NCCA T20 Finals Day Washed Out

Rain ruined the National Counties T20 Finals Day at Chester Boughton Hall forcing a reserve day to be used for the first time since 2018.

The board of the National Counties Cricket Association will meet to discuss whether it is possible to reschedule National Counties T20 Finals Day after rain washed out the reserve day at Chester Boughton Hall.

Despite a more optimistic weather forecast and the efforts of the host club’s groundstaff, further beefy showers during the morning topped up Sunday’s heavy rain and left the ground unplayable.

The lunchtime abandonment meant that the first semi-final between Cumbria and Oxfordshire – the only match in which play was possible on Sunday – could not be completed with the second semi-final between holders Staffordshire and Berkshire and the final being washed out completely.

It also left the organisers with a major logistical headache in trying to find a date – or dates – when the three matches might be rearranged.

All the remaining weekends in the season are already fully booked up with 50 overs National Counties Trophy, three-day Durant Sport National Counties Championship games or Showcase matches involving the 20 National Counties and the 18 first-class counties.

At present the only available free date is Sunday September 8, four days after the scheduled end of the National Counties season.

It is the first time that no matches at Finals Day have not been completed and only the second time that a reserve day has been required.

A pessimistic weather forecast proved disappointingly accurate and restricted play to just 37 overs and five balls of the opening semi-final between Oxfordshire and Cumbria.

The sides will return on Bank Holiday Monday (10am) in the hope of better weather with Oxfordshire needing two wickets and Cumbria 31 runs from the last 13 balls of the match to secure their place in the final.

The second semi-final between holders Staffordshire and Berkshire will follow immediately with the final later in the day.

Once overnight rain had delayed the scheduled start for two hours it was always likely that the reserve day would be needed for the final but the organisers hoped that both semi-finals might be completed – and in full - on the day.

In the event none of the matches were completed although Oxfordshire, winners in 2015 and 2022, were on the brink of victory when the umpires took the players off for safety reasons with thunder and lightning circling the ground.

Oxfordshire recovered from losing their homegrown Sussex pair Harrison Ward (0) and Zach Lion-Cachet (11) cheaply as they slipped to 21 for three with Joe Gordon (27) stabilising the innings.

Lion-Cachet reappeared as a runner for his captain Jonny Cater, who injured himself but still played an important innings of 34 from 33 balls to lift Oxfordshire to 126 for eight.

Slow left-armer Freddie Fallows (three for 26) and Leicestershire pace bowler Roman Walker, who took two for 35 on his Cumbria debut, were the main wicket-takers but it was the off-spin of Lancashire and England Under-19s all-rounder Harry Singh and seam of Sam Sharp, who returned combined figures of 8-0-38-2 that kept Oxfordshire in check.

Fallow then contributed a breezy 30 from 27 balls but Cater deployed his bowlers intelligently and Cumbria kept picking out the boundary fielders and they slipped from 40 for one to 55 for five.

Acting captain Matt Sempill and Nico Watt kept Cumbria in the hunt but Watt was bowled by the lively debutant Tom Davis and Sempill pulled Tom Hinley’s left-arm spin to midwicket six balls later.

Hinley, who has been having trials with Warwickshire, finished with three for 15 with Davis, who still has an over to bowl, taking two for 15.

Rain then interrupted play with Oxfordshire on 93 for eight and only four more balls were possible when they players returned before the umpires took them off again.

National Counties T20 Finals Day

Semi-final: Oxfordshire 126-8 (Jonny Cater 34, Freddie Fallows 3-36), Cumbria 96-8 (Freddie Fallows 30, Tom Hinley 3-15). Match resumes on Monday (10am).

Matches to be played on Monday May 27

Semi-final: Staffordshire v Berkshire

Final