Skipper looks for positives after rain

THE Great British weather may have ruined Norfolk’s chance to open their Unicorns Championship campaign with a win – and their first three-day triumph away from home since 2013 – but captain Chris Brown accentuated the positives.

No play was possible on the final day against Cambridgeshire due to rain, with Norfolk left stranded on 68-2 and needing another 101 runs for victory.

Cambridgeshire were 87-6 in the first innings before Joe Dawborn’s lower-order blast (56no) helped them to 209 – and the fast bowler then took four wickets as Norfolk posted 179 in reply.

But seamer Ben France, who took ten wickets in total during the match, was Norfolk’s spearhead as Cambridgeshire were all out in the second innings for just 138.

That performance left the door open for a Norfolk victory – only for the rain to arrive.

“We would have won that game but we can still take lots of positives out of it with bat and ball,” said Brown.

“We missed a couple of chances in Cambs’ first innings, we could have got them out for 160-odd but they made 209.

“We were then 27-4 but we fought back thanks to a decent partnership from Lewis Denmark and Garry Park and some excellent work from Ashley Watson.”

The rest of the Unicorns Counties return to three-day action on Sunday with reigning champions Cumberland taking on Suffolk in Carlisle in the Eastern Division.

Buckinghamshire host Northumberland and Bedfordshire, looking to continue the strong form which saw them top their Unicorns Trophy group, travel to Lincolnshire.

And Staffordshire, who won four out of four in the Unicorns Trophy, begin their campaign at Hertfordshire.

Last year’s beaten finalists Oxfordshire head to St Austell for their first Championship game of the season against Cornwall after losing all four of their Unicorns Trophy fixtures.

Elsewhere in the Western Division, Cheshire face Wiltshire, Herefordshire welcome Berkshire, Dorset travel to Shropshire and Wales take on Devon.