Report: Michael Knox

Image: Andy Bone - Sports Shots

Bucks Men gained a hard-earned two-wicket win over Cornwall at Tring Park on Sunday to secure a home quarter-final in the NCCA NV Play Trophy. 

There was only one over left when George Harvey struck the match-winning boundary after nail-biting contest to leave Bucks top of their group with four wins out of four.

It means that Bucks will now entertain Berkshire in the last eight of the 50-over competition at High Wycombe on Sunday June 7.

Bucks skipper Conner Haddow put Cornwall into bat and did most to restrict the visitors to 210-9 from their 50 overs. Haddow returned excellent figures of 3-16 from his ten overs. Archie Dodds took a career-best 4-52 from his ten.

Despite a robust 67 from 86 balls by Paul Smith, Devon struggled to set a challenging total on a flat pitch and fast outfield.

Billy Dodds, with 40 from 73 balls, laid a solid platform for Bucks's reply alongside Great Brickhill debutant Rhys Nicholas, who overcame a circumspect start to score a valuable 35.

The match was still on a knife-edge with Bucks on 104-3 after 30 overs when the game was held up for 35 minutes by a shower. If the match had ended, then it would have been a tie with the DLS scores level.

On resumption with no loss of overs, Bucks lost wickets when they looked in a winning position before Harvey, with an unbeaten 30 from 32 balls, saw them over the line with an over to spare.

Scorecard: buckscricket.play-cricket.com/website/results/7299952