Staffordshire’s hopes of retaining the NCCA Championship Division One East title are out of their hands after a one-wicket defeat by Buckinghamshire.
An absorbing encounter at Stafford saw both sides in the ascendency on the final day, but ultimately it was the visitors who held their nerve to seal victory by the narrowest of margins.
Staffs would have fancied their chances after reducing Bucks to 136-6 shortly after lunch as they pursued their 225-run target.
However, Ed Bragg (29no), Ryan Friend (19) and Teddy Fleming (34) all made decisive contributions to their side’s cause.
There was still time for some late drama as, with five runs required and three wickets in hand, Fleming was dismissed by Tom Brett.
Left-arm spinner Brett then bowled Cameron Parsons with the scores level, but Bragg kept his composure – alongside last man Conner Haddow – to see Bucks over the line.
Staffordshire will look back on some key moments which could have made a difference, notably when opener Billy Dodds had his off stump pegged back by Jacob Garlick, but the Staffs seamer had overstepped.
The hosts also conceded 28 extras which didn’t help their cause, but despite the disappointing result, it was a fantastic advert for the National Counties Cricket Association.
‘Dodds dodges one’
Buckinghamshire had resumed on 37-1 at Riverway for the third and final chapter of the contest.
Billy Dodds had failed to add to his overnight 10 not out when he was beaten by Garlick, but the umpire called a no-ball and the Bucks opener earned a reprieve.
The visitors did repel the early pressure applied by Staffordshire and had advanced the score to 69 before they lost their first wicket of the day.
Archie Dodds (15) was the man to fall when he dangled his bat at a Liam Hurt delivery he could have left, but only succeeded in nicking to a tumbling Tom Moulton at second slip.
Bucks opted to send in tailender Max Uttley at number four in a bid to chip away at their target while preserving some of their frontline batsmen.
Uttley chipped in with eight, but with the score on 94 he fell when he was trapped lbw by Brett.
Dodds made the most of his early-morning ‘life’ by adding another 35 on to his personal tally to enhance his side’s hopes.
However, with lunch looming into view, he departed to seamer Sam Atkinson. He looked to leave the ball, but instead edged to keeper Callum Hawkins stood up to the stumps.
Buckinghamshire reached the interval on 114-4 – needed a further 111 runs, while Staffordshire required six wickets in the afternoon.
‘At the double’
And it looked to be advantage Staffs when they struck twice in quick succession.
The experienced Alexei Kervezee (28) was the first to fall when he was strangled down the leg side by Atkinson, with Hawkins taking a smart catch.
Atkinson (4-34) then removed keeper-batsman George Harvey (7) after winning an lbw verdict – a decision the Bucks man could have felt disappointed by.
Staffordshire would have be in the driving seat at that juncture, but Bragg and Friend managed to form a key partnership which kept the home side waiting for another breakthrough.
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They ticked the scoreboard over to 162, before the returning Hurt breached Friend’s defences to leave Staffs three wickets from the winning line.
However, Fleming emerged from the pavilion and immediately looked busy at the crease as he kept the score moving to whittle the target down to below 50.
Indeed, such was the nature of his and Bragg’s stand that it appeared as though they might take Bucks to their target with a minimum of fuss.
The pair put on 58 for the eighth wicket to leave their side just five runs shy of a precious 20-point haul.
‘Late twist’
But such was the topsy-turvy nature of the three days, there was time for some late drama.
Fleming looked to finish off matters with one hit off Brett, but only skied the ball and keeper Hawkins took the catch.
Parsons (3) helped to level the scores, before he departed after being bowled by Brett (3-52).
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Staffs might have felt they could salvage a tie at that point, but Bragg was in no mood to waste his good work and he completed matters with a boundary off spinner Matt Morris.
It left Buckinghamshire not only celebrating the victory, but also exacting revenge after Staffs won last year’s title in their own backyard at High Wycombe.
Bucks are now in the driving seat to win this year’s crown as they host relegation-threatened Lincolnshire in the final round of matches, which start on Sunday, August 31. Staffs head to Cambridgeshire on the same day.
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Suffolk are actually top by three points, but have completed their matches after thrashing Lincolnshire at Cleethorpes.
Staffordshire know they need to win at Peterborough and hope Bucks fail to beat Lincs to reach the Championship final in September.
But such is the competitive nature of the division, that there’s also a chance that Staffs could be relegated. They need seven points to be sure of staying up if Lincs get the maximum 24 at Bucks.
So there’s plenty of permutations in the last throes of the red-ball season. NCCA cricket… you’ve got to love it.
Main image: Sam Atkinson finished with four wickets for Staffordshire in the defeat by Buckinghamshire. Picture: David Peters