Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Cumbria and Cheshire booked their places in the semi-finals of the NV Play National Counties Trophy with victories achieved with varying degrees in comfort in today’s quarter-finals.

Berkshire were the most emphatic winners, beating Buckinghamshire by 124 runs at High Wycombe, and will now have home advantage against Oxfordshire, who eased to a seven wickets win over Wiltshire at Warminster, in the semi-finals on June 28.

Cumbria scrambled a one wicket win over Staffordshire in a low-scoring thriller at Carlisle and will now host Cheshire, who beat Norfolk by 58 runs at Sprowston, in the other semi-final.

Berkshire’s win was based on their record third wicket partnership of 158 between Middlesex Academy batter James Isbell (83) and Charlie Dunnett (77) and a late assault from Euan Woods (47 not out from 31 balls) which took them to a commanding 308 for five in their 50 overs.

Any hopes Buckinghamshire had of chasing that down were swiftly stifled by Berkshire captain Andy Rishton who bowled his 10 overs off the reel and took four for 20, including Northamptonshire batter Aadi Sharma who was caught behind for a six-ball duck.

With former Middlesex seamer Toby Greatwood equally miserly, Buckinghamshire were off the pace on 95 for five at the midway stage of their innings. George Harvey (51 from 69 balls) and Josh Lincoln, with an aggressive 61 against his former county, managed to increase the tempo in a sixth wicket partnership of 78 but Buckinghamshire had left themselves with too much work to do.

Woods took three for 50 with his off-spin and Buckinghamshire were dismissed for 184 with more than 10 overs unused.

Oxfordshire completed their win with almost 15 overs to spare despite a fourth Trophy century from Wiltshire captain  Ed Young.

Wiltshire were wobbling at 22 for three before Young and Will Naish (33) stabilised the innings with a fourth wicket partnership of 62.

Alfie Johnson (38) then provided further valuable support to Young before the former Gloucestershire all-rounder completed his century in partnership with last man Joe King.

Young finished unbeaten on 114 from 116 balls but Wiltshire’s total of 216 for nine always looked below par. So it proved as 15-year-old batter Evan Cowley again made a favourable impression with a quickfire 37 at the top of the order.

Hayden Rossouw then followed up his four wickets with an unbeaten half-century in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 98 with Freddie Smith, who was 79 not out when Oxfordshire completed the win.

Cumbria squeezed home by the tightest of margins at Carlisle where batters struggled and seam bowlers prospered.

Sam Kelsall (38) and Tom Moulton, with 46 in his first appearance of the season, appeared to have laid the foundations for a substantial total when they opened with a partnership of 73 but Staffordshire then folded to 138 all out with the next highest score being 11.

The damage was done by seamers Louis Backhouse (four for 24) and Ben Walkden (three for 25) but Staffordshire looked the likely winners when Cumbria slumped to 32 for five in the face of the pace of Sam Keeling-Wright, who had figures of 6-1-15-4 in a devastating first spell.

But Cumbria captain Michael Slack and Max Winskill managed to repair the damage with a sixth wicket partnership of 83 while Keeling-Wright was out of the attack which got them to within 24 of their target.

Cumbria still needed seven when Slack toe-ended a catch to wicketkeeper Callum Hawkins off Jake Garlick and Keeling-Wright then returned to claim his fifth wicket by bowling Sam Bates.

But Backhouse proved to be Cumbria’s hero as, with the scores level,  he straight drove Garlick for the winning boundary with 14 balls to spare.

Cheshire’s win at Sprowston helped them to take partial revenge for a six wickets defeat by Norfolk in the 2024 Trophy final at Wormsley.

Cheshire limped to 95 for six before they were revived by their record seventh wicket partnership of 118 between captain Harry Dearden and Kevin Carroll.

Former Leicestershire batter Dearden made 69 from 72 balls and Carroll 77 from 71 balls which lifted Cheshire to 261 all out.

Norfolk made stuttering progress in reply. There were five scores of 20 or more but only Alfie Cooper (42) topped 40. Their only half century partnership – an unbroken one of 51 between Callum Metcalf (35 not out) and Brett Stolworthy - came for the eighth wicket but spanned all but five balls of the last 10 overs of the innings.

Norfolk eventually pottered to 203 for seven with Oxton seamer Jack Corran taking three for 35 on his competition and seasonal debuts and slow left-armer Isaac Brooks two for 33.

NV Play National Counties Trophy

Quarter-finals

Carlisle: Staffordshire 138 (Tom Moutlton 46, Louis Backhouse 4-24, Ben Walkden 3-25), Cumbria 142-9 (Michael Slack 43, Maz Winskill 42, Sam Keeling-Wright 5-26). Cumbria won by one wicket.

Sprowston: Cheshire 261 (Kevin Carroll 77, Harry Dearden 69), Norfolk 203-7 (Alfie Cooper 42, Jack Corran 3-35). Norfolk won by 58 runs.

High Wycombe: Berkshire 308-5 (James Isbell 83, Charlie Dunnett 77, Euan Woods 47 not out), Buckinghamshire 184 (Josh Lincoln 61, George Harvey 69, Andy Rishton 4-20, Euan Woods 3-50). Berkshire won by 124 runs.

Warminster: Wiltshire 216-9 (Ed Young 114 not out, Hayden Rossouw 4-27), Oxfordshire 218-3 (Freddie Smith 79 not out, Hayden Rossouw 59 not out). Oxfordshire won by seven wickets.

Semi-finals

Cumbria v Cheshire

Berkshire v Oxfordshire

Ties to be played on June 28.