The Showcase Games Review

Northumberland and Staffordshire claimed the scalps of first-class counties Durham and Leicestershire in a rain-blighted round of Showcase matches. 

Northumberland beat neighbours Durham by 28 runs at Jesmond with Staffordshire securing a two runs victory under the DLS Method to edge out Leicestershire at Knypersley. 

Nikhil Gorantla was Northumberland’s hero as the Durham UCCE batter made a brilliant 118 from 121 balls to take them to 290 for eight, which was a challenging total even on a ground that is renowned for high-scoring. 

Durham’s attack included Oliver Gibson and George Drissell who have played for Northumberland this season. 

Graham Clark (40) and Jonathan Bushnell (74) led Durham’s chase but Northumberland captain Stuart Poynter deployed his bowlers intelligently against his former county. 

Rookie seamer George Darwood, Callum Fletcher, Max Williamson and slow left-armer Oli McGee shared eight wickets between them with Darwood sealing the win by having last man Luke Robinson caught behind. 

It was Durham’s second successive defeat in Showcase matches having lost to Lincolnshire last year. 

Captain James Kettleborough steered Staffordshire to victory at Knypersley with 63 not out from 59 balls. 

That was just enough to keep Staffordshire ahead of the required DLS rate when the forecast rain arrived 17 overs into their innings. 

Leicestershire had posted an imposing 304 for seven thanks to Colin Ackermann’s 116 from 113 balls and 52 from Wiaan Mulder. 

The pair added 109 for the fifth wicket before former Lincolnshire batter Louis Kimber struck an unbeaten 30 from 13 balls. 

Pace bowler Liam Hurt took four wickets against one of his former counties before Kettleborough continued his prolific season with ten fours and a six to keep Staffordshire just ahead of the required rate. 

The other Showcase matches that were completed were all won by first-class counties with Derbyshire denying Lincolnshire another scalp with a six wickets win at the Lindum in Lincoln. 

Lincolnshire made sure that Derbyshire had to work for their victory with Jordan Cook and Ben Wright, fresh from a century against Suffolk, both making fluent half-centuries. 

Lincolnshire were still in the game when Derbyshire were 118 for four in pursuit of a target of 251 but Harry Came (125 not out) and Brooke Guest (51 not out) saw then home without further alarm . 

Cambridgeshire’s Callum Guest produced an excellent all-round performance but it was not enough to prevent Northamptonshire from winning by 51 runs (DLS) at Peterborough Town. 

Guest took four for 41 to help restrict Northamptonshire to 223 with former Dorset wicketkeeper/batter Lewis McManus top scoring with 62. 

Cambridgeshire slipped to 49 for seven in reply before Guest, who finished unbeaten on 64 not, and Mohammad Danyaal added 84 for the eighth wicket. The rain arrived with Cambridgeshire on 166 for nine. 

Cumbria batter JJ Fielding also impressed in defeat against Lancashire, for whom he has played Second XI cricket, at Sedbergh School. 

Fielding struck five sixes in his 60-ball 67 which kept Cumbria in the hunt against last season’s One Day Cup runners-up. 

Cumbria, who have reached a fourth successive National Counties Trophy final, fell 47 runs short of Lancashire’s 272 for five in a match reduced to a 36 overs contest by morning rain. 

George Balderson (71) and wicketkeeper Matty Hunt (69 not out) were Lancashire’s chief contributors. 

Dorset were undone by some familiar faces in their 114 runs defeat by Hampshire at Wimborne in a rain-reduced 22 overs match. 

Dorset product Tom Prest top-scored with 52 from 45 balls for a Hampshire side that also included three more past or present Dorset players in Felix Organ, Scott Currie and Joe Eckland. 

Despite 22 from opener Jacob Gordon, Dorset never got to grips with a revised target of 190 and were dismissed for 75. 

Surrey, who were beaten by Buckinghamshire last year, avoided another upset but not before Suffolk had caused them problems at Woolpit. 

Surrey were 67 for four at one stage before Josh Blake’s unbeaten 96 took them to 216 for nine with the next highest score being 20. 

Suffolk were 45 for six when rain arrived with England white ball international Reece Topley taking two for 15 against the county of his birth in his continued recovery from a dislocated shoulder. 

Conor McKerr took two for eight and Suffolk were beaten by 101 runs under the DLS Method. 

Somerset, who were beaten by Cornwall two weeks ago, were pushed hard by Devon for their four wickets win at Bovey Tracey. 

Rain reduced the match to a 27 overs contest and Devon set their first-class neighbours a stiff target of 193 thanks to 82 not out from Plympton’s Elliot Hamilton. 

Hamilton shared an opening stand of 74 with Cornwood’s Max Finzel, who made 43 on his Devon debut, with Ben Privett of Plympton making 30 from 18 balls. 

Devon scented an upset when they had Somerset six for two seven balls into their chase but James Rew’s 80 from 57 balls and 38 from Sean Dickson settled their nerves. 

Privett took wickets but Somerset got home with 16 balls to spare and now head to Truro to face Cornwall on Tuesday. 

Norfolk were beaten by 185 runs by a strong Nottinghamshire side at Horsford where Sam King, who has played for them this season, impressed for the visitors. 

King made 58 and Matt Montgomery 88 in Nottinghamshire’s imposing 312 for six before Norfolk slumped to 127 all out with leg-spinner Calvin Harrison taking four for 27. 

Rain sweeping in from the west meant that the other matches failed to produce a result with Wales NC’s game against Warwickshire at Sudbrook in Caldicot being abandoned without a ball being bowled. 

Cheshire had batted themselves into a useful position against Yorkshire at Nantwich where they were 268 for nine when rain arrived during the tea interval and prevented further play. 

Half-centuries from former Leicestershire left-hander Harry Dearden, Will Perry and Chris Sanders provided the entertainment in the first senior county match played at Whitehouse Lane with Sanders clobbering 61 not out from 41 balls including four sixes. 

The match between Berkshire and Middlesex was also intriguingly poised when the rain arrived at the Falkland club in Newbury. 

Berkshire beat Middlesex in the corresponding fixture two years ago and had them in early trouble at 20 for three after Dan Lincoln had won the toss. 

Middlesex had recovered to 217 for seven when rain arrived in the 37^th over with Luke Hollman, who played for Berkshire in 2019, unbeaten on 78. Pace bowler Mungo Russell took three for 36 in eight overs. 

Josh Rymell, who played for Suffolk in their Durant Cricket National Counties Championship match against Lincolnshire last week, made 63 not out for Essex against Bedfordshire at Dunstable. 

Rymell shared a second wicket partnership of 117 with Robin Das which helped Essex to 154 for three in 20.2 overs before rain ended play. 

The rain also reached the West Herts club in Watford where Kent had piled up 311 for four in 44.2 overs against Hertfordshire. 

Jack Leaning (106) and Ben Compton (93) shared a rapid opening partnership of 167 before Compton was stumped off Andrew Neal. 

Hertfordshire captain Ben Waring then ended Leaning’s 92-ball innings but Harry Finch was going well – 46 not out from 34 balls – when play ended. 

Former Worcestershire batter Ollie Westbury made a battling half century against his old county but Shropshire were still dismissed for 24 in 40.5 overs at Shrewsbury. 

Former Cheshire left-arm seamer Ben Gibbon took three for 20 and Harry Darley, who was playing on his home club ground, three for 17 including the wicket of former Worcestershire batter Tom Fell who was bowled for one. 

The forecast rain arrived during the interval and prevented Worcestershire from starting their reply. 

Sussex had made a strong start against Oxfordshire at Wormsley and were 204 for two from 31 overs when play was halted. 

Tom Alsop was 10 short of his century when the players left the field having added 127 for the second wicket with Will Rogers (73). 

The rain arrived early at Cheltenham College, where Wiltshire were 57 for four in 13.2 overs against Gloucestershire, and at Eastnor where Herefordshire reached 93 for four in 23.1 overs against Glamorgan when play was halted. 

Jack Mynott was unbeaten on 36 for Wiltshire with Nick Hammond top-scoring with 27 for Herefordshire. 

Showcase Matches 

Dunstable: Essex 154-3 (Robin Das 68, Josh Rymell 63 not out) v Bedfordshire. No Result. 

Falkland CC, Newbury: Middlesex 214-7 (Luke Hollman 78 not out) v Berkshire. No Result.

Peterborough Town: Northamptonshire 223 (Lewis McManus 62, Callum Guest 4-41), Cambridgeshire 166-9. Northamptonshire won by 51 runs (DLS).

Nantwich: Cheshire 268-9 (Harry Dearden 76, Chris Sanders 61 not out, Sam Perry 50) v Yorkshire. No result.

Sedbergh School: Lancashire 272-5 (George Balderson 71, Matty Hurst 69 not out), Cumbria 225 (JJ Fielding 67). Lancashire won by 67 runs.

Bovey Tracey: Devon 192-4 (Elliot Hamilton 82 not out), Somerset 193-6 (Jamie Rew 80). Somerset won by four wickets. 

Wimborne: Hampshire 187-9 (Tom Prest 52), Dorset 75 (Eddie Jack 4-7). Hampshire won by 114 runs.

Cheltenham College: Wiltshire 57-4 Gloucestershire. No result.

Eastnor: Herefordshire 93-4 v Glamorgan. No result.

West Herts CC, Watford: Kent 311-4 (Jack Leaning 106, Ben Compton 93) v Hertfordshire. No Result.

Lindum CC, Lincoln: Lincolnshire 250-9 (Jordan Cook 70 not out, Ben Wright 55), Derbyshire 251-3 (Harry Came 125 not out, Brooke Guest 59 not out). Derbyshire won by six wickets.

Horsford: Nottinghamshire 312-9 (Matt Montgomery 88, Sam King 58, Will Bowman 4-46), Norfolk 127 (Calvin Harrison 4-27). Nottinghamshire won by 185 runs.

Jesmond: Northumberland 290-8 (Nikhil Gorantla 118), Durham 261 (Jonathan Bushnell 74). Northumberland won by 28 runs.

Wormsley: Sussex 204-2 (Tom Alsop 90 not out, Will Rogers 73) v Oxfordshire. No Result.

Shrewsbury: Shropshire 124 (Ollie Westbury 56) v Worcestershire. No Result

Knypersley: Leicestershire 304-7 (Colin Ackermann 116, Wiaan Mulder 52), Staffordshire 102-2 (James Kettleborough 63 not out). Staffordshire beat Leicestershire by two runs (DLS).

Woolpit: Surrey 216-9 (Josh Blake 96 not out), Suffolk 45-6. Surrey won by 101 runs (DLS)

Sudbroook CC, Caldicot: Wales NC v Warwickshire. Match abandoned. 

Tuesday August 1 (11am)

Truro: Cornwall v Somerset

Hove: Sussex v Buckinghamshire