T20 Week 3 Review - Monday

Berkshire became the first county to book a place in this season’s National Counties T20 Finals Day with a thrilling three wickets win in the opening match of their double-header against Oxfordshire at Thame. 

Berkshire’s win ended Oxfordshire’s hopes of retaining their title but they put up a terrific fight led by a superb all-round display from Samit Patel, the Nottinghamshire and England star. 

First Patel pummelled a century from 56 balls then he bowled a nerveless final over that almost snatched victory with two wickets going down in successive balls. 

Berkshire required three from the last two balls of the match; Toby Greatwood scrambled a leg bye before Rhodri Lewis struck the final delivery for four to secure Berkshire’s passage to Finals Day at Tring Park on May 21 as Group Four winners. 

Patel shared half century partnerships with Oxfordshire captain Jonny Cater then Marcus Campopiano for the fourth and fifth wickets and a target of 187 stretched Berkshire. 

Dan Lincoln led the chase with 51 from 34 balls including five sixes and Andy Rishton sustained it with 57 from just 29 balls. 

Berkshire began the last over needing three for victory but Charlie Dunnett was unable to score off the firstball, he was run out off the second and Patel snared Rishton with the third before bowling another dot ball to Greatwood. 

Oxfordshire won the second match by 41 runs to inflict a first defeat of the season on Berkshire who will be able to enjoy a day off when the final round of group matches are played on Sunday without having to worry about the various mathematical calculations that may be required to decide the other three groups. 

Jamie Harrison’s 76 led Oxfordshire to 174 for eight and three wickets from George Tait helped to throttle Berkshire. 

Bedfordshire completed a double over Wales NC at Ampthill where former Northamptonshire captain Alex Wakely enjoyed himself in the familiar surroundings of his home club with 63 not out to clinch a three wickets win in the opener. 

Solid batting down the order took Bedfordshire to 144 for seven in the second match and although Wales responded in kind with Brad Wadlan, Will Smale and Sam Pearce all reaching 30 they finished ten runs short. 

Staffordshire completed their Group One programme with a ten runs win over Cheshire at Nantwich in the only match that was played in the group that has been worst affected by the weather. Cheshire’s defeat, in the first match that they were able to take the field, ended their hopes of another trip to Finals Day. 

Shropshire’s double-header against Cumbria at Wem was abandoned leaving Cumbria still waiting for their first cricket of the season.  

When the opener at Nantwich was also abandoned it meant that 12 of the first 15 matches in the group had failed to produce a result. 

Happily, conditions improved, allowing the second match to be played in full with Staffordshire making 176 for five after they were put in based around Liam Banks’ 15-ball 38 - which included five sixes - and Michael Hill’s aggressive 65 not out from 43 balls. 

Will Perry led Cheshire’s chase with 72 from 53 balls before he lifted former Derbyshire slow left-armer Nils Priestley to deep midwicket. 

Skipper Nick Anderson thumped four sixes in his 34 which kept Cheshire in the hunt but Priestley and former Lancashire seamer Liam Hurt kept it tight at the death. 

Staffordshire sit out the final round of group matches and so will have to monitor from afar events at South Northumberland, where Northumberland host Shropshire, and Netherfield where Cumbria take on Cheshire. 

Dorset missed the opportunity to wrap up Group Two and join Berkshire at Finals Day after they were beaten by five wickets by Wiltshire in the second match at Warminster. 

Dorset won the opener by 24 runs but they ran into trouble in the second game against Warwickshire left-arm wrist spinner Jake Lintott who took four wickets supported by three each from Josh Croom and Chris Aubrey. 

Dorset were dismissed for 84 in 13.1 overs and Wiltshire needed only 12.2 overs to complete their first win of the season. 

The opening match was dominated by a brilliant century from Sam Young with 104 from 54 balls including eight sixes. 

The former Somerset batter shared a second wicket partnership of 97 with David Scott and although captain Ed Young responded with a half century, Wiltshire went down by 24 runs. 

Dorset, who have completed their group programme, now face an anxious wait to see whether Cornwall can overtake them which they will if they can beat Devon twice at Cornwood on Sunday. 

Cornwall’s task would have been more straightforward had they not suffered a four runs defeat against Herefordshire in the second match at Werrington. 

Ollie Walker’s 44 proved vital to Herefordshire who collapsed from 82 for one to 126 all out with Dan Lello taking five for 19 including three wickets in four balls. 

Captain Paul Smith (40) and Will MacVicar (24) appeared to be taking Cornwall to victory when they added 64 for the third wicket but they both fell within the space of five balls and Herefordshire kept it tight to secure their first win of the season. 

Cornwall won a low-scoring opener by four wickets and after a struggle in pursuit of a target of 85. Roshan Venkataraman took three for eight but MacVicar helped to see Cornwall home with eight balls to spare with a restrained 37. 

Hertfordshire will take Group Three if they can win one of their two games against Suffolk at Welwyn Garden City on Sunday. 

Suffolk’s own chances of reaching Finals Day were damaged by losing their opener against Norfolk at Ipswich School by eight wickets although they gained revenge with a seven runs win in the second match.

Sam Arthurton’s half century proved decisive in the opener after Josh Cantrell had top scored with 31 not out in Suffolk’s 109 for seven. 

Norfolk slow left-armer Ryan Findlay took two for 15 and improved on that with four for 13 in the second match. 

But Norfolk were kept in check by Suffolk’s Northamptonshire left-arm wrist spinner Freddie Heldreich and they went down by seven runs despite Arthurton’s 40. 

Cambridgeshire’s double-header against Lincolnshire was abandoned because of a waterlogged ground which brought a soggy end to Lincolnshire’s T20 campaign.

National Counties T20 

Group One 

Nantwich: Cheshire v Staffordshire. Match one abandoned. Staffordshire 176-5 Michael Hill 65 not out), Cheshire 166-9 (Sam Perry 72). Staffordshire won by ten runs. 

Wem: Shropshire v Cumbria. Both matches abandoned. 

Group Two 

Werrington: Herefordshire 84-8, Cornwall 85-6 (Will MacVicar 37, Roshan Venkataraman 3-8). Cornwall won by four wickets. Herefordshire 126 (Ollie Walker 44, Dan Lello 5-17), Cornwall 122-9 (Paul Smith 40). Herefordshire won by four runs.  

Warminster: Dorset 210-3 (Sam Young 104, David Scott 50), Wiltshire 186-6 (Ed Young 68). Dorset won by 24 runs. Dorset 84 (Jake Lintott 4-11, Josh Croom 3-15, Chris Aubrey 3-36), Wiltshire 85-5. Wiltshire won by five wickets. 

Group Three 

March: Cambridgeshire v Lincolnshire. Both matches abandoned. 

Ipswich School: Suffolk 109-7, Norfolk 112-2 (Sam Arthurton 52). Norfolk won by eight wickets. Suffolk 108-8 (Ryan Findlay 4-13), Norfolk 101-9 (Sam Arthurton 40, Freddie Heldreich 3-19). Suffolk won by seven runs. 

Group Four 

Ampthill: Wales NC 142-9 (Cameron Hemp 43, Joe Lowe 3-19), Bedfordshire 144-7 (Alex Wakely 63 not out). Bedfordshire won by three wickets. Bedfordshire 166-6 (Richard Edwards 3-34), Wales NC 156-5. Bedfordshire won by ten runs. 

Thame: Oxfordshire 186-6 (Samit Patel 114), Berkshire 189-7 (Andy Rishton 57, Dan Lincoln 51). Berkshire won by three wickets. Oxfordshire 174-8 (Jamie Harrison 76, Andy Rishton 3-18), Berkshire 133-9 (George Tait 3-17). Oxfordshire won by 41 runs.