MINOR COUNTIES REVIEW: Williams pushes Staffs towards Finals Day

Richard Williams, who played county youth cricket for Staffordshire alongside the Derbyshire pair of Will Davis and Rob Hemmings, is the third bowler to take five wickets in the new T20 competition which has been introduced this season

Staffordshire off-spinner Richard Williams introduced himself to Minor Counties cricket with a five-wicket haul which helped the county stay on course for a place in T20 Finals Day with a brace of victories over Lincolnshire at Rolleston.

Williams, who plays his club cricket for Checkley in the North Staffordshire/South Cheshire Premier League, made his debut in the first match of the day and conceded just 21 runs in his four overs which helped Staffordshire to a 12-run victory.

The 22-year-old Williams then took 5-25 in the second match to leave Lincolnshire 42 runs short of their victory target of 179.

Williams, who played county youth cricket for Staffordshire alongside the Derbyshire pair of Will Davis and Rob Hemmings, is the third bowler to take five wickets in the new T20 competition which has been introduced this season. Cumberland’s Jacques du Toit, the former Leicestershire all-rounder who has switched from Northumberland this season, took five for 20 against Lincolnshire last week with Devon slow left-armer Matthew Petherbridge taking 5-8 against Wiltshire on the same day.

Staffordshire’s double over Lincolnshire in the first Minor Counties matches played at Rolleston sets up an intriguing finale to the group stage with no side yet qualified for Finals Day at Wormsley on August 26.

Staffordshire play Cumberland in a double-header at Penrith on June 17 while Cheshire travel to Bourne to play Lincolnshire. But it could be July 15, when Cumberland host Northumberland at Workington, before the Group One winners are decided.

Cheshire and Northumberland won one game each at Marple where Newcastle slow left-armer Oliver McGee took the new ball and claimed 4-16 to restrict Cheshire to 95 for nine. Northumberland eased to a seven-wicket win but Cheshire turned the tables in the second match with a 14-run victory.

MINOR COUNTIES T20 RESULTS

 

Group One

Marple: Cheshire 95-9 (Oliver McGee 4-16), Northumberland 99-3 (Phil Mustard 54). Northumberland won by seven wickets. Cheshire 135-3, Northumberland 121-4. Cheshire won by 14 runs.

Rolleston: Staffordshire 152-5, Lincolnshire 140-7. Staffordshire won by 12 runs. Staffordshire 178-7 (Tim Maxfield 58), Lincolnshire 136 (Richard Williams 5-25). Staffordshire won by 42 runs.

 

Group Two

Falkland: Oxfordshire 147-7 (Jonathan Cater 52), Berkshire 150-3 (Chris Peploe 64). Berkshire won by seven wickets. Oxfordshire 110 (Oliver Birts 4-11), Berkshire 114-5 (Richard Morris 51 not out). Berkshire won by five wickets.

High Wycombe: Herefordshire 113-8, Buckinghamshire 114-3 (Dan Marles 50 not out). Buckinghamshire won by seven wickets. Buckinghamshire 147-9 (Peter Burgoyne 4-25), Herefordshire 151-3 (Peter Burgoyne 72). Herefordshire won by seven wickets.

 

Group Three

Dunstable: Bedfordshire 96-6, Norfolk 97-4 (Rob Taylor 53 not out). Norfolk won by six wickets. Bedfordshire 126-9, Norfolk 128-1. Norfolk won by nine wickets.

Harpenden: Hertfordshire 101-8, Suffolk 106-2 (James Poulson 68 not out). Suffolk won by eight wickets. Hertfordshire 136-5, Suffolk 106. Hertfordshire won by 30 runs.

 

Group Four

At Austell: Cornwall 116-7, Dorset 119-5.  Dorset won by five wickets. Dorset 136-5 (Luke Webb 50), Cornwall 137-5. Cornwall won by five wickets.

Newport: Wiltshire 134-5, Wales 133-8. Wiltshire won by two runs. Wales 138-8, Wiltshire 133-5. Wales won by five runs.

The other three groups will be decided on June 17 which means an anxious wait for Dorset, who top Group Four but who have completed their eight match programme.

Dorset beat Cornwall by five wickets in the first match at St Austell but defeat, by a similar margin, in the second means that they can be overtaken by Devon, Cornwall or Wales in the final round of group matches. Oxford MCCU batsman Luke Webb made a half-century for Dorset in the second match.

Devon, who are two points behind Dorset, host Wales at North Devon’s lovely ground at Instow on June 17 with Wiltshire playing Cornwall at Calne. Wales and Wiltshire won a game apiece in their meeting at Newport.

Berkshire, who completed a Minor Counties Championship and Trophy double last season, currently top Group Two with five wins and one defeat – against Buckinghamshire - in six matches.

Berkshire completed their second double of the season against winless Oxfordshire at the Falkland club in Newbury where Chris Peploe’s 64 took them to a seven-wicket victory in the first match. Peploe’s Datchet club mate, slow left-armer Oliver Birts, then opened the bowling and took four for 11 to set up a five-wicket win in the second match.

Berkshire complete their group programme at Eastnor against Herefordshire who need to complete a double if they are to overtake them.

Herefordshire suffered a day of mixed fortunes at High Wycombe where a Dan Marles half-century on his home ground helped Buckinghamshire to a seven-wicket win in the opener.

But Herefordshire gained revenge in the second match thanks to an outstanding all-round contribution from Peter Burgoyne. The former Derbyshire, Sussex and England Under-19 off-spinner, took 4-25 then opened the batting and clobbered 72 from 44 balls to guide Herefordshire to a seven wickets win.

Shropshire and Buckinghamshire, who meet at Whitchurch, also go into the final round of group matches with hopes of topping Group Two.

In Group Three, three counties are in contention for a place at Finals Day. Two of them, Norfolk and Hertfordshire, meet at Manor Park on June 17 while the third, Cambridgeshire, host winless Bedfordshire at March.

Norfolk secured a double over Bedfordshire at Dunstable with comfortable victories by six wicket and nine wickets.

Suffolk’s hopes of making Finals Day were dashed at Harpenden where they slumped to 106 all out and a 30-run defeat in their second match against Hertfordshire.

An unbeaten 68 from Sudbury’s James Poulson set up an eight wickets win for Suffolk in the opener but they cannot improve on their eight-point haul – the same as Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire - as they have completed their T20 programme.

Report courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network