Conner Haddow spun Buckinghamshire Men to their second NCCA Cluberly Championship title in three seasons with a record-breaking performance in the final at West Bromwich Dartmouth.

Credit to Paul Bolton - NCCA for providing the NCCA Cluberly Championship Final Report

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DAY ONE

Callum Harvey took his maiden five wicket haul to give Devon the early advantage on a rain-interrupted opening day of the NCCA Cluberly Championship final against Buckinghamshire at West Bromwich Dartmouth.

Slow left-armer Harvey, one of five Devon players who are in their first season of National Counties cricket, found some early turn and took six for 60 as Buckinghamshire slipped from 161 for four to 187 for nine in seven overs.

Harvey’s victims included Buckinghamshire captain Alexei Kervezee who held the innings together with an unflustered 89 in two-and-a-half hours.

When Kervezee departed, edging one that turned to wicketkeeper Matt Thompson, he did so with a long look at the pitch. With Buckinghamshire’s slow left-armer Conner Haddow on a hot streak having taken 23 wickets in his last two Championship matches, Devon could  face their own trial by spin, particularly as they face the prospect of having to bat last.

Former Worcestershire and Netherlands batter Kervezee had rescued Buckinghamshire when they lost their first three wickets for 14 after he won the toss and opted to bat first under heavy cloud cover.

There was pace and carry in the pitch early on and Moiz Rana was caught by Thompson, who is playing his last match before retirement, for 21 off seamer George Greenway before Craig Penberthy bowled Billy Dodds and Ewan Cox – who shouldered arms – in successive balls.

Rain, which had threatened all morning, arrived after an hour and delayed proceedings for three hours. When the players returned Buckinghamshire regrouped with Kervezee and Archie Dodds batting through the afternoon session and seemingly laying the foundations for a substantial total.

But Harvey made the breakthrough when Dodds edged low to Seb Linnitt at gully after he had batted two fours for his 24 and helped Kervezee add 89 for the fourth wicket.

The wickets then fell at regular intervals with George Harvey and Ed Bragg, who was smartly caught at second slip by Greenway, following Dodds. Ryan Friend then picked out long-on where Penberthy back-pedalled and held the catch dwhich gave Harvey his fifth wicket.

Haddow became the sixth when he appeared astonished to be given out LBW before the last pair of Max Uttley (23) and Tom Weymes (10 not out) frustrated Devon and added 40 valuable runs in a lively tenth wicket partnership which took Buckinghamshire to 217 before Uttley was LBW to off-spinner Sam Read.

It came as no surprise when Haddow took the new ball for Buckinghamshire but only one over was possible before the light deteriorated and the umpires took the players off.

DAY TWO

Conner Haddow put Buckinghamshire in control of the NCCA Cluberly Championship final by taking a career-best seven for 70 to dismiss Devon for 166 on the second day at West Bromwich Dartmouth.

The slow left-armer, who has been trialling with Northamptonshire, took his wickets haul to 30 in his last five innings and 93 in 13 matches in the competition over the last three seasons. That remarkable figure  includes 24 wickets in five innings at West Bromwich Dartmouth with power to add in the second innings here.

Haddow took his first wicket, Elliot Hamilton caught behind from a ball that looped off his bat via his pad to wicketkeeper George Harvey, from the golf course end of the ground but all his others came when he switched to the Birmingham Road End from which Devon slow left-armer Callum Harvey had taken his six wickets on Sunday.

Devon’s first innings was almost a replica of Buckinghamshire’s with just one innings of substance – Ben Privett’s 67 – a collapse from 111 for four to 138 for nine before the last wicket pair gave the total a late boost.

Craig Penberthy and Matt Jeacock added 28 before Penberthy went LBW to Haddow which reduced Buckinghamshire’s first innings lead to 51. That was extended to 110 for the loss of three wickets before thunder and lightning forced the umpires to take the players off for safety reasons one ball into the evening session.

With Haddow scenting a third successive ten wicket match haul and only two batters – Privett and Buckinghamshire’s Alexei Kervezee – having passed 40 or played with certainty so far, Devon will need to bat well in the fourth innings on a turning pitch if they are to avenge their heavy defeat in the final two years ago.

This match has been more evenly contested and Devon might have got a little closer to Buckinghamshire’s first innings 217 with some better shot selection and execution.

Captain James Horler was caught behind slashing at Tom Weymes and was furious with himself for doing so and Harvey and Sam Read both fell to off-side catches forcing the pace against Haddow.

Seamer Ed Bragg bowled most of the overs at the other end and had Privett caught behind then ended Seb Linnitt’s innings with a beauty that struck off stump.

Penberthy and Jeacock enjoyed themselves at the end of the innings before Haddow claimed his seventh wicket and bettered his previous career-best return of seven for 91 against Cambridgeshire at Chesham last month.

It came as no surprise when Harvey opened the bowling for Devon, as Haddow had on Sunday evening, and he struck with his sixth ball when Billy Dodds went LBW.

Ewan Cox decided that attack was the best form of defence and thumped six fours and a six in his 30-ball 36 before he went caught behind driving at Penberthy.

Max Uttley was pushed up the order but soon departed to a low catch by Lawrence Walker at second slip off Penberthy before Kervezee joined Moiz Rana and steered Buckinghamshire to 59 three when the rain arrived.

DAY THREE

Connor Haddow was at it again, as the slow left-armer took nine for 73 in the second innings, the best figures in an innings and in a match, a total of 16 for 143 – in the Championship final.

Haddow’s match figures bettered the 15 for 54 that the great SF Barnes took for Staffordshire against Glamorgan in the 1908 final at the County Ground in Stoke and they were also the best figures in the competition since George Walker took 16 for 96 against Cambridgeshire at Horsford in 2009. Haddow also bettered his best bowling in an innings for the second time in the match.

Haddow enjoyed himself on a pitch that took spin from an early stage and took all but one of his wickets from the Birmingham Road End. Batters may not have enjoyed facing Haddow but it made for a gripping contest which finished just before the forecast rain arrived. It was finished with four sessions to spare but, with a pessimistic forecast for Tuesday night and into Wednesday, it meant that the prospect of the title being shared for a second year running was avoided.

Haddow’s performance eclipsed that of his fellow left-armer Callum Harvey who also improved on his career-best figures for the second time in 48 hours with his six for 40 giving him match figures of 12 for 100, another personal best.

At the time they were the best match figures in a final since 1938 but they proved to be only that for around four hours as Haddow worked his way through Devon’s second innings, varying his pace intelligently, beating the bat frequently and turning the ball sharply.

In all 17 wickets went down on what proved to be the last day with Harvey causing Buckinghamshire problems as they sought to build on their overnight lead of 110.

The departure of Buckinghamshire captain Alexei Kervezee, who clipped off-spinner Sam Read to midwicket, opened the door for Devon. When Harvey joined the attack his namesake, George, edged to first slip, Moiz Rana went LBW and Ryan Friend followed two balls later.

Haddow was then brilliantly run out by a direct hit from James Horler at point and when Archie Dodds was caught behind from one that turned and bounced, Buckinghamshire were only 162 ahead.

For the second time in the match their tenth wicket pair – on this occasion Ed Bragg and Tom Weymes – added 27 priceless runs which gained significance when Devon set off in pursuit of a target of 190.

They began positively with Elliot Hamilton and Ben Privett putting on 35 in the first eight overs before Hamilton became the first of four LBWs for Haddow. Privett became the second on the other side of the lunch interval before Max Uttley deprived Haddow of the chance to take all ten wickets when he had Lawrence Walker LBW.

Horler was bowled trying to cut Haddow but Buckinghamshire were then frustrated by a fifth wicket stand of 47 between Matt Thompson and Seb Linnitt. Haddow made the important breakthrough when Linnitt cut him to Archie Dodds at point but Thompson was then joined by Callum Harvey in an attacking sixth wicket stand.

Harvey struck two sixes off Uttley which forced Buckinghamshire to revert to seam at the golf course end and Harvey had two let offs in successive balls from Archie Dodds’ first over when he survived a caught-and-bowled chance and a more difficult one to gully.

But Harvey went in the next over when he was stumped off Haddow, Read soon followed and Thompson’s hopes of steering Devon to victory in his last match before retirement ended when he swept Haddow to Archie Dodds at square leg.

That gave Haddow his 100th wicket in 13 Championship matches over the last three seasons and that quickly became 102 after George Greenway was taken low down at slip by Kervezee and Matt Jeacock went LBW.

Haddow’s haul took him to 33 wickets in six Championship innings in three seasons, two of the matches being finals. Unsurprisingly, he was named Player of the Match by NCCA President Phil Caley.

Afterwards, all a relieved Bucks coach Jason Harrison could say was: "I need to lie on a sunbed after that!"