Buckinghamshire Take Eastern Division Crown   You are here: Home » News Detail

Jesmond Cricket Ground - Venue of Buckinghamshire's match with Northumberland

Buckinghamshire won the Minor Counties Eastern Division after securing the seven points they required from their rain-affected draw against Northumberland.

Bucks fought off a late title challenge from Cambridgeshire to take the crown and set up an English Minor Counties Final with Western Division winners Cornwall on the 9^th September.

Faisal Ali got Buckinghamshire of to a steady start in their match against Northumberland with figures of 4-62 to dismiss the home side for 268 in their first innings.

Ryan Pringle smashed 93 from just 82 balls which included 15 fours and 2 sixes for Northumberland.

Fahim Quareshi hit 110 for the visitors as they reached 282 for 8 in reply.

60 from Northumberland skipper Adam Cragg pushed the hosts to 216 for 5 declared in their second innings, but with the match largely affected by rain, that’s where the contest finished to hand the division title to Buckinghamshire.

The biggest threat to Buckinghamshire’s title hopes were Cambridgeshire who narrowly beat Staffordshire in the last match of their league campaign.

Three wickets each from Greg Willott, Craig Barker and Paul Byrne helped Staffordshire dismiss the visitors for just 177.

It could have been a whole lot worse for Cambridgeshire if James Williams didn’t hit an unbeaten 57 towards the end of the innings.

But 6-52 from Paul McMahon helped the visitors bowl Staffordshire out for 152 in reply.

But Byrne hit back for the home side finishing with impressive figures of 6-13 to leave Cambridgeshire in huge trouble all-out for 92.

Chasing just 118 for victory, Cambridgeshire seamers Tom Mees and McMahon helped pull of an incredible fight back to take the win.

McMahon took 5 second innings wickets to finish with match figures of 11-86, alongside Mees who took four wickets himself to dismiss Staffordshire for just 83 inside 38 overs.