of his own century. Tony Bristow, against Northumberland in 2001, was the previous Bedfordshire player to make a century in his first match in the competition.

Norfolk were set 335 to win but were happy to bat out for a draw with Alfie Cooper making a half-century and Ben Wilcox facing 151 balls for his 43 not out.      

NCCA Cluberly Championship

Final day of three

Eastern Division One

Chesham: Cambridgeshire 367-9 (Alex Peirson 122, Callum Guest 71, Conner Haddow 6-120) & 237 (Wayne White 60, Lee Thomason 59 not out, Conner Haddow 7-91, Buckinghamshire 254 (Rehaan Edavalath 71, Alexei Kervezee 54, James Cox 5-76) & 149-7 (Alexei Kervezee 47, James Cox 4-59). Buckinghamshire (10pts) drew with Cambridgeshire (12pts).

Copdock: Suffolk 338-9 (Jack Beaumont 154, Ishaan Rakesh 69, Jake Garlick 4-48) & 306-6 dec (Ollie Burle 96 not out, Freddie Heldreich 50), Staffordshire 385-9(Liam Hurt 75 not out, James Kettleborough 70, Michael Hill 66, Matt Morris 46) & 210-5 (Callum Hawkins 103 not out). Suffolk (12pts) drew with Staffordshire (12pts).

Western Division One

Falkland CC: Herefordshire 397 (Luke Powell 96, Ben Chapman-Lilley 86, Matt Pardoe 78, Adam Searle 7-134) & 297-8 dec (Luke Tulacz 69, Matt Pardoe 64, Ben Chapman-Lilley 56), Berkshire 285 (Dan Lincoln 101, Eddie Campion 78, Jonny Connell 47, Taylor Cornall 7-70) & 346-9 (Dan Lincoln 87 not out, Greg Smith 75, Rhys Lewis 55, Imaad Mahmood 4-78). Berkshire (11pts) draw with Herefordshire (12pts).

Cornwood: Cornwall 286 (Jamie Stephens 4-46, Sam Read 4-82) & 91 (George Greenway 4-34), Devon 301 (Sam Read 130, Elliot Hamilton 54, Ben Ellis 4-39, Max Tryfonos 4-65) & 80-4. Devon (23pts) beat Cornwall (7pts) by six wickets.

Eastern Division Two

Flitwick: Bedfordshire 263 (Archie Houghton 67, Callum Metcalf 4-60) & 341-3 dec (Jamie Dunk 128 not out, Oli Soames 99, Tom Cullen 57 not out), Norfolk 270 (Sam Arthurton 97, Archie Houghton 5-90) & 180-3 (Alfie Cooper 51). Bedfordshire (10pts) drew with Norfolk (10pts).

South Northumberland CC: Northumberland 369 (John Oswell 120, Alasdair Appleby 100, Jonny Bushnell 55, Sol Bell 50, Callum Scott 5-64, Callum Taylor 4-115) & 175-9 dec (Jonny Bushnell 56, Dominic Chatfield 4-37), Hertfordshire 155 (Jack Plom 49, Ben Cowell 46, Callum Fletcher 4-46, Matt Oswell 4-49) & 130 (Oli McGee 6-45). Northumberland (24pts) beat Hertfordshire (4pts) by 256 runs.

Western Division Two

Corsham: Wiltshire 369 (Josh Kelly 72, Ed Young 64, Charan Chahal 53, Connor Smith 4-83) & 276 (Will Naish 78, Charan Chahal 62 not out, Mo Abbas 4-117),Dorset 392-9 (Joe Eckland 166, Will Tripcony 114, Joe King 5-106) & 131 (Dylan Church 76, Ed Young 5-22). Wiltshire (24pts) beat Dorset (8pts) by 122 runs.

Finished on Monday:

Abergavenny: Wales NC 166 & 204 (Brad Wadlan 60, Dan Wilson 4-62, Cheshire387-8 (David Wainwright 92, Luke McCoy 75, Ryan O’Brien 74, Ollie Rayner 5-151). Cheshire (24pts) beat Wales NC (3pts) by an innings and 17 runs.

📸 Roger Byrne