NCCA T20 2025: Week 3 - Review

Suffolk and Cornwall boast the only unbeaten records after three rounds of the National Counties T20 competition with both completing second successive doubles.

Suffolk beat Lincolnshire by seven wickets then eight wickets in their double-header at Bourne to go top of Group Two while Cornwall beat Wiltshire by margins of five wickets and eight wickets at Werrington.

An unbeaten half-century from Kieran Pell saw Suffolk safely to a target of 129 in the opener at Bourne with Lincolnshire’s total of 128 for four owing much to a third wicket stand of 52 between brothers Tom and Nic Keast. Captain Tom finished unbeaten on 67 but Suffolk got home with 11 balls to spare.

Their second win was even more emphatic with another solid team bowling effort restricting Lincolnshire to 116 for seven which Suffolk chased down with four-and-a-half overs to spare thanks to Alex Maynard (40) and Jacob Marston (37) who opened with a partnershipof 83. Pell completed a good day’s work by accelerating them to victory with 27 not out.

Cornwall took control of Group Four despite a half century in each match from Wiltshire opener Tom Cheater. Solid batting down the order, led by 41 from captain Paul Smith, saw Cornwall home in the opener with eight balls to spare.

Cheater’s 58 took Wiltshire to 171 for nine in the second match but spinner Max Tryfonos checked their progress with a competition-best five for 30. Former Kent batter laid the foundations for Cornwall’s chase with 59 before Xavie Clarke (73 not out) and WillMacVicar saw them safely home in an unbroken third wicket stand of 67.

Berkshire captain Dan Lincoln made the first century of the season in the competition to help his side complete a double againstWales NC at Wargrave in Group Three.

Lincoln plundered 106 from just 58 balls in the opener to help Berkshire pile up 221 for five, the highest total of the day, which proved 56 too many for Wales.

It was the second T20 century of Lincoln’s career and surpassed the 101 he made against Buckinghamshire, also at Wargrave, in 2022.

Wales were reined in by Eddie Campion and Ben Salter, who each finished with three for 27, with Cian Davies leading the resistance with 44 not out after skipper Rhodri Lewis had made 30 in his first match against his old county

It was Lewis’s younger brother, Rhys, who took the honours in the second match of the day with unbeaten half century which helped Berkshire to an eight wickets win with more than eight overs unused after Wales had been dismissed for 103. Rhys Lewis took two for one in the only over he bowled.

Buckinghamshire also banked a double in Group Three by beating Oxfordshire by 14 runs then two wickets in the first county match played at Didcot.

Captain Alexei Kervezee, the former Worcestershire and Netherlands batter, led by example with a competition-best 92 in the opener and a match-winning 68 not out in the second game.

Kervezee’s 92 came from just 40 balls and contained eight sixes He also shared a competition record third wicket partnership of 164 with Ryan Friend who made 69 from 46 balls.

Oxfordshire made a decent first of chasing a target of 220 thanks to 86 from Hayden Rossouw and 56 not out from Dylan Driscoll but they came up short.

In the second match debutant Ayush Patel top-scored with 41 to help Oxfordshire to 165 for eight but Buckinghamshire sneaked home with two balls to spare thanks composure under pressure.

Staffordshire, the reigning champions after last season’s rain-blighted competition failed to produce a winner, and Cumbria also completed doubles in Group One.

Former Derbyshire left-hander Nils Priestley made a century in each match as Staffordshire beat Cheshire by three wickets then seven wickets at Nantwich.

Cheshire’s former Lancashire wicketkeeper George Lavelle and Staffordshire seamer Rory Haydon found themselves on opposing sides having spent much of this season as team-mates on trial in Derbyshire’s Second XI.

Lavelle made a half-century in the opener but Haydon took four for 28 and Priestley’s aggressive 63 at the top of the order and Matt Morris’s unbeaten half century secured the win for Staffordshire with three balls to spare.

Cheshire laboured to 128 for nine in the second match, boosted by Michael Finan’s 31 not out, but Staffordshire cantered home with more than eight overs in hand with Priestley making 52 and sharing and opening partnership of 66 with Liam Banks.

Freddie Fallows was the man of the moment at the St Georges club in Telford where Cumbria opened with a 16 runs win overShropshire in the opener and followed up with an eight wickets win later in the day.

Fallows pummelled 76 from 34 balls which dominated an opening stand of 97 with Reece Irving in the first hour of the day. Shropshire’s spinners managed to apply the brakes to restrict Cumbria to 158 for four after they had been 97 for one at the halfway stage of their innings.

Shropshire responded with a opening stand of 84 between Seb Scott (51) and Sahal Malvernkar (31) but they quickly slumped to 107 for seven with seamer Brodie Glendinning taking three wickets in his first county appearance in three years.

Former Worcestershire batter Tom Fell led Shropshire to 163 for seven in the second match but Cumbria’s coach Paul Hindmarch, who dug out his kit and bowling boots, gave his players a practical demonstration of tight T20 bowling by taking three for 16.

Fallows replied with a brisk 61 before Ben Walkden (54 not out) and skipper Matt Sempill (38 not out) guided Cumbria to victory with four balls to spare in an unbroken third wicket stand of 82.

Norfolk also completed a double over Hertfordshire at Sprowston despite the efforts of former Derbyshire batter Archie Harrison who made 53 and 48 for the visitors.

Half centuries from Charlie Hood and Freddie Fairey took Norfolk to 182 for four in the opener and seamer Joe Everett then took four for 23 on his competition debut to restrict Hertfordshire to 170 for seven despite the efforts of Harrison and former Glamorgan batter Callum Taylor (64).

Everett followed up with three for 21 in the second match which restricted Hertfordshire to 131 for seven a target Norfolk reached with more than three overs to spare with captain Sam Arthurton (63) leading the way and Alfie Cooper (47 not out) completing the job. The pair added 110 for the third wicket, a Norfolk record for any wicket in the competition.

Honours were shared in only one of the day’s eight double-headers and that was at Sandford where Dorset won the opener by 77 runs before hosts Devon gained revenge with a six runs success later in the day.

Will Tripcony, with a competition-best 70, and Finn Gordon (59) opened with a Dorset first wicket record partnership of 133 which was the centrepiece of their total of 195 for eight.

Devon were skittled for 118 with leg-spinner Ethan Baker taking four for 17 and only Seb Linnitt and Sam Read reaching 30.

It was a different story in the second match with Devon batting first and reaching 188 for eight through the efforts of Seb Linnitt (43) and captain Lawrence Walker (33).

Gordon followed up with his second fifty of the day and Dylan Church did his best to deny Devon before falling to the last ball of the match trying to hit Callum Harvey for a second successive six which would have tied the scores.

 National Counties T20

Group One

Nantwich Match One: Cheshire 196-7 (George Lavelle 51, Kevin Carroll 50, Rory Haydon 4-28), Staffordshire 198-7 (Nils Priestley 63, Matt Morris 52 not out). Staffordshire won by three wickets.

Match Two: Cheshire 128-9 (Michael Finan 31 not out, Alex Money 30), Staffordshire 129-3 (Nils Priestley 52, Liam Banks 35). Staffordshire won by seven wickets.

St Georges, Oakengates. Match One: Cumbria 158-4 (Freddie Fallows 76), Shropshire 142-8 (Seb Scott 51, Sahal Malvernkar 31, Brodie Glendinning 3-23). Cumbria won by 16 runs.

Match Two: Shropshire 163-7 (Tom Fell 54, Paul Hindmarch 3-16), Cumbria 165-2 (Freddie Fallows 61, Ben Walkden 54 not out, Matt Sempill 38 not out). Cumbria won by eight wickets.

Group Two

Bourne. Match One: Lincolnshire 128-4 (Tom Keast 67 not out), Suffolk 129-3 (Kieran Pell 50 not out). Suffolk won by seven wickets.

Match Two: Lincolnshire 116-7 (Jordan Cook 34), Suffolk 122-2 (Alex Maynard 40, Jacob Marston 37). Suffolk won by eight wickets.

Sprowston. Match One: Norfolk 182-4 (Charlie Hood 58 not out, Freddie Fairey 52), Hertfordshire 170-7 (Callum Taylor 64, Archie Harrison 53, Joe Everett 4-23). Norfolk won by 12 runs.

Match Two: Hertfordshire 131-7 (Archie Harrison 48, Joe Everett 3-21), Norfolk 132-3 (Sam Arthurton 63, Alfie Cooper 47 not out). Norfolk won by seven wickets.

Group Three

Wargrave Match One: Berkshire 221-5 (Dan Lincoln 106) Wales NC 165 (Cian Davies 44 not out, Rhodri Lewis 30, Eddie Campion 3-27, Ben Salter 3-27). Berkshire won by 56 runs.

Match Two: Wales NC 103 (Ollie Rayner 44), Berkshire 107-2 (Rhys Lewis 57 not out, Matt Dalrymple 35). Berkshire won by eight wickets.

Didcot. Match One: Buckinghamshire 219-5 (Alexei Kervezee 92, Ryan Friend 69), Oxfordshire 205-3 (Hayden Rossouw 86, Dylan Driscoll 56 not out). Buckinghamshire won by 14 runs.

Match Two: Oxfordshire 165-8 (Ayush Patel 41, Luke Hayes 37, Tristan Rossouw 35), Buckinghamshire 167-8 (Alexei Kervezee 68 not out, Aum Raykar 40). Buckinghamshire won by two wickets.

Group Four

Werrington. Match One: Wiltshire 136-7 (Tom Cheater 62), Cornwall 140-5 (Paul Smith 41, Alex Bone 33). Cornwall won by five wickets.

Match Two: Wiltshire 171-9 (Tom Cheater 58, Max Tryfonos 5-30), Cornwall 175-2 (Xavie Clarke 73 not out, Alex Blake 59, Will MacVicar 34 not out). Cornwall won by eight wickets

Sandford. Match One: Dorset 195-8 (Will Tripcony 70, Finn Gordon 59), Devon 118 (Seb Linnitt 35, Sam Read 30, Ethan Baker 4-17). Dorset won 77 runs.

Match Two: Devon 188-8 (Harry Passenger 43, Lawrence Walker 33, Henry Dunlop 3-24), Dorset 182-6 (Dylan Church 66, Finn Gordon 54). Devon won by six runs.