COUNTIES CRICKET Quarter-final places up for grabs

There are 18 counties still in contention for places in the quarter-finals of this season’s National Counties Trophy ahead of today’s intriguing penultimate round of group matches.

Only Lincolnshire in group one and defending champions Norfolk in group two cannot progress any further although the hopes of a number of other counties, which are currently only mathematical, could be extinguished today.

All five counties in groups three and four are still in with some sort of mathematical chance of advancing to the quarter-finals.

Cornwall will need to beat Devon – and by a sizeable margin – at Redruth in their final Group Three match if they are to progress.

Cornwall are awaiting on the availability of Somerset all-rounder Lewis Goldsworthy and former Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Glamorgan all-rounder Graham Wagg.

Devon are without England Under 19s seamer Joe Heywood because of his Somerset commitments.

Torquay & Kingskerswell spinner Harry Passenger, the son of former Devon player Ben, and Sandford seamer Matt Jeacock are newcomers to the squad.

Berkshire, who began their campaign with emphatic victories over Oxfordshire and Cornwall last weekend, face Buckinghamshire at the Falkland club in Newbury.

Charlie Dunnett, who played against Oxfordshire, is added to the side that beat Cornwall with highly-regarded seamer Ben Salter a possible debutant.

Buckinghamshire have Northamptonshire batter Aadi Sharma, one of their bright homegrown prospects, available.

Group Four leaders Dorset face Wiltshire at Wimborne with Wiltshire set to give a senior debut to seamer Rhys Baker, a product of their pathway system who is now on Gloucestershire’s academy.

Wiltshire can again include Warwickshire all-rounder Jake Lintott, who took wickets and scored runs in the defeat by Cheshire.

Cheshire will enhance their quarter-final prosects but end Wales NC’s if they can win at Toft.

Cheshire bounced back from a heavy defeat against Hertfordshire two weeks ago to defeat Wiltshire last Sunday. They also have home advantage against Dorset at Didsbury next week.

Former Leicestershire and Northamptonshire left-arm seamer Michael Finan, who is trialling with Yorkshire, is unavailable so Cheshire have recalled Will Valentine and recalled Chester Boughton Hall’s Jack Wiliams for his first county appearance in two years.

Suffolk, who have also won two from two in group two, host Herefordshire at Sudbury and have named an unchanged side from the one that beat Staffordshire.

Herefordshire, who resuscitated their interest in the quarter-finals by beating Norfolk on Monday, travel without Ben Chapman-Lilley, Ollie Cox and Taylor Cornall.

But all-rounder Roshan Venkataraman has recovered from a rib injury and will make his first appearance of the season with Sinel Gunurathne and Callum Bennett recalled having played in the defeat by Shropshire two weeks ago.

Today's free to see National Trophy fixtures start at 1100 weather-permitting

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