Berks face Cumbria for the Trophy title
Berkshire defeat Dorset by 88 runs to progress to final
Berkshire will face Cumbria for the third successive time in the National Counties Trophy final following a comfortable 88-run victory after bowling out Dorset for 131 at Finchampstead last Sunday, writes Dave Wright.
The defending champions will be bidding for a hat-trick following wins in 2019 and 2021, the 2020 competition having been cancelled owing to Covid.
The final will be played at the Wormsley Estate, Stokenchurch, on Sunday, August 28 (11am).
Not for the first time, Berkshire were indebted to skipper Dan Lincoln for leading them out of trouble after they had lost their first three wickets for 30.
Lincoln - with a mix of his usual aggression and careful defence when needed - struck four sixes and five fours in his 85-ball 73 which, with support from Rhodri Lewis and Andy Rishton, both contributing 22, ensured the hosts would have a competitive total of 219 to defend.
Jafer Chohan also weighed in with 22 late in the innings before he became the third wicket for seamer Ben Ladd-Gibbon who was playing his first match in the competition since May 2013.
Lincoln gave seamer Rishton only three overs before calling on his formidable spin attack for the rest of the game and they took all 10 wickets as Dorset slumped
from 107-4 to 131 all out. Lewis finished with 4-36 and Wargrave team-mate Euan Woods 3-18.
In the other semi-final, Cumbria defeated Oxfordshire by four wickets as Great Tew and Berkshire could add to titleholders Oxon’s misery in the NCCA Championship which resumes next Sunday. They are four points adrift of their neighbours in the Western Division 1 title race with two games left, starting against Cheshire at Nantwich, while Oxon complete their fixtures by hosting Dorset at Banbury.
Both Cheshire and Dorset have yet to win a Championship game this season.