COUNTIES CRICKET Devon top group, win home advantage
- Details
- Created on Monday, 06 July 2026 07:07
- Last Updated on Monday, 06 July 2026 07:07
- Published on Monday, 06 July 2026 07:07
- Written by PAUL BOLTON Cricket Correspondent
Devon won Group Four after they bounced back from a 13 runs defeat in the opener against Cornwall at Werrington to dismiss their hosts for 87 in the second match and clinch a 76 runs victory.
Cornwall’s victory in the first match, built on 45 from captain Paul Smith, briefly took them top of the group.
But Devon soon gained revenge as Seb Linnitt made a fluent 79 in their 163 for five and Ben Privett then took four for 25, including Alex Blake and John Moon in his first over, as Cornwall slipped to 25 for five. A sixth wicket partnership of 45 between Elliot Hooper (23) and Billy Taylor (22) shored up the innings but Cornwall fell well short of their target of 164.
Cornwall finished second in the group on superior run rate just ahead of Wiltshire whose defeat in the opener against Herefordshire at Westbury denied them the chance to finish top of the group.
A half-century from Joel Cox, one of three brothers in Herefordshire’s side, took the visitors to 150 for eight and three wickets for seamer Roshan Venkataraman restricted Wiltshire to 109.
That was Herefordshire’s first win at the seventh attempt but they ended their T20 season with an seventh defeat as Wiltshire won the second match by eight wickets.
Toby Cox’s 47 steered Herefordshire to 142 for eight with seamer Archie Pascoe taking three for 27. Wiltshire chased down their target with 11 balls to spare with Will Naish (48) sharing stands of 62 for the first wicket with Tom Cheater (29) and 57 for the second with Jake Goodwin (36 not out).
It was tight in Group Three where Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire started the day level on eight points each. Berkshire clinched top spot with contrasting victories over Bedfordshire at Luton where a 69 runs win in the opener was followed by a four wickets success in a low-scoring second match.
Ben Salter’s 80 in the opener was the only half-century at Wardown Park where Bedfordshire folded to 95 all out with off-spinner Euan Woods taking three for 15.
In the second match Northamptonshire all-rounder Gus Miller top-scored for Bedfordshire with 31 and their total of 116 for eight looked like being a winning one when Berkshire slipped to 78 for six. But Woods (22 not out) and Andy Rishton (26 not out) saw Berkshire home without further alarm and with four balls to spare.
Buckinghamshire broke a series of county records in their two victories over Wales NC at Marlow.
Their 235 for seven in the opener was their highest total in the competition and their 132 runs win, their biggest by runs margin.
Worcestershire batter Rehaan Edavalath, with 89 from 57 balls, and Josh Lincoln (81 from 28 balls) pummelled 125 in nine overs in a Buckinghamshire record fourth wicket partnership. Buckinghamshire’s win extinguished Wales’ hopes of making the Super 12s as they needed to win both matches to have any chance of progressing.
In the second match former Worcestershire left-hander Matt Pardoe struck 112 not out from 56 balls and became the first Buckinghamshire batter to make a T20 century.
It was a second century in the competition for Pardoe, his first coming for Herefordshire, and also a career-best with Edavalath (46) helping him add 123 for the second wicket.
Ollie Rayner (60) and former Nottinghamshire batter Sam King (49) led Wales’ chase with a second wicket partnership of 61 but Buckinghamshire’s spin combination of skipper Conner Haddow and off-spinner Bertie Foreman, who is on a short-term contract with Kent, checked their progress.
From 127 for two, Wales were dismissed for 179 and beaten by 24 runs but Buckinghamshire were unable to improve their net run rate sufficiently to overtake Berkshire at the top of the group. Bedfordshire went through to the Super 12s despite their double defeat at Luton.
The Super-12s will take place on Sunday August 9 with venues and groups to be confirmed. In change to the Super 12s format this season, the four group winners will progress to the final at the venue where they will meet the winner of an eliminator between the second and third placed counties. The winners of the four Super 12s will then go through to T20 Finals Day at Wormsley on August 30.
NATIONAL COUNTIES T20
Sunday July 5
Group One
Carlisle: Cumbria v Staffordshire. Both matches abandoned.
South Northumberland CC. Match One: Northumberland 133-7 (Isaac Brooks 3-22), Cheshire 134-9. Cheshire won by one wicket.
Match two: Cheshire 182-7 (Alfie Usher 64, Fred Vaughan-Hawkins 45), Northumberland 158-9 (John Oswell 44, will Espley 3-37). Cheshire won by 24 runs.
Group Two
Exning. Match one: Norfolk 212-4 (Ben Wilcox 82, Arthur Wilcox 51), Cambridgeshire 103 (Arthur Wilcox 4-23). Norfolk won by 109 runs.
Match two: Norfolk 114 (Ben Clilverd 3-25), Cambridgeshire 115-3 (Ben Saunders 56 not out). Cambridgeshire won by seven wickets.
Mellis CC. Match one: Suffolk 149-8 (Feroze Khushi 74), Hertfordshire 152-5 (Ben Clifford 66 not out). Hertfordshire won by five wickets.
Match Two: Suffolk 155-6 (Ben Waring 3-28), Hertfordshire 125 (Ollie Burle 3-27). Suffolk won by 30 runs.
Group Three
Luton. Match One: Berkshire 164-9 (Ben Salter 80), Bedfordshire 95 (Euan Woods 3-15). Berkshire won by 69 runs.
Match two: Bedfordshire 116-8, Berkshire 117-6. Berkshire won by four wickets.
Marlow. Match One: Buckinghamshire 235-7 (Rehaan Edavalath 89, Josh Lincoln 81), Wales NC 103 (Conner Haddow 3-17). Buckinghamshire won by 132 runs.
Match two: Buckinghamshire 203-5 (Matt Pardoe 112 not out, Rehaan Edavalath 46), Wales NC 179 (Ollie Rayner 60, Sam King 49, Conner Haddow 3-20, Archie Dodds 3-30). Buckinghamshire won by 24 runs.
Group Four
Werrington. Match one: Cornwall 166-7 (Paul Smith 45) Devon 153-9. Cornwall won by 13 runs.
Match two: Devon 163-5 (Seb Linnitt 79), Cornwall 87 (Ben privett 4-25). Devon won by 76 runs.
Westbury. Match one: Herefordshire 150-8 (Joel Cox 56), Wiltshire 109 (Roshan Venkataraman 3-14). Herefordshire won by 41 runs.
Match two: Herefordshire 142-8 (Toby Cox 47, Archie Pascoe 3-27), Wiltshire 145-2 (Will Naish 58). Wiltshire won by eight wickets.
SHOWCASE MATCHES
July 6
Magdelen College School, Oxford: Oxfordshire v Sussex (T20 – 2.30pm)
July 7
Worfield: Shropshire v Worcestershire (11am)
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