Conner Haddow kept alive Buckinghamshire’s hopes of retaining the NCCA Cluberly Championship with another inspired bowling performance on the third day of a compelling final against Devon at West Bromwich Dartmouth.

Slow left-armer Haddow followed up his five first innings wickets with six for 96 to give him his second consecutive ten wicket match haul in a Championship final. It also extended a remarkable record at Sandwell Park for Buckinghamshire’s captain to 44 wickets in four matches for the county including six five wicket hauls. Haddow has also taken 11 wickets – including another dive wicket haul – for NCCA or Challengers representative teams against touring Zimbabwean sides in the last three seasons.

Having bowled 13 wicketless overs for 38 runs at the start of Devon’s second innings, Haddow took six for 58 in his next 31 overs, all delivered from the Birmingham Road End.

He arrived in the final in excellent form having taken three five wicket hauls for Worcestershire Second XI in the past month including 12 in the match against Glamorgan at Newport.

It all made for a fascinating day’s cricket as Devon were made to graft to extend their overnight 127 for two all out to 244 all out which left Buckinghamshire with a target of 256 in four sessions.

Devon gave slow left-armer Callum Harvey the new ball but it was seamer George Daldorph who made the early breakthrough when he had Archie Dodds well taken by Matt Whalley in the slips.

Billy Dodds and Aaryan Sawant added 36 and seemed to be going along nicely when Sawant was run out at the non-striker’s end. Dodds turned a delivery from Harvey off his legs, wicketkeeper Thompson scampered round and Harvey managed to remove the bails before Sawant had regained his ground.

Dodds almost made it through to the close but he departed in the final over when Elstone held a low catch off Harvey to leave Buckinghamshire needing 200 more with seven wickets intact.

Early morning rain delayed the start for an hour and three quarters but Devon immediately lost Sam Elstone, who was 55 not out overnight, LBW to Ed Bragg’s first ball of the day.

Haddow bowled unchanged while Bragg, Tom Weymes and Matt Pardoe kept things tight at the other end which meant that Devon’s progress was cautious.

Skipper James Horler and Seb Linnitt got them through to lunch without further mishap but Horler departed early in the afternoon session when he nibbled Bragg to wicketkeeper George Harvey.

Haddow then got turn and bounce to snare Ben Privett at slip and James Matravers then sliced a drive to Bragg at point.

Weymes ended Linnitt’s obdurate innings of 28 when Pardoe snaffled a catch at gully and Harvey gave Haddow his tenth wicket of the match when he popped a return catch.

Matt Thompson produced an aggressive cameo of 21 before he was bowled by Pardoe and Haddow, who took 16 wickets in Buckinghamshire’s 19 runs victory over Devon in last year’s final, wrapped things up when Sam Read top-edged to slip.

NCCA Cluberly Championship Final

West Bromwich Dartmouth CC: Devon 290 (Sam Elstone 104, Conner Haddow 5-103) & 244 (Elliot Hamilton 77, Sam Elstone 55, Conner Haddow 6-96), Buckinghamshire 279 (Rhys Nicholas 48, Matt Pardoe 48) & 56-3.