NCCA T20 Competition 2024: Week 2 - Part 1

Oxfordshire benefited from their partnership with Sussex as they completed a double over Wales NC at Wormsley in the National Counties T20 competition.

Oxfordshire have a formal pathway programme with the first-class county which has already seen three of their talented youngsters – James Coles, Harrison Ward and Zach Lion-Cachet – earn professional contracts at Hove.

But the partnership is mutually beneficial with Ward and Lion-Cachet being joined in Oxfordshire’s team against Wales by their Sussex team-mates Henry Crocombe and Dan Ibrahim.

Pace bowler Crocombe made his presence felt by taking three for seven in three overs as Wales were dismissed for 61 in the opener.

Ward then plundered 95 from 56 balls and shared a competition record second wicket partnership of 178 to help set up a 48 runs win in the second match of the day.

The partnership surpassed the previous second wicket record of 175 set Lion Cachet and Tim Hinley, a former Sussex batter, against Bedfordshire last year.

Dylan Driscoll, an Oxfordshire product who is on Sussex’s academy, made 40 not out in the opener with Hayden Rossouw marking his competitive debut with a half-century.

Only Steffan Roberts (19) and Brad Wadlan (12) reached double figures as Wales suffered their heaviest defeat by runs margin and the third heaviest by any side in the competition.

Roberts followed up with a half-century in the second match of the day which, with 57 from Glamorgan staffman Henry Hurle, made Oxfordshire work harder for their 48 runs win. 

In the other Group Four double-header it was honours even at Oswestry where hosts Shropshire won the opener by 43 runs but Herefordshire gained revenge with a four wickets win in the second match.

Four former Worcestershire players were to the fore with Tom Fell making 72 for Shropshire in the opener and Jacques Banton following up his 47 by taking four for 23 with his left-arm spin.

Olly Westbury then made 35 and George Hargrave, who is trialling with Northamptonshire, 44 to help Shropshire to 154 for five in the second but Herefordshire were steered to their third win of the season by skipper and former Worcestershire left-hander Matt Pardoe (40) and Nick Hammond with 43 not out.

Defending champions Staffordshire had mixed fortunes as they began their defence in earnest as they opened with a four wickets win overNorthumberland at Burslem but were then beaten by eight wickets in the second Group One match.

Half centuries from openers Ali Appleby and John Oswell appeared to have laid the foundations for a huge Northumberland total but, having reached 98 without loss after ten overs, only 62 more were added in the second half of the innings. 

Staffordshire paced their chase to perfection with skipper James Kettleborough seeing them home with four balls to spare with 63 not out.

Tight bowling from Callum Fletcher (three for nine) backed by some excellent catching throttled Staffordshire in the second match and their total of 124 soon looked inadequate as Appleby (40) and Oswell (34) opened with a stand of 72 and former Durham batter Harry Crawshaw completed the job with 35 not out.

Former Lancashire captain Steven Croft made an impact on his debut forCumbria who completed a double over Cheshire at Toft to go top of Group One.

Although Croft, who is on a T20 contract at Old Trafford, fell for a third ball duck in the first match he took three wickets as Cheshire were dismissed for 91 and beaten by 72 runs.

Cumbria captain Michael Slack took three wickets in four balls and Cheshire lost their last seven wickets for 14 runs in 26 balls.

Croft followed up with a half-century and three more wickets in the second match which Cumbria won just as emphatically, this time by 78 runs.

Bowlers dominated at the Falkland club in Newbury were Berkshire and Buckinghamshire won one low-scoring game apiece in Group Three. 

Buckinghamshire’s 119 in the opener proved to be the highest of the four innings and they needed 41 from George Harvey and 34 from former Worcestershire and Netherlands batter Alexei Kervezee to get them there.

Berkshire were then shot out for 93 by Buckinghamshire skipper and former Gloucestershire seamer Tom Hampton who returned figures of 2.5-0-8-4, Buckinghamshire’s best in the competition.

It was Buckinghamshire’s turn to struggle in the second match as they were dismissed for 84 with former Cornwall seamer Tommy Sturgess taking three for six and rookie leg-spinner Sulaiman Akhtar 3-19.

Berkshire eased to a seven wickets win with Johnny Connell (32 not out) and Euan Woods (25 not out) completing the job inside 12 overs.

Honours were also shared in the other Group Three double-header between Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire at the West Herts club in Watford

Bedfordshire won the first by six wickets after Amrit Basra’s 70 not out trumped Andrew Neal’s unbeaten 50 for Hertfordshire.

But Hertfordshire gained revenge in the second match with skipper Ben Waring taking five for 15, the county’s best figures in the competition.

On another day Chinmay Mullapudi’s four for 13 would have been the stand-out performance, instead he had to settle for Hertfordshire’s second-best figures in the competition.

David Burnell’s unbeaten 42 saw Hertfordshire home by seven wickets to leave the Group evenly poised going into Monday’s final round of matches.

Lincolnshire’s Jordan Cook produced the day’s outstanding all-round performance in the second Group Two match of the day againstCambridgeshire at Bracebridge Heath.

Cook followed up his 73 not out from 35 balls by taking five 16 with his off-breaks, Lincolnshire’s best T20 figures.

With Nic Keast making 52 and Leicestershire’s Sam Evans 41, Lincolnshire won by 27 runs having lost the opener by seven wickets.

Ben Wright’s half-century helped Lincolnshire to 153 for nine in that match but former Suffolk batter Ben Claydon, who already has a century to his name in the competition, marked his Suffolk debut with 96 not out from 54 balls to clinch a seven wickets win with seven balls to spare. 

Norfolk enjoyed their first visit to Sprowston, one of their temporary homes while work is carried out on the square at Manor Park, as they completed a double over Suffolk.

Sam Arthurton’s unbeaten 80 from 51 balls, with excellent support from Alfie Cooper, Ben Wilcox and Freddie Fairey, helped Norfolk to 161 for three in the opener and Andy Hanby, Callum Metcalf and Brett Stolworthy then shared six wickets to restrict Suffolk to 134 for nine. 

Metcalf followed up with 45 not out in the second match and Hanby and Stolworthy shared six wickets to secure a 17 runs win despite the efforts of Dan Shanks (30 not out).

Group Five, which saw the most cricket in the opening weekend of the season, was the worst affected this time with three of the scheduled matches being washed out including both at Exeter where Devon were due to face Wiltshire.

An 18 overs-a-side contest was possible in the second match at Truro where Cornwall beat Dorset by five wickets with five balls to spare.

Joe Eckland’s half-century and David Scott’s 22 helped Dorset to 127 for six but a belligerent 62 not out from captain Paul Smith gave Cornwall, last season’s runners-up, their second win of the season. 

National Counties T20

Group One

Toft: Cumbria 163-5 (Sam Dutton 60), Cheshire 91 (Michael Slack 3-7, Steven Croft 3-22). Cumbria won by 72 runs. Cumbria 182-6 (Steven Croft 50, Josh Boyden 3-27), Cheshire 104 (Steven Croft 3-25). Cumbria won by 78 runs.

Burslem: Northumberland 160-5 (Alasdair Appleby 53, John Oswell 50), Staffordshire 161-6 (James Kettleborough 63 not out, Matthew Oswell 3-37). Staffordshire won by four wickets. Staffordshire Staffordshire 124 (Callum Fletcher 3-9), Northumberland 126-2 (Alasdair Appleby 40). Northumberland won by eight wickets.

Group Two:

Bracebridge Heath: Lincolnshire 153-9 (Ben Wright 62), Cambridgeshire 155-3 (Ben Claydon 96 not out), Cambridgeshire won by seven wickets. Lincolnshire 193-3 (Jordan Cook 73 not out, Nic Keast 52, Sam Evans 41), Cambridgeshire 166 (Lee Thomason 46, Jordaan Cook 5-16, Josh Knapton 3-13). Lincolnshire won by 27 runs.

Sprowston: Norfolk 161-3 (Sam Arthurton 80 not out), Suffolk 134-9 (Ben Parker 41). Norfolk won by 27 runs. Norfolk 154-6 (Callum Metcalf 45 not out), Suffolk 137-9 (Andy Hanby 3-15, Brett Stolworthy 3-20). Norfolk won by 17 runs.

Group Three

Falkand CC: Buckinghamshire 119 (George Harvey 41), Berkshire 93 (Tom Hampton 4-8). Buckinghamshire won by 26 runs.Buckinghamshire 84(Tommy Sturgess 3-6, Sulaiman Akhtar 3-19), Berkshire 85-3. Berkshire won by seven wickets.

West Herts CC: Hertfordshire 149-5 (Andrew Neal 50 not out), Bedfordshire 150-4 (Amit Basra 70 not out). Bedfordshire won by six wickets. Bedfordshire 90 (Ben Waring 5-15, Chinmay Mullapudi 4-13),Hertfordshire 91-3 (David Burnell 42 not out). Hertfordshire won by seven wickets.

Group Four

Wormsley: Oxfordshire 158-7 (Hayden Rossouw 54, Dylan Driscoll 40 not out), Wales NC 61 (Henry Crocombe 3-7, Prav Chahal 3-17). Oxfordshire won by 97 runs. Oxfordshire 199-2 (Harrison Ward 95, Jamie Harrison 84 not out), Wales NC 151-4 (Henry Hurle 57, Steffan Roberts 51). Oxfordshire won by 48 runs.

Oswestry: Shropshire 165-5 (Tom Fell 72, Jacques Banton 47, Roshan Venkaraman 3-27), Herefordshire 122-9 (Jacques Banton 4-23). Shropshire won by 43 runs. Shropshire 154-5 (George Hargrave 44), Herefordshire 155-6 (Nick Hammond 43 not out, Matt Pardoe 40). Herefordshire won by four wickets.

Group Five

Truro: First match abandoned. Dorset 127-6 (Joe Eckland 59), Cornwall 133-5 (Paul Smith 62 not out). Cornwall won by five wickets.

Exeter: Devon v Wiltshire. Both matches abandoned.

Monday May 6 (11am and 2.30pm)

Group One: Cumbria v Staffordshire (Carlisle), Cheshire v Northumberland (Oxton).

Group Two: Cambridgeshire v Norfolk (Exning), Suffolk v Lincolnshire (Ipswich School).

Group Three: Bedfordshire v Berkshire (Ampthill), Buckinghamshire v Hertfordshire (Beaconsfield).

Group Four: Herefordshire v Oxfordshire (Brockhampton), Wales NC v Shropshire (St Asaph).

Group Five: Dorset v Devon (Wimborne), Wiltshire v Cornwall (South Wilts CC).

Photo Credit: Roger Byrne