NCCA Cluberly Championship: Final Round - Day Three Review

Buckinghamshire and Devon will meet in a repeat of the 2023 NCCA Cluberly Championship final at West Bromwich Dartmouth on Sunday after they clinched the Eastern and Western Division titles on a rain-affected final day of the regular season.

Both sides secured top spot in their respective divisions despite not bowling a ball on the final day of their regular season. While Devon were able to start their celebrations early, Buckinghamshire faced a nervous six hour wait after their match against Lincolnshire at High Wycombe was abandoned before they knew they had made the final.

They got there by the skin of their teeth and they were indebted to Cambridgeshire who narrowly denied Staffordshire, the defending Eastern Division champions, the victory that would have taken them to top spot by holding on for a draw with their last pair at the crease at Peterborough.

Cambridgeshire appeared on course for victory when Ben Saunders (52) and Lee Thomason added 70 for the seventh wicket and they were 23 away from a target of 244 in 43 overs but the departure of Saunders saw the loss of three wickets for one run.

Slow left-armer Tom Brett then took the wickets of former Staffordshire paceman James Cox, stumped, and Ethan Rice LBW in his next over but Thomason, who finished 33 not out, shielded last man Matt Rees, who faced only delivery, to steer Cambridgeshire to 224 for nine.

Staffordshire finished seven points behind Buckinghamshire and two behind second-placed Suffolk in the final table.

The washout at High Wycombe condemned Lincolnshire to relegation and they will be replaced by Northumberland who will play in Eastern Division One for the first time next season after they clinched the Division Two title by beatingBedfordshire by 369 runs at the South Northumberland club in Newcastle.

Northumberland knew that a draw would be enough to clinch promotion once Norfolk’s match against Cumbria was abandoned as a draw at 12.30pm after a second successive blank day at Netherfield.

Ross Whitfield’s 162, a career-best and his second Championship century, ensured that Northumberland, already in a dominant position, were able to bat Bedfordshire out of the game and set them a notional 557 to win in a minimum of 41 overs.

Bedfordshire gave a hopeless task a go but were dismissed for 187 – they batted two light with Archie Houghton and Harrison Craig absent – with slow left-armers Joe Stuart and Oli McGee sharing six of the eight wickets that fell.

The victory was Northumberland’s second largest by runs margin and also Bedfordshire’s second heaviest runs defeat.

Cumbria finished as Eastern Division wooden spoonists for the third year running while Norfolk were left to reflect on a frustrating rain-ravaged campaign in which more than a third of their scheduled playing time was lost to the weather.

Devon knew they had won Western Division One by lunchtime after play in their match against Oxfordshire at Sidmouth was called off around the same time that Cornwall’s match against Herefordshire at Redruth was also abandoned.

The draw assured Herefordshire of First Division cricket for another season but Cornwall were relegated having suffered a costly defeat against Devon last month - the only one of ten matches in the division to produce a positive result.

Wiltshire will replace Cornwall in Western Division One after they won Division Two even though their season ended two weeks ago.

It looked like Dorset would pip Wiltshire when Cheshire were 134 for seven having been set a target of 267 at Chester Boughton Hall.

But Luke Young made a composed maiden century and with dogged resistance from David Wainwright and Xander Selby, who batted 46 minutes for five not out, Cheshire held on for the draw at 216 for eight.

Dorset finished just one point behind Wiltshire in the final table with their defeat by their near neighbours at Corsham proving costly.

Dylan Church made 95 not out to set up Dorset’s declaration at Chester and seamer Will Bere took four for 33 on an encouraging debut.

The Western Division spoon went to Wales NC who drew with Shropshire in the first-ever Championship match played at St Asaph.

Harry Chandler’s maiden century and an unbeaten half-century from Ben Lees set up Shropshire’s declaration at 266 for eight which left Wales to chase 266 in a minimum of 46 overs.

Shropshire looked the likely winners when slow left-armer Warrick Fynn snared Harrison Jones and first innings century-maker Cameron Herring in the space of three balls which left Wales precariously placed at 91 for five.

But Ollie Rayner (44 not out) and Sami Khan (16 not out) dug in to deny Shropshire another breakthrough before the sides shook hands on the draw.

NCCA Cluberly Championship

Final day of three

Eastern Division One

High Wycombe: Lincolnshire 308 (Joe Pocklington 153, Ben Jones 69, Teddy Fleming 4-83), Buckinghamshire 90-2 (Taran Toor 38 not out). No play on Tuesday. Buckinghamshire (8pts) drew with Lincolnshire (7pts).

Peterborough: Staffordshire 287-8 (Michael Hill 112 not out, Aum Patel 4-84) & 291-7 dec (James Kettleborough 88, Sam Atkinson 57, Pete Wilshaw 47 not out, Michael Hill 46), Cambridgeshire 335 (Ben Saunders 90, Aum Patel 73, Callum Guest 48) & 224-9 (Ben Saunders 52, Tom Brett 5-78). Cambridgeshire (11pts) drew with Staffordshire (11pts ).

Western Division One

Redruth: Herefordshire 328-9 dec (Cyrus Shafi 89, Ben Chapman-Lilley 85, Luke Tulacz 71 not out), Cornwall 25-1. No play Tuesday – rain. Cornwall (8pts) drew with Herefordshire (8pts).

Sidmouth: Oxfordshire 172 (Freddie Smith 54, Sam Read 6-43), Devon 198-9 (George Tait 5-66). No play Tuesday – rain. Devon (9pts) drew with Oxfordshire (8pts).

Eastern Division Two

Netherfield: Cumbria 113-2 (Nathan Waterston 57) v Norfolk. No play Monday or Tuesday – rain. Cumbria (8pts) drew with Norfolk (8pts).

South Northumberland CC: Northumberland 373-6 (Sol Bell 128, Sean Tindale 114, John Oswell 55 not out, Jake Tarling 4-112) & 431-8 dec (Ross Whitfield 162, Harry Crawshaw 70, John Oswell 45), Bedfordshire 248 (Harrison Craig 85, Joe Stuart 4-53) & 187 (Nabil Moughal 58 not out). Northumberland (24pts) beat Bedfordshire (4pts) by 369 runs.

Western Division Two

Chester Boughton Hall: Dorset 382-8 dec (Joe Eckland 137, Greg Willows 95, David Wainwright 4-77) & 221-7 dec (Dylan Church 95 not out, Alex Eckland 40), Cheshire 337-9 (Henry Murray 109, Luke Young 64) & (Luke Young, Will Bere) & 216-8 (Luke Young 138 not out). Cheshire (11pts) drew with Dorset (12pts)

St Asaph: Shropshire 253 (Warrick Fynn 110, Ollie Sherwood 4-50) & 266-8 dec (Harry Chandler 105, Ben Lees 53 not out), Wales NC 254 (Cameron Herring 107 not out, Joe Stanley 5-94) & 145-5 (Ollie Rayner 44 not out, Warrick Fynn 4-35). Wales NC (10pts) drew with Shropshire (10pts).