Bucks v Staffs at High Wycombe
On Sunday 18th August Bucks start a vital 3-day championship match against Staffordshire at London Road, High Wycombe. With both teams leading the Eastern Counties division it's a winner-takes-all game for a place in the final in September.
Tha match starts at 11am & both teams are limited to 90 overs in their first innings.
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Staffs won the toss and elected to bat. First ball of the day, Cameron Parsons takes the wicket of Staffs captain James Kettleborough, lbw. Kettleborough is the nephew of Howard, the Hitchin Town legend, who had one season with the Chairboys, in 1976-77, when he scored 16 goals in 36 appearances, partnering Ian Pearson up front.
At lunch Staffordshire are 99-2.
Live stream.
https://www.youtube.com/live/DpPM3aZw5qY?si=aYC1j8DRAvDLYCFk
Close, Bucks 68-2 off 23 overs, in reply to Staffs 275-8 off 87.4 overs (Evitts 93, Haddow 5-92). Three bonus points each, Staffs declared to stop Bucks getting the fourth.
Staffs batted cautiously, and the declaration underlined their rather negative approach to the game. Bucks were more aggressive and unfortunately lost the late wicket of Eliot Callis, who scored a punchy 43 off 62 balls.
https://ncca.play-cricket.com/website/results/6188700
If the game is a draw, who would go through? Or is it just whoever gets more points in this game, hence that arguably negative declaration?
Watched for an hour or so on youtube this afternoon. Saw Haddow's two in two balls. With the amount of wickets he's getting and at that economy, I wonder whether a county might just give him a chance at some point.
Hopefully AJ can get some big runs after his return to the side. Played and coached with his Dad for a number of years!
If a draw, Bucks would have to make up four bonus points to be level with Staffs, i.e. maximum four batting points (score at least 325 runs) and restrict Staffs to two wickets, which they already have (don't know who is top if equal points). Otherwise Staffs will finish above Bucks, but, if a draw, could be overtaken by Lincs, if they beat Suffolk, who are 94-0 in response to Lincs' 326-9. Lincs can get max 58 points, Suffolk's max 51 is unlikely to be enough.
16 points for a win, 4 for a draw, 0 for a loss. A complicated situation, sorry if I have not explained it well, or overlooked something. Basically Bucks just need to have one aim, to win.
Latest table before bonus points have been added for current games, calculated for first innings only as:
Batting: 175 runs (1 point), 225 (2), 275 (3), 325 (4)
Bowling: 3 wickets (1 point), 5 (2), 7 (3), 9 (4)
I’ve played enough cricket to know that these things are never, ever simple. I played Cherwell league cricket for years, we had 25 points for a win and then a huge scale of bonus points, plus draw points, winning and losing draws, deductions etc. it was chaos most of the time
Conner has played for Northants academy and 2nd XI. He is 24 years old now, and is one of the most talented NCCA players, he almost guarantees wickets. I don't know if there is still a route into the first class game, I would like to think so.
Another equally talented player is Cameron Parsons, who is 27. Not sure of his pathway but Leicestershire were very complimentary about his bowling, and of course his match winning batting, in his POTM performance at Grace Road.
Lunch, Bucks 198-7 off 63 overs. AJ Woodland retired hurt on 35, and may not return this innings. Parsons (42 no) and Haddow (21 no) have come to the rescue again, with a sparkling partnership of 65 off 71 balls.
Bucks all out for 259 off 74.3 overs.
Parsons 61, Woodland 55 no, Haddow 34, Brett 7-112.
Cam and Conner put on 86 from 100 balls, and AJ returned, looking none the worse and batted very well for his fifty. A very good comeback to only be 16 runs behind.
Close, Staffs 199-7 off 58 overs, 215 ahead. Two late wickets for Haddow, including danger man Reeve Evitts, have brought the game back to 'finely balanced'.
https://ncca.play-cricket.com/website/results/6188700
It will be an interesting day tomorrow, Bucks will want to try and keep the target under 250. In the other game, Suffolk are in a strong position, with Lincs 119-4 in their 2nd innings, only seven runs ahead.
Unusual sight of the day was the Staffs bowlers thigh high in the River Wye, using it as an ice bath.
I’m going to try and get along to this tomorrow. What time does play start? 11?
11am. Bar is open all day, there are plenty of chairs to sit on outside.
Start of the final day.
Thanks for the recommendation @Steve_Peart
Just arrived with the kids!
I'm sat close to the scorebox, are you to my right?
Staffs all out for 229 off 71.1 overs. Conner with four wickets, Tom Weymes with three.
Bucks need 246 to win.
Bad start, Bucks 6-3.
Lunch, Bucks 86-5. A roller coaster of a session, disastrous start, top three of the order all out with six runs on the board. Then Bucks consolidated, Kervezee and Richardson put on 80 off 83 balls, with Richardson going for his shots, before getting out for 47 off 51 balls. Five balls later, Kervezee was out for 28 in the last over before lunch. As the saying goes, it will be a good one to win from here. Tom Brett has three of the wickets, a very good slow left arm bowler, who can bowl all day.
Bucks 178 all out off 33 overs (Brett 5-74) . Staffs won by 67 runs.
Death or glory stuff after lunch. Tom Hampton, normally a 10 or 11, decided to join young Danny Chapman, 16 years old I hear, and tried to hit every ball to the boundary, as did Danny. They put on 47 off 31 balls, before Hampton went for 22 off 12. Chapman made an excellent 40 off 34, he looks like a very good prospect. Conner made 21 off 19.
Congratulations to Staffs who were the more disciplined team, Bucks had some players with injuries and illness.
https://ncca.play-cricket.com/website/results/6188700
Suffolk beat Lincs by 10 wickets, so Bucks finished third.
https://ncca.play-cricket.com/website/division/117157
It was nice to meet you earlier @Steve_Peart
I was just back on my way down with the kids when we saw we were 7 down. I got near the ground and we were all out!
thanks very much for the reports, @Steve_Peart.
Likewise @Lloyd2084, always good to meet a Gasroomer. The afternoon session was very entertaining but steady ones and twos might have got nearer the target. However, credit to the Staffs bowlers who were very good and will give Berkshire a good game, in front of home supporters at West Bromwich in two weeks time.
At the end of the game, Bucks' NCCA Championship flag was taken down the flag pole and the Staffs players took photos with it. A bit surprising as Staffs are divisional winners, not overall champions yet. There were representatives from Berks present, I wonder what they thought of that.
Every time I go to HWCC, I look at this building, opposite the pavilion, and wonder if it was there when WWFC played there from 1890-93. The curvature on the dark blue panelling makes me think it could be Victorian. Someone must know more about it but if anyone has some architectural insight into the style, please let me know!
The Championship Final ended today in a draw, after 130 overs were lost to the rain over the four days.
The trophy was shared, for the first time since 2005, after the Counties voted in the winter to remove the rule of the team with the first innings lead, winning in the event of a draw. Last season's final influenced that after Bucks, with a first innings lead, batted on and on and happy to settle for a draw if needed, snuffing out any chance Devon might have, although Bucks did bowl them out and win.
As for that old pavilion, I did look on some Ordnance Survey maps on the wonderful National Library of Scotland site (https://maps.nls.uk/). It was not on the 1897 map, was on the 1923 one, with none available in between that I could find.