T20 Week 4 Review

Cornwall's Max Tryfonos vs Devon

Cornwall and Staffordshire secured their places in National Counties T20 Finals Day in contrasting fashion on the final day of Group matches. 

Cornwall took control of their own destiny by completing a double over Devon at Cornwood which enabled them to overtake Dorset, who sat out the final round of matches, at the top of Group Two. 

Staffordshire also sat out the final round of group matches and had to monitor events at Netherfield and South Northumberland before they were confirmed as Group One winners. 

Both Cumbria and Northumberland started the day with the potential to overtake Staffordshire but Cumbria dropped out of the running after they were beaten by Cheshire in the opening match at Netherfield. 

Northumberland kept alive their hopes of reaching Finals Day with a seven-wicket win over Shropshire in the opener at South Northumberland but a 13-run defeat in the second match ended their challenge. 

Staffordshire finished a point ahead of Cheshire with their ten runs victory over them at Nantwich last Monday proving significant in a group in which 12 of the 20 matches failed to produce a result. 

Cornwall and Staffordshire join Berkshire and Hertfordshire – who secured their qualification as Group Three winners on Friday after their scheduled double-header against Suffolk was cancelled because of waterlogging – at Finals Day at Tring Park on May 21. 

At Cornwood, Somerset all-rounder Lewis Goldsworthy took four for 35 on his seasonal debut for Cornwall, his native county, which helped them to dismiss Devon for 123 in the opener. 

Christian Purchase set up Cornwall’s chase with 34, professional Will McVicar again made a useful contribution with 20 and Tom Sturgess saw them home by three wickets with two balls to spare by thumping a four and a six in successive balls of Kaz Symanski’s final over. 

In the second match, Devon was dismissed for 120 with Calum Haggett top-scoring with 40 but Cornwall made lightweight of their target which they reached almost seven overs to spare thanks to Purchase, who struck six sixes in his 31-ball 66, and Chris Gibson (49 not out). 

The pair shared an opening partnership of 95 and Cornwall got home by eight wickets to dislodge Dorset at the top of the group. 

Haydon Mustard, the 16-year-old son of former Durham, Gloucestershire and England wicketkeeper/batter Phil, impressed on his debut for Northumberland. 

Mustard made 46 not out in the opener against Shropshire and shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 95 with his captain Stuart Poynter (51 not out) which secured a seven-wicket win with nine balls to spare. 

Northumberland restricted Shropshire to 119 for nine in the second match with Durham all-rounder Oliver Gibson following up his four wickets in the opener with three more. 

Shropshire looked set for a more substantial total after former Worcestershire batter Tom Fell made 47 from 37 balls but they managed only 43 and lost six wickets in the second half of their innings. 

Northumberland needed not only to win, but to do so quickly to boost their net run rate sufficiently to overhaul Staffordshire. 

In the end, they did neither as the experienced former Somerset seamer Andy Sutton restrained them with three for 13 and despite Mustard’s patient 33, Northumberland came up short at 106 for nine. 

Nottinghamshire off-spinner Matt Carter impressed with the bat at Netherfield where struck five sixes in a 39-ball 63 to help Cheshire to 135 for eight in the opener. 

Durham UCCE and Kendal slow left-armer Freddie Fallows marked a belated debut for Cumbria – their previous six matches were abandoned without a ball bowled – with four for 10. 

Cumbria fell four short despite a half-century from Sam Dutton and with it went their chances of overtaking Staffordshire. 

Dutton followed up with 38 in the second match which, with 41 from Marcus Stables and 33 from Matthew Sempill took Cumbria to 144 for four. 

It was almost a winning score but Cheshire got home by four wickets off the last ball after Will Perry struck Sam Sharp for four. 

That brought up Perry’s half-century from 45 balls with skipper Nick Anderson – 50 from 32 balls including six sixes – the dominant partner in a fourth-wicket stand of 61. 

Wales NC ended their campaign on a high with a double – both by eight wickets - over deposed defending champions Oxfordshire at Pontarddulais. 

Oxfordshire laboured to 67 for nine in the opener with only Nottinghamshire and England all-rounder Samit Patel reaching double figures against the accurate seam of Richard Edwards (three for 11) and Saihaj Jaspal (two for nine). 

Wales cantered home with more than eight overs to spare with Cameron Hemp (30 not out) and Brad Wadlan (29 not out) adding 57 for the third wicket. 

Jaspal, who plays his club cricket for Ammanford, took three for 11 in the second match and Glamorgan staff man Ben Morris two for 15 to restrict Oxfordshire to 105 for six. 

Wales again cruised to victory with seven overs unused with Glamorgan batter making 50 not out from 30 balls, Hemp 28 from 23 balls and Wadlan 24 not out from 17 balls. 

Honours were shared in the other Group Four double-header at High Wycombe where Buckinghamshire won the opener by 63 runs and Bedfordshire the second by five wickets. 

Former Worcestershire and Netherlands batter Alexei Kervezee enjoyed a productive day with a race of half-centuries for Buckinghamshire. 

He started with 67 from 44 balls in the opener and shared a first-wicket partnership of 127 with Alex Woodland (64). 

Three wickets from Ed Bragg kept Bedfordshire in check and they were restricted to 115 for nine having been 57 for five at the halfway stage. 

But Bedfordshire gained revenge in the second match despite Kervezee’s 59-ball 80 and an opening stand of 69 with Woodland. 

Bedfordshire got home with 16 balls to spare with Amrit Basra (51 from 31 balls) and Alex Wakely (37 from 29 balls) laying the foundations with a third-wicket stand of 66. 

Both scheduled double-headers in Group Three were washed out with waterlogging at Horsford accounting for the Norfolk v Cambridgeshire games, meaning that only eight of the scheduled 20 matches in the group produced a result. 

National Counties T20 

Group One 

Netherfield: Cheshire 135-8 (Matt Carter 63, Freddie Fallows 4-10), Cumbria 131-5 (Sam Dutton 59). Cheshire won by four runs. Cumbria 144-4 (Marcus Stanles 41 not out), Cheshire 147-4 (Sam Perry 52 not out, Nick Anderson 50). Cheshire won by six wickets. 

South Northumberland CC: Shropshire 151-7 (Oliver Gibson 4-37), Northumberland 154-3 (Stuart Poynter 51 not out, Haydon Mustard 46 not out, John Oswell 34). Northumberland won by seven wickets. Shropshire 119-9 (Tom Fell 47, Sean Tindale 3-27, Oliver Gibson 3-29), Northumberland 106-9 (Haydon Mustard 33, Andy Sutton 3-13). Shropshire won by 13 runs. 

Group Two 

Cornwood: Devon 123 (Ben Beaumont 46, Lewis Goldsworthy 4-35), Cornwall 127-7 (Christian Purchase 34, Max Shepherd 3-14). Cornwall won by three wickets. Devon 120 (Calum Haggett 40, Max Tryfonos 3-32), Cornwall 121-2 (Christian Purchase 66, Chris Gibson 49 not out). Cornwall won by eight wickets. 

Eastnor: Herefordshire v Wiltshire. Both matches were abandoned. 

Group Three 

Welwyn Garden City: Hertfordshire v Suffolk. Both matches were abandoned. 

Horsford: Norfolk v Cambridgeshire. Both matches were abandoned. 

Group Four 

High Wycombe: Buckinghamshire 178-5 (Alexei Kervezee 67, Alex Woodland 64), Bedfordshire 115-9 (Ed Bragg 3-28). Buckinghamshire won by 63 runs. Buckinghamshire 147-4 (Alexei Kervezee 80), Bedfordshire 149-5 (Amrit Basra 51, Alex Wakely 37). Bedfordshire won by five wickets. 

Pontarddulais: Oxfordshire 67-9 (Richard Edwards 3-11), Wales NC 68-2. Wales NC won by eight wickets. Oxfordshire 105-6 (Saihaj Jaspal 3-11), Wales NC 106-2 (Ben Kellaway 50 not out). Wales NC won by eight wickets.