Bucks CCC v Herts CCC
Bucks play their final Unicorns Championship Eastern Division three day match, starting this Sunday. They play a ‘home’ match against Herts at Tring Park CC, having already beaten Beds there earlier this season.
This comes after two matches on the road, a two wicket loss at Fenners against Cambridge and an impressive three wicket win against Staffs at Longton, Stoke. Staffs had won three and drawn one this season but Bucks replied to the home team’s 361 all out with 396-3 off the allotted 90 overs. This included 133 from opener Masoor Khan and an incredible 100 n.o. from Garry Park, off just 50 balls and including 10 sixes and 5 fours. In the second innings Staffs were bowled out for 213, leaving Bucks to get 179, which they did with the loss of seven wickets, Khan 75 n.o.
Had Park played at Cambridge I think Bucks would have won and be sitting at the top of the table. As it is they have won three and lost two, and are 12 points behind leaders Lincs, just behind Suffolk, Staffs and Cambs. So a championship win is still possible. Herts have won one, drawn one and lost three.
The weather is looking good, Garry Park is down to play, I will be there all three days!
Comments
Forgot to say it's a 10:30 start each day.
Close on day one. Bucks 105-5 off 46 overs, in reply to Herts 244 all out off 63.2. What a difference in fortune between the morning and afternoon sessions.
Bucks won the toss and put Herts in. After initial resistance, wickets tumbled quickly, to 82-7, but Herts staged a great comeback, thanks largely to 78 n.o. by bowler Andrew Neal, to reach a respectable 244.
They continued their dominance, keeping Bucks bottled up and taking regular wickets, that man Neal taking the key one of Garry Park. The Herts tail had looked so comfortable, in contrast to the Bucks openers. A very pleasant day in the sun though.
Close on day two. Bucks are 25-0 in their second innings chasing 158 to win.
Another enjoyable day, a particularly entertaining morning session when the Bucks tail really went after the bowling to take the score from 105-5 to 272 all out off 79.2 overs, on the stroke of lunch. As in the Herts innings, the lower order comfortably outbatted the higher order. Bowlers Cameron Parsons (50) and Tom Hampton (69) did the most damage. An unusual stat, the two highest scorers for both sides, Neal for Herts and Hampton for Bucks, also took five wickets each.
After lunch Herts made slow but steady progress until Stephen Croft, the young Harefield CC leg spinner, got into the groove and took a very impressive 8-33 off 22 overs on his Bucks debut. Herts collapsed from 162-3 to 185 all out and Bucks safely saw out the final half hour.
Elsewhere results are not going too badly for Bucks and, if they win tomorrow as they should do, then they are still in with an outside shout for the championship.
8-33 off 22 on debut!?
@peterparrotface, yes. http://mcca.play-cricket.com has him down as two games, one innings for Bucks but that must be a typo, we can't find any previous appearance.
Bucks duly won, by 8 wickets, 25 minutes before lunch. They finished on 159-2, Masoor Khan 68, Teddy Casterton 40 n.o. (highest score for Bucks this season).
Player of the Match was Stephen Croft for that wonderful 8-33 yesterday. The Bucks Secretary will try and find out if that is the best bowling debut ever for Bucks.
As things stand Bucks are top but, looking at the other live scores, they are likely to be overtaken.
In the end Bucks finished fourth on 99 points. Lincs won for the third successive seasons, on 107 points, then Suffolk (105) and Staffs (103). Those three all went on to win this afternoon.
It's been a good season for Bucks with four wins and two defeats. It was the two wicket defeat at Cambs which did for them. 99 points is their best total since they won the title in 2009 with 99. Prospects are good for next season, it's a talented squad, they seem to have found a very good bowler in Croft, and they don't have to play Lincs next year, in the 10 team league format!
Lincs go on to play Berks again in the four day final, who won the Western Division again.