NCCA Cluberly Championship: Week 4 - Day One Review

Spinners Conner Haddow and Max Uttley gave Buckinghamshire the early advantage on the opening day of their NCCA Cluberly Championship Eastern Division One match against Staffordshire at Stafford.

The pair combined to dismiss Staffordshire for 194 on a pitch of occasional bounce and which showed early signs of turn with slow left-armer Haddow taking four for 21 to give him 17 wickets in his last three Championship innings.

Off-spinner Utley weighed in with two for 17 in five overs as Staffordshire lost their last six wickets for 40 after Buckinghamshire captain Alexei Kervezee had won the toss.

Only Jack Redman (45) and Tom Moulton (41) reached 30 for Staffordshire, the defending Eastern Division champions.

Buckinghamshire, who were Eastern Division and national champions in 2023, were given a solid start to their reply with Billy Dods and Moiz Rana sharing an opening stand of 49 before Rana was bowled by Jake Garlick for 27.

Garlick swiftly accounted for Friend, who edged to first slip but Billy Dodds and Kervezee stabilised things with a third wicket partnership of 50. Kervezee departed, bowled cutting Tom Brett, just before the close but Dodds ended the day unbeaten on 54.

Suffolk were rescued by opening batter Ollie Burle in a potential relegation decider against Lincolnshire at Cleethorpes.

Suffolk slipped from 91 for one to 115 for five just before lunch with former Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Surrey left-arm paceman Mark Footitt taking three of the wickets.

But Burle, who made a career-best 96 not out against Staffordshire last week, dug in for almost five-and-a-half hours for his 95 which allowed Sussex captain Jack Beaumont to declare on 368 for eight and deny Lincolnshire maximum bowling points.

Jacob Marston (59) shared a sixth wicket partnership of 108 with Burle and Freddie Heldreich (68 not out) and Tom Harper (34) prolonged Suffolk’s resistance with an eighth wicket stand of 65.

Suffolk then took three Lincolnshire wickets in the final hour, including James Laund and Qundeel Haider in the space of five balls, as they closed on 51 for three.

There were centuries for Matt Thompson and Callum Harvey for Western Division One leaders Devon against Herefordshire at Eastnor.

Thompson, who is retiring from county cricket at the end of the season, made the seventh century of his career and Harvey his first having converted his maiden 50 into 101. The pair added 149 for the fifth wicket while seamer Roshan Venkataraman led Herefordshire’s attack with the second five-wicket haul of his career.

Herefordshire lost Ben Chapman-Lilley early in their reply but captain Matt Pardoe made his third successive half-century to steer them to 83 for one at the close.

Defending Western Division champions Berkshire fought back hard after they had been frustrated by a solid Oxfordshire batting display at Thame.

Julian Laird and Luke Hayes (61) denied Berkshire a breakthrough before the afternoon session by opening with a partnership of 127. Laird, who is on the Sussex Academy, fell 15 short of a century on debut before George Tait (46) and Hayden Rossouw (42) contributed useful runs further down the order.

Slow left-armer Samm Daniel, with a career-best four for 114, and off-spinner Adam Searle (three for 92) were the most effective of Berkshire’s injury-hit attack.

Berkshire openers Rhys Lewis and Jonny Connell launched a bold counter-attack in the evening session, both of them compiling aggressive unbeaten half-centuries in an unbroken partnership of 110 in just 16 overs.

Jack Hope-Bell became the first Wales NC batter in seven years to make a century on Championship debut against Dorset at Wimborne in Western Division Two.

Hope-Bell, who was called up to replace player/coach Brad Wadlan who had club commitments with Penzance, made 104 from 135 balls before he became one of five victims for slow left-armer Connor Smith. Mujahid Ilyas, against Cheshire in 2018, was the previousWales batter to make a century on debut in the competition.

Cian Davies (54) and Harry Friend (35) added 90 for the first wicket and skipper Cameron Herring (45) and Rhodri Lewis (38) contributed important runs lower down the order to help Wales to 339 all out.

Dorset closed on 65 for two with debutant Wilf La Fontaine Jackson unbeaten on 38.

Wiltshire captain Ed Young led from the front with a century against Shropshire at Bridgnorth.

Young’s 123 was the fourth Championship century of his career and was the centrepiece of an excellent team batting performance which helped Wiltshire to 388 for nine in their 90 overs.

Young added 177 for the fourth wicket with Jake Goodwin (75) after John Sadler (41) and Josh Kelly (46) had laid solid foundations with a second wicket partnership of 115.

Former Worcestershire Academy pair Cameron Jones (four for 69) and Joe Stanley (three for 102) did most to check Wiltshire’s progress.

Shropshire made a positive start to their reply with opener Harry Chandler striking ten fours in his 38-ball 43 before he edged Tom Vermaak to first slip.

Bedfordshire piled up the day’s highest total – 433 for six – against Hertfordshire at Hertford in Eastern Division Two with Joe Johnson making his maiden century.

Johnson had scored just 12 runs in his two previous innings in the competition but he starred in a dominant batting display in which he shared an opening stand of 178 with Jake Tarling (80).

Former Glamorgan batter Tom Cullen (77 not out) and Rohan Mehmi,with a career-best 85-ball 82, then added 144 for the sixth wicket with Dan Orchard emerging with most credit for Hertfordshire with three wickets on his county debut at his home club ground.

Hertfordshire lost Archie Harrison and Max Lawrance to Jack Fuller early in their reply but acting-captain Dominic Chatfield (29 not out) and Scott Galloway (39 not out) added 60 for the third wicket to steer them to 85 for two.

Jack McCarthy celebrated his first appearance for Northumberland in three years with a half-century against Cumbria at Furness.

Former Durham batters Jonny Bushnell (66) and Ross Whitfield (48) also made significant contributions but Northumberland lost their last four wickets for 20 and were dismissed for 262 with slow left-armer Freddie Fallows taking four for 61.

Openers Max Winskill and Nathan Waterston saw Cumbria safely through to 41 without loss in reply.

 NCCA Cluberly Championship

First day of three

Eastern Division One

Cleethorpes: Suffolk 368-8 dec (Ollie Burle 95, Freddie Heldreich 68 not out, Jacob Marston 59), Lincolnshire 51-3.

Stafford: Staffordshire 194 (Jack Redman 45, Conner Haddow 4-21), Buckinghamshire 116-3 (Billy Dodds 54 not out).

Western Division One

Eastnor: Devon 362 (Matt Thompson 104, Callum Harvey 101, Roshan Venkataraman 5-105), Herefordshire 83-1 (Matt Pardoe 52 not out).

Thame: Oxfordshire 328-9 (Julian Laird 85, Luke Hayes 61, George Tait 46, Samm Daniel 4-114), Berkshire 110-0 (Rhys Lewis 53 not out, Jonny Connell 51 not out).

Eastern Division Two

Furness: Northumberland 262 (Jonny Bushnell 66, Jack McCarthy 62, Ross Whitfield 48, Freddie Fallows 4-61), Cumbria 41-0.

Hertford: Bedfordshire 433-6 (Joe Johnson 107, Rohan Mehmi 82, Jake Tarling 80, Tom Cullen 77), Hertfordshire 85-2.

Western Division Two

Wimborne: Wales NC 339 (Jack Hope-Bell 104, Cian Davies 54, Cameron Herring 45 Connor Smith 5-76), Dorset 65-2.

Bridgnorth: Wiltshire 388-9 (Ed Young 123 not out, Jake Goodwin 75, Josh Kelly 46, Cameron Jones 4-69), Shropshire 87-2

📸 Roger Byrne