Sunday 24th June, nearly half way through the 2018 season and finally the Minor Counties Championship gets underway with a full programme of matches. The delay of course is caused by the introduction of the all pervasive T20 competition which does not seem uniformly popular with all the counties now involved. In addition the one day trophy has been truncated into a straight knock out instead of the more popular group basis and is also now being played in coloured clothing for the first time.
Nevertheless we must be grateful for small mercies in this day and age and here we were in situ at Wisbech for day one of the game between Cambridgeshire and Cumberland. Nothing in the current game of cricket is ever straightforward of course and on arrival we found that three of the visitors regular players, including captain Gary Pratt, were missing from the line up having chosen to play for their club side, Richmondshire of North Yorkshire, in the national club knock out game at York as reported elsewhere by John Winn.
A perfect weather day for our first ever visit to this venue which we discovered is on a large area of parkland owned by the National Trust adjacent to the nearby Peckover House. A very small attendance for such a fine day and the away side winning the toss had no doubt about batting first following their long journey after league fixtures in the north the previous day.
Shortly after the start of play a major distraction occurred which was to continue for most of the day in the shape of a huge plume of black smoke from a large fire not very far away, which turned out to be a large wood store stockpiling supplies to build garden sheds. Fortunately the wind did not change during the day so the smoke never actually threatened the game, but the wailing of fire engine sirens could clearly be heard.
Cumberland batted well in perfect conditions and Zelem, Sempill, Slack and Dutton all made fifties, but none of them could go on and play a major innings which might have taken them beyond the very satisfactory total of 372-9 in their ninety overs. Young Simon Dutton, who recently made a century in a T20 game looked the most distraught when dismissed for 84 when seemingly sure to get to the hundred mark once more.
Cambridgeshire's bowlers stuck to their task well and came back towards the end of the innings with a young local teenager Vandespeer taking 2-51 and former Cambridge MCCU spinner Josh Arksey, who took 4-74, the pick of the bunch. Vandespeer also managed to dismiss former county player, the South African Jacques Du Toit, cheaply.
Cumberland's plan for day one outlined to us in no uncertain manner by Toby Bulcock before play started was to bat first, get well over three hundred and then take four wickets in the final session.
At all went according to plan until the later part of the day when unfortunately no wickets were taken and Cambridgeshire looked just as comfortable as Cumberland at the crease with new skipper Ben Howgego, previously with Northants and Befordshire, looking in particularly good form.
On day two the the fire had been dampened down but there were still occasional wisps of smoke on the horizon. Not much trouble for the batsmen again in almost tropical conditions and openers Howgego and Charlie Lewis completed a century opening partnership before Lewis went caught behind off Du Toit for 28. Howgego continued to dominate the scoring going easily to a well deserved century and putting on 92 runs with Callum Guest, one of at least five Cambridge MCCU representatives in the home side.
(Click on the picture to see the England football shirt)
When Bulcock eventually took Howgego's wicket, caught by McGladdery, the home captain had made 136 with twenty two fours and one six. We departed further north after lunch but Cambridge kept the pressure on with all the batsmen making runs and totalling 392-6 in their ninety overs. Toby Bulcock in yet another marathon stint had unusual figures for him 37-6-127-3. Just showing what a batsman's paradise it was. Sadly Cumberland's batsman could not show the same consistency as in the first innings as they rather faded away to 189 out. Vandapeer, who looks a good prospect, took 3-20 and Arksey 3-47. Cambridge made easy work of the target of 172 on the final day with the loss of only two wickets and won the game comfortably. Skipper Howgego again impressed with 89 not out.
Meanwhile we spent the afternoon of day two with a much larger crowd at London Road, Sleaford where home side Lincolnshire were somewhat under the cosh against a strong looking Norfolk side. Lincoln had been bowled out for 293 on day one with veteran spinner and skipper Chris Brown as ever among the wickets. Norfolk looked in a strong position overnight and were nearing the end of their first innings when we arrived. Sam Arthurton had made yet another large century, 155 in fact, and Reynolds, New and newcomer Callum Metcalf, who was batting at the end, all made fifties. A total of 413-6 looked to have put Norfolk in a winning position.
Despite an opening partnership of fifty between Bansal and Kendall Lincolnshire were facing defeat by the end of day two and so it proved with Ashley Watson, the slow left armer, taking five wickets
for 57 and Norfolk chasing down the modest victory target of 104 very quickly. Sam Arthurton as I have seen so often in the past again making it look very easy with 67 not out.
So a good high scoring set of games all round the country got the Minor Counties proper off to an excellent start, none more so than the game between Devon and Wales which ended in a draw.
Wales Minor Counties holding on at the very end with an incredible score of 456-9 in their second innings.
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