COUNTIES CRICKET Devon win National Championship

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Created on Thursday, 10 September 2026 06:14

Last Updated on Thursday, 10 September 2026 07:26

Published on Thursday, 10 September 2026 06:14

Written by PAUL BOLTON Cricket Correspondent

Devon won their first NCCA Cluberly Championship title since 2011 by beating defending champions by Buckinghamshire by 122 runs on the fourth morning of the final at West Bromwich Dartmouth yesterday.

After three days of tight, competitive cricket the end came quickly as Buckinghamshire, who began the day needing 200 more for victory with seven wickets intact, were bowled out for 133 in under two hours.

The win gave Devon their eighth outright Championship title with one shared with Bedfordshire in 2004. It also meant that they avenged a 19 runs defeat by Buckinghamshire in last season’s final which was one of their major motivations coming into this match.

Buckinghamshire’s hopes of retaining their title rested on someone from their remaining top order batters playing an anchor role as Devon opener Sam Elstone had done in each innings.

But they lost three wickets in the first 30 minutes with Rhys Nicholas falling to a sharp catch at second slip by Matt Whalley off Sam Read who then struck the decisive blow when Matt Pardoe, the former Worcestershire left-hander, was LBW for seven pulling a full toss.

Devon captain James Horler then withdrew Read from the attack and brought on seamer George Daldorph at the Golf Course End, a move that paid instant dividends when Daksh Sabherwal was caught behind by Matt Thompson, the sole survivor from the side which beat Cambridgeshire in the 2011 final.

That left Buckinghamshire deep in trouble at 76 for six but their victory hopes were kept flickering by Josh Lincoln and George Harvey who decided that attack was the best form of defence in a seventh wicket partnership of 48.

Lincoln rattled to 33 – which included a six over long-on off Whalley - but then miscued slow left-armer Callum Harvey to Horler at long-off and the last three wickets went down for two runs in successive overs.

Ed Bragg went LBW to slow left-armer Whalley, Harvey was bowled by a beauty from his namesake for 24 and Elstone, who took the Player of the Match Award, pouched the catch at second slip to account for Buckinghamshire captain Conner Haddow which started the victory celebrations.

No Devon bowler was able to match Haddow’s 11 wickets in the match with Harvey’s six wickets – three in each innings – being their best match return. But their victory was very much a collective effort with Elstone’s runs – 104 in the first innings and 55 in the second – and his opening partnership of 127 with Elliot Hamilton on the second evening proving significant.

Buckinghamshire were left to rue dropped catches and the failure of their batters to convert promising starts into potential match-shaping innings. There were ten individual scored of 20 or more but no half-centuries.

NCCA CLUBERLY CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Last day of four

West Bromwich Dartmouth CC: Devon 290 (Sam Elstone 104, Conner Haddow 5-103) & 244 (Elliot Hamilton 70, Sam Elstone 55), Buckinghamshire 279 (Rhys Nicholas 48, Matt Pardoe 48) & 133. Devon beat Buckinghamshire by 122 runs.

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