COUNTIES CRICKET Thompson keeps Devon on course
- Details
- Created on Monday, 22 August 2022 09:08
- Last Updated on Monday, 22 August 2022 14:56
- Published on Monday, 22 August 2022 09:08
- Written by PAUL BOLTON National Counties Cricket correspondent
Matt Thompson’s 128, his first Championship century in three years, was the centrepiece of Devon’s innings and helped them recover from the early loss of openers James Horler and Adam Small.
Thompson and Elliot Hamilton added 189 for the third wicket and, after Thompson departed, Calum Haggett weighed in with 98 from 95 balls before he was run out.
Occasional seamer Jack Mynott, who had taken only one Championship wicket before the start of play, ended it with five more which included the scalps of Thompson and Hamilton.
Mynott then took on his more familiar role as an opening batter and helped Wiltshire to 50 for one by the close.
Wales NC were indebted to former Glamorgan batter Connor Brown for getting them to 298 all out against Cornwall at Truro.
Rain delayed the start for 75 minutes, the Ammanford opener Kurtis Marsh impressed with 47 on his National Counties debut.
Greg Smith and George Pritchard failed to turn promising starts into more substantial innings but Brown held firm and turned his second Championship century into a career-best 133.
Slow left-armer Andrew Libby, who was late call-up for his first appearance for Cornwall in three years, made the most of his unexpected opportunity and finished with six for 81.
The value of Brown’s runs increased when Cornwall batted and they slumped from 51 for two 62 for five before ending the day on 69 for five.
Former Glamorgan seamer Aneurin Norman took two of the wickets with the second, former Warwickshire and Leicestershire batter Ateeq Javid, giving him his 100th Championship wicket.
Norman is only the third Wales bowler after Anthony Smith and Adrian Griffiths to take 100 Championship wickets.
Berkshire, who needed a win and a maximum of six bonus points against Herefordshire at Falkland to take the Western Division One title, ended the opening day with five of those points.
Berkshire secured maximum bowling points by dismissing Herefordshire for 192 and they added a first batting point just before the close.
Herefordshire’s innings was a series of promising cameos with only Ollie Walker (46) topping 40.
They lost their last four wickets for 12 runs and were dismissed for 192 with slow left-armer Luke Beaven taking four for 62 and off-spinner Euan Woods three for 47.
Imran Malik’s 73 helped Berkshire to end the day just 17 adrift with six wickets in hand.
Cheshire controlled the opening day of the relegation tussle with Dorset at Wimborne where half centuries from Nick Anderson – with a Championship-best 88 not out – skipper Rob Sehmi and Ali Chughtai took them to 385 for eight.
Chris Sanders took the wickets of Luke Webb and Joe Eckland in the space of five balls to leave Dorset on 33 for two in reply.
National Counties Championship
(First day of three)
Eastern Division One
Flitwick: Suffolk 378-4 (Darren Ironside 152, George Rhodes 148), Bedfordshire 51-2.
Manor Park: Norfolk 358-7 (Alfie Cooper 125, Freddie Fairey 61), Lincolnshire 61-3.
Western Division One
Falkland: Herefordshire 192, Berkshire 175-4 (Imran Malik 73).
Wimborne: Cheshire 385-8 (Nick Anderson 88 not out, Rob Sehmi 73, Ali Chughtai 64), Dorset 33-2.
Eastern Division Two
Tring Park: Buckinghamshire 386 (Alex Woodland 111, Michael Wells 64), Cambridgeshire 68-4.
Hertford: Hertfordshire 330 (Kishen Velani 93, Josh de Caires 78), Northumberland 57-0.
Western Division Two
Truro: Wales NC 298 (Connor Brown 133, Andrew Libby 6-81) Cornwall 69-5.
Sidmouth: Devon 402 (Matt Thompson 128, Calum Haggett 98, Elliot Hamilton 84, Jack Mynott 5-67), Wiltshire 50-1.
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