NCCA Cluberly Championship Final Report - Paul Bolton
Image: Roger Byrne
Day One Report
Buckinghamshire captain Conner Haddow continued his love affair with West Bromwich Dartmouth’s Sandwell Park ground but a century from opener Sam Elstone ensured that Devon shared the first day honours in the NCCA Cluberly Championship final.
Slow left-armer Haddow bowled all but seven overs from the golf course end of the ground and took five for 103 from his marathon spell of 34.4 overs. That took Haddow’s aggregate to 38 wickets in seven innings for Buckinghamshire at Sandwell Park including five hauls of five wickets or more.
Haddow had to work harder for his wickets than 12 months ago when he took a record 16 wickets - nine in the second innings - to help Buckinghamshire defeat Devon by 19 runs. Elstone, a former Scotland Under-19s international, was largely responsible for frustrating Haddow as the second Championship century of his career laid the foundations for Devon’s 290 all out after skipper James Horler had opted to bat first.
Twelve months ago there was sharp turn for Haddow from an early stage but this pitch had more pace and runs in it and Elstone, who plays his club cricket for Sidmouth, took his chance to impress.
Elstone may not be the most stylish batter but he has a good temperament and technique that works for him. A serious shoulder injury last season partly explains his exaggerated legside pull which he used to good effect here. He frustrated Buckinghamshire for 51 overs and reached his century from 144 balls with 13 fours but when he mistimed a pull and skied a return catch to Archie Dodds, Devon began to wobble.
The departure of experienced wicketkeeper/batter Matt Thompson, who was caught at short leg reverse sweeping Haddow for 34, triggered a mini collapse in which Devon lost three wickets for 16 runs with Ben Privett thick-edging a drive off Tom Weymes to slip and James Matravers being stumped off Haddow.
Callum Harvey and Sam Read stabilised things with a valuable eighth wicket partnership of 56 but then perished in quick succession to Matt Pardoe’s left-arm spin. Harvey (27) picked out long-off eyeing the short Birmingham Road boundary and Read (38) paddled to Daksh Sabherwal at short fine leg.
Last man George Daldorph did not last long, caught at slip, and gave Haddow his fifth wicket of the innings and continued his remarkable record at the ground.
Ed Bragg, who plays his club cricket just down the M5 for Halesowen in the Birmingham & District Premier League, took the first wicket of the final when Elliot Hamilton miscued a pull and gave a return catch and Haddow was into the attack within the first hour when he relieved Weymes.
Haddow struck in his third over when he beat Horler’s defensive push and then snared Seb Linnitt, who was bowled sweeping. Elstone stood firm and added 68 for the fourth wicket with Thompson but his departure an hour after lunch opened the door for Buckinghamshire.
Buckinghamshire lost Archie Dodds, caught at second slip for a duck off Daldorph, in the third over of their reply before Billy Dodds and Aaryan Sawant settled things down with a second wicket partnership of 49.
Middlesex and former England Under-19s batter Sawant had an escape when James Matravers fumbled on the deep midwicket boundary rope off Harvey but there was no reprieve for Dodds when he was caught behind cutting the slow left-armer on 27 just before the close.
Sawant ended the day unbeaten on 32 with Buckinghamshire 60 for two.
NCCA CLUBERLY CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
First day of four
West Bromwich Dartmouth CC: Devon 290 (Sam Elstone 104, Conner Haddow 5-103), Buckinghamshire 60-2.
Day Two Report
Openers Elliot Hamilton and Sam Elstone gave Devon the advantage with a century partnership on an intriguing second day of the NCCA Cluberly Championship final against Buckinghamshire at West Bromwich Darmouth.
Devon had a first innings lead of just 11 which, in effect, made the match a one innings contest and Hamilton and Elstone extended that to 138 by the close with a commanding partnership of 127.
Elstone picked up where he left off in the first innings, when he made a century, by compiling a patient 55 not out while left-hander Hamilton played a more aggressive innings, striking two sixes and eight fours in his 134-ball 70.
The partnership was broken late in the day when Hamilton edged Conner Haddow to slip and Buckinghamshire’s captain added a second wicket in the final over when nightwatchman Matt Whalley went LBW.
That took Haddow’s wickets haul to 40 in eight innings at West Bromwich Dartmouth although he had to wait until the last ball of his 16th over for the breakthrough today.
Haddow was into the attack as early as the sixth over of Devon’s second innings at the Golf Course End. He switched himself to the Birmingham Road End and bowled 12 wicketless overs before he gave himself a short breather then returned to end a partnership that threatened to become a match-winning one.
There were just 19 runs between these sides 12 months ago when Buckinghamshire won the national title, and there was again little to choose between the sides on a day of tight and competitive cricket.
Five Buckinghamshire batters reached 20 yet no-one made a half-century with Rhys Nicholas and Matt Pardoe both falling for 48 and Middlesex and former England Under-19s batter Aaryan Sawant for 42.
Sawant played fluently and appeared to have laid the foundations for a big score but then edged seamer George Daldorph to wicketkeeper Matt Thompson.
Nicholas and Pardoe then dominated the morning session with an enterprising fourth wicket partnership of 92 in 29 overs but both perished in quick succession either side of lunch.
Nicholas holed out to mid-on from a mistimed pull from an unthreatening delivery from Ben Privett and Pardoe appeared as surprised as anyone when he shaped to turn the first ball of the afternoon session off his legs and was bowled by Callum Harvey.
Josh Lincoln arrived with attacking intent and thumped Harvey for successive sixes – the first into the Birmingham Road traffic – but he then lofted Privett to mid-off and Daksh Sabherwal then miscued to midwicket to give Privett another wicket.
It was left to George Harvey and Ed Bragg to get Buckinghamshire close to Devon’s first innings total in an eighth wicket partnership of 44, before Harvey drove to backward point, Bragg holed out to long on and Haddow was stumped.
NCCA Cluberly Championship Final
Second day of four
West Bromwich Dartmouth CC: Devon 290 (Sam Elstone 104, Conner Haddow 5-103) & 127-2 (Elliot Hamilton 70, Sam Elstone 55 not out), Buckinghamshire 279 (Rhys Nicholas 48, Matt Pardoe 48, Ben Privett 3-32, Callum Harvey 3-80).
Day Three Report
Conner Haddow kept alive Buckinghamshire’s hopes of retaining the NCCA Cluberly Championship with another inspired bowling performance on the third day of a compelling final against Devon at West Bromwich Dartmouth.
Slow left-armer Haddow followed up his five first innings wickets with six for 96 to give him his second consecutive ten wicket match haul in a Championship final. It also extended a remarkable record at Sandwell Park for Buckinghamshire’s captain to 44 wickets in four matches for the county including six five wicket hauls. Haddow has also taken 11 wickets – including another dive wicket haul – for NCCA or Challengers representative teams against touring Zimbabwean sides in the last three seasons.
Having bowled 13 wicketless overs for 38 runs at the start of Devon’s second innings, Haddow took six for 58 in his next 31 overs, all delivered from the Birmingham Road End.
He arrived in the final in excellent form having taken three five wicket hauls for Worcestershire Second XI in the past month including 12 in the match against Glamorgan at Newport.
It all made for a fascinating day’s cricket as Devon were made to graft to extend their overnight 127 for two all out to 244 all out which left Buckinghamshire with a target of 256 in four sessions.
Devon gave slow left-armer Callum Harvey the new ball but it was seamer George Daldorph who made the early breakthrough when he had Archie Dodds well taken by Matt Whalley in the slips.
Bill Dodds and Aaryan Sawant added 36 and seemed to be going along nicely when Sawant was run out at the non-striker’s end. Dodds turned a delivery from Harvey off his legs, wicketkeeper Thompson scampered round and Harvey managed to remove the bails before Sawant had regained his ground.
Dodds almost made it through to the close but he departed in the final over when Elstone held a low catch off Harvey to leave Buckinghamshire needing 200 more with seven wickets intact.
Early morning rain delayed the start for an hour and three quarters but Devon immediately lost Sam Elstone, who was 55 not out overnight, LBW to Ed Bragg’s first ball of the day.
Haddow bowled unchanged while Bragg, Tom Weymes and Matt Pardoe kept things tight at the other end which meant that Devon’s progress was cautious.
Skipper James Horler and Seb Linnitt got them through to lunch without further mishap but Horler departed early in the afternoon session when he nibbled Bragg to wicketkeeper George Harvey.
Haddow then got turn and bounce to snare Ben Privett at slip and James Matravers then sliced a drive to Bragg at point.
Weymes ended Linnitt’s obdurate innings of 28 when Pardoe snaffled a catch at gully and Harvey gave Haddow his tenth wicket of the match when he popped a return catch.
Matt Thompson produced an aggressive cameo of 21 before he was bowled by Pardoe and Haddow, who took 16 wickets in Buckinghamshire’s 19 runs victory over Devon in last year’s final, wrapped things up when Sam Read top-edged to slip.
NCCA Cluberly Championship Final
West Bromwich Dartmouth CC: Devon 290 (Sam Elstone 104, Conner Haddow 5-103) & 244 (Elliot Hamilton 77, Sam Elstone 55, Conner Haddow 6-96), Buckinghamshire 279 (Rhys Nicholas 48, Matt Pardoe 48) & 56-3.
Day Four Report
Devon won their first NCCA Cluberly Championship title since 2011 by beating defending champions by Buckinghamshire by 122 runs on the fourth morning of the final at West Bromwich Dartmouth.
After three days of tight, competitive cricket the end came quickly as Buckinghamshire, who began the day needing 200 more for victory with seven wickets intact, were bowled out for 133 in under two hours.
The win gave Devon their eighth outright Championship title with one shared with Bedfordshire in 2004. It also meant that they avenged a 19 runs defeat by Buckinghamshire in last season’s final which was one of their major motivations coming into this match.
Buckinghamshire’s hopes of retaining their title rested on someone from their remaining top order batters playing an anchor role as Devon opener Sam Elstone had done in each innings.
But they lost three wickets in the first 30 minutes with Rhys Nicholas falling to a sharp catch at second slip by Matt Whalley off Sam Read who then struck the decisive blow when Matt Pardoe, the former Worcestershire left-hander, was LBW for seven pulling a full toss.
Devon captain James Horler then withdrew Read from the attack and brought on seamer George Daldorph at the Golf Course End, a move that paid instant dividends when Daksh Sabherwal was caught behind by Matt Thompson, the sole survivor from the side which beat Cambridgeshire in the 2011 final.
That left Buckinghamshire deep in trouble at 76 for six but their victory hopes were kept flickering by Josh Lincoln and George Harvey who decided that attack was the best form of defence in a seventh wicket partnership of 48.
Lincoln rattled to 33 – which included a six over long-on off Whalley - but then miscued slow left-armer Callum Harvey to Horler at long-off and the last three wickets went down for two runs in successive overs.
Ed Bragg went LBW to slow left-armer Whalley, Harvey was bowled by a beauty from his namesake for 24 and Elstone, who took the Player of the Match Award, pouched the catch at second slip to account for Buckinghamshire captain Conner Haddow which started the victory celebrations.
No Devon bowler was able to match Haddow’s 11 wickets in the match with Harvey’s six wickets – three in each innings – being their best match return. But their victory was very much a collective effort with Elstone’s runs – 104 in the first innings and 55 in the second – and his opening partnership of 127 with Elliot Hamilton on the second evening proving significant.
Buckinghamshire were left to rue dropped catches and the failure of their batters to convert promising starts into potential match-shaping innings. There were ten individual scored of 20 or more but no half-centuries.
NCCA CLUBERLY CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Last day of four
West Bromwich Dartmouth CC: Devon 290 (Sam Elstone 104, Conner Haddow 5-103) & 244 (Elliot Hamilton 70, Sam Elstone 55), Buckinghamshire 279 (Rhys Nicholas 48, Matt Pardoe 48) & 133. Devon beat Buckinghamshire by 122 runs.
