Bucks v Cambridgeshire - huge game!
On Sunday 21st, Monday 22nd & Tuesday 23rd August Bucks CCC have a massive game v table-topping Cambridgeshire in the National Counties Eastern Division 2 at Tring Park Cricket Club.
Bucks (46 pts) currently trail Cambridgeshire (48 pts) by 2 pts but have a game in hand. The game in hand is away to Northumberland next Sunday, Monday & Tuesday (14/15/16th August). The subsequent match v Cambridgeshire will almost certainly decide who finishes top & goes on to win promotion to Division One.
The match starts at 11am each day and goes on to 7pm with a minimum of 110 overs to be bowled in the day. Both teams are restricted to 90 overs in their first innings.
If you’ve not been there before, Tring Park CC is one of the most picturesque grounds in the Chilterns. It has an excellent pavilion & bar & hot lunches will also be available for spectators. Entry is free, parking is free and there will be a raffle. Scorecards / programmes will be available each day. If the weather holds & cricket’s your thing I can’t think of a better place to spend some time watching good quality cricket for very little outlay. It also doesn’t feature a live DJ, doesn’t feature music after every over and doesn’t feature a P.A. announcer screaming at you how to enjoy yourself!
Comments
Does each County play each other County home and away ?
Tring is a neutral ground, isn’t it ?
Under the ECB reorganisation of the Minor Counties into “National Counties” each division has 5 teams. You play 4 x 3 day matches - once against the other teams in your division. Hence this year Bucks play Cumbria & Cambridgeshire at home while playing Northumberland and Hertfordshire away.
Tring Park CC is classed as a home venue for Bucks. Although it’s a couple of miles into Hertfordshire, the home club (Tring Park CC) play in the Home Counties Premier League which is Berks, Bucks & Oxon based. Therefore the pool of players for TPCC tends to come from those counties.
Hertfordshire’s main ground is Bishops Stortford (right on the boundary between Herts & Essex. They also play at Hertford & North Mymms. The net result is that more often than not any potential players in the far west of the county tend to get overlooked. This is why Bucks have an affiliation with Tring Park. It’s fortunate as it’s one of the loveliest grounds in the Chilterns. If you’ve never visited it I strongly suggest you do!
Thanks for that @A_Worboys. Tring Park sounds lovely but, sadly, my days of attending cricket matches are no longer.
Bucks need 3 batting or bowling bonus points from their match v Cambridgeshire at Tring Park on Sun 21st, Mon 22nd & Tues 23rd August.
Following an innings hammering of Northumberland in 2 days at Jesmond, Bucks are within touching distance of promotion to National Counties Eastern Division One. Suffolk will be relegated , leaving Bucks to play Bedfordshire, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire & Norfolk next summer.
Entry is free at Tring Park & play begins at 11am each day with 110 overs to be bowled each day. Bonus points relate to the first innings (a maximum of 90 overs).
Just a reminder that the Bucks v Cambridgeshire match starts at 11am today at Tring Park CC. Best parking is via Station Road, Tring.
Would be great to see Bucks win that one and top the tables.
International cricket at High Wycombe CC this afternoon, with St Vincent V Barbados in a T20. Big crowd expected and lots of entertainment, food stalls at the ground. Entry £5, with a 1pm start.
Are these teams that have come from the WI on tour or selected from players already resident here? It is surprising that it has had no publicity or none that I have seen.
At lunch Bucks are 144-1. A J Woodland 72 not out - having been put into bat.
Just passed HWCC. The ground is packed.
Pleased to hear Bucks have made a strong start.
@wingnut I believe the are both on tour over here, rather than it being a case of UK resident players selected. I'm not completely sure though I must admit. I only heard abut it myself yesterday.
I've just returned home after watching the Barbados innings and the fist 5 over of the St Vincent innings. The ground is indeed packed, must be a couple of thousand in there. An extremely jolly crowd, clearly enjoying the the copious quantities of rum on sale. Looks like the match would have been heavily advertised in the Caribbean community and looking at the Facebook page it appears there were coachloads coming down from various parts of the UK. It's certainly a great spectacle and a wonderful atmosphere.
As for the cricket itself. Barbados were 196 all out from the full 20 overs. Judging by the first 5 over of the St Vincent innings, that'll be more than enough. Barbados had 2 seriously quick bowlers who were were far too much for St Vincent batsmen who were clearly struggling against such a hostile attack. They were 11-2 when I left and I believe only got bat on ball twice in the 3 overs of pace, both times leading to catches, the first from an absolute brute of a bouncer.
At tea Bucks are 329-7 from 83 overs. Ed Bragg 22 n.o, Conner Haddow 1 n.o.
Earlier A J Woodland made 111. Seven overs to go before close of innings.
Bucks have collected the maximum four batting points, enough to ensure they win the division.
Scorecard: https://buckscricket.play-cricket.com/website/results/5054065
can I ask what are the eligibility rules for players at that level
do they get paid for playing
i believe admission is free so where does the cash come from?
Bucks 386 all out off 89.5 overs.
@DevC, there are four ways to qualify, born in Bucks, play in Bucks, live in Bucks or you have been in the Bucks Pathway scheme from the age of 12.
You can also play three 'outside' players at this level, one professional and two amateur. but Bucks have a policy of only playing two, currently Alexei Kervezee and Ed Bragg, both of whom play for Halesowen. Kervezee is a former Worcestershire pro (2008-17) and Dutch international.
Apart from Kervezee, who is the full-time pro for Bucks, and who coaches, players are not paid, they just get expenses. Some of the players are paid coaches for other clubs or organisations, or can have other types of jobs in cricket.
Each National County gets a grant each season from the ECB, which does not cover all costs, so funds are raised in the same way as with other member sports clubs, sponsorship, raffles, fund raising dinners, golf days etc.
Bucks do not charge admission, grounds are generally not enclosed in the county.
The rules on that are very complicated and need to be read:-
https://nationalcountiesca.co.uk/pages/ncca-general-competition-rules
I think that some funds come from the central body but most players are amateur with
often one professional. This was certainly the case years ago but now the counties have sponsors who
help keep the show on the road too.
Close of play, Cambs 68-4 off 24.1 overs.
A very enjoyable day's play in front of 88 spectators, not including those who have to be there (according to the Bucks Secretary).
https://buckscricket.play-cricket.com/website/results/5054065
I should add that Bucks did charge for the recent challenge match against Surrey, as HWCC is enclosed, but admission to the usual competitive matches there is free.
If they staged matches at Wormsley, or at Ascott as they used to, then they are enclosed and admission could be charged.
Cambs have been bowled out for 153, just before lunch which has been taken. Conner Haddow took 6-46 off 20.2.
With a lead of 233, Bucks have the option to enforce the follow on.
I am not at Tring for the last two days, nor is @A_Worboys, so remote updates from now on, unless any other Gasroomers are going.
Thanks @Steve_Peart . Interesting to know a little more how this all works.
Must be really frustrating to be really really good at a sport but fall just a tiny bit short of the level required to play it for a living (accepting that some perhaps choose to drop down to pursue other full time jobs). Better perhaps to be, like me, utterly shite at everything.....
The Bucks team that I watched many years ago had a good proportion of players in very good jobs and would not have wanted to play cricket for a living under any circumstances. It is better paid now for some but still a relatively short-lived career. Someone I knew used to play regularly for Bucks and also went up to play in the Lancashire league most weekends. He got paid for that but for Bucks had to pay a match fee.
I remember a couple of Kent players who had the talent to play for England (or did) - Alex Loudon and Will House - who dropped out of the professional game in their early 20s for jobs in finance.
Conner Haddow is Paul Bates grandson, the sporting legacy continues.
Alex Loudon went to Eton so his flirtation with the professional game was going to be short.
I see that "As of 2017, he was a partner in investment firm Abercross Holdings." Probably higher still now.
I daresay he still plays in MCC matches and Will House too who has a similar career path.
At tea Bucks are 141-3 after deciding not to enforce the follow-on. A J Woodland is 50 n.o. and Michael Payne 34 n.o., a partnership of 60.
Bucks declared on 245-4 from 66 overs, a lead of 478. A J Woodland made 83 and Michael Payne 72 n.o.
In reply at close, Cambs are 19-4 with three wickets for Ed Bragg.
At lunch Cambs are 115-5, needing 479 to win.
A spirited fight back by Guest (40 n.o.) and Thomason (49) saw a partnership of 101 before the latter was out on the stroke of lunch.
Cambs have been bowled out for 179, Bucks win by the huge margin of 299 runs.
Once Callum Guest was out for 80, the remaining wickets fell quickly.
Conner Haddow took four wickets, to add to his six in the first innings. Ed Bragg and Michael Payne took three each.
Bucks took the maximum 24 points, including four each for batting and bowling. Cambs took just four bowling points
That's a great result for Bucks. Pleased to see they'll be playing top flight minor counties cricket next season.
The winners!
https://twitter.com/sportsshotsnews/status/1562139736302551041?t=bqGn2goKM5t2gcNDpO7_rw&s=19
Final table.