MINOR COUNTIES Divisions sorted for next season
- Details
- Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 September 2019 23:11
- Published on Wednesday, 04 September 2019 22:34
- Written by PAUL BOLTON Minor Counties cricket correspondent
Devon will play in the Second Division after Cornwall’s Tom Dinnis produced career-best performances with bat and ball to set up an 81 runs win at Exeter.
Dinnis, whose previous highest score was 23, made 41 and shared a last wicket stand of 70 with Andrew Libby.
Dinnis then took eight for 49 to skittle Devon for 120 with the last six wickets going down for 20.
Cornwall’s win was still not enough to push them into the top five so they will play in Western Division Two next season along with Devon, Shropshire, Wales and Herefordshire.
Western Division winners Berkshire limbered up for the Minor Counties Championship final by beating Dorset by 281 runs at Wargrave, their fifth win in six Western Division matches.
Berkshire were held up by Dorset openers Luke Webb and Tom Prest, who added 117 for the first wicket but the innings unravelled after Webb was bowled by Chris Peploe.
Prest, a Hampshire Academy player, made 84 on his Minor Counties debut but Peploe (four for 79) and fellow spinners Ali Raja and Euan Woods took nine wickets between them.
Despite their defeat, Dorset still secured a place in next season’s First Division along with Wiltshire, who completed a two-day win over Shropshire on Monday.
Cheshire secured a place in next season’s Western Division First Division by beating Oxfordshire by three wickets in a jittery run chase at Thame.
Cheshire started the last day needing 73 more runs with all wickets intact but they soon found themselves in trouble at 15 for three, then 33 for four.
A fifth wicket stand of 26 between Sam Perry and Calum Rowe stabilised things but Cheshire lost three more wickets for five runs before Perry got them over the line.
Gareth Andrew, the former Somerset, Worcestershire and Hampshire all-rounder took four for 22 to finish the season with 26 Championship wickets.
Despite the defeat Oxfordshire still finished fifth in the Western Division and secured their place in the new First Division for next season.
Wales ended their season by beating Herefordshire by 112 runs at Abergavenny to give them their second victory of the campaign, their most since 2015.
Joe Voke’s century set up Wales’ declaration and seamer Tomos Jones then took four wickets.
Opener Connor Smith completed a promising debut for Herefordshire with his second half century of the match and Zain Bukhari top-scored with 84 at almost a run-a-ball.
•Staffordshire will meet Berkshire, who are seeking a record-equalling fourth consecutive title outright, in the final at Banbury in a four-day match starting on September 15.
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