Cheshire v Cornwall Championship (4)
Durant Cricket Counties Championship Western Division 1 Table Scorecard
Chester Boughton Hall - Cheshire 396 (89)(H Dearden 188, D Newton 57, S Perry 39, H Dobson 36; WA MacVicar 5-72, AJ Blake 3-56)
& 195-4 dec (A Money 87, LM McCoy 75; EAF Whiteford 3-62);
Cornwall 350 (84.3) (PS Smith 133, AJ Blake 35, MM Tryfonos 34,WA MacVicar 33; M Finan 4-111, H Dobson 3-31, C Stenhouse 3-113)
& 149-3 (44) (MM Tryfonos 64, KN Leathley 60no).
Cornwall (12) drew with Cheshire (12). Target 242 in (min 35) effectively 46 overs
Match Stats - Cheshire v Cornwall 18/20 August at Chester Boughton Hall CC
Paul Smith (133) & Ellis Whiteford (27no) break the County Tenth Wicket Record with a stand of 152
Previous Record was George Rogers (191) & Frank Whiting (35no) 132 v Dorset at Camborne on 13 August 1931
Day 1
Lunch 13:21 - Cheshire 114/4 (35)
Tea 16:20 - Cheshire 270/5 (73)
Inns Closed 17:46 Cheshire 396 (89)
Close 19:17 Cornwall 55/3 (18)
Day 2
Rain 11:56 -12:22 Cornwall 118/5 (29.5)
Lunch 13:20 Cornwall 167/7 (44)
Inns Closed / Tea 16:49 Cornwall 350 (84.3)
Tea 16:20 Devon 237/4 (87)
Rain 17:21 Cheshire 9/0 (3)
End of Day 18:25
Day 3
Ground Delay 10:39 - 12:13 Cheshire 10/0 (3.3)
Lunch 13:20 Cheshire 56/1 (21)
Inns closed & Tea 15:52 Cheshire 195/4 dec (49)
Close 18:22 Cornwall 149/3 (44)
Match Reports courtesy Paul Bolton NCCA
Day 1
Cheshire captain Harry Dearden made his maiden century to rescue his side against Cornwall at Chester Boughton Hall and improve their hopes of avoiding relegation from Western Division Two.
Dearden’s Cheshire career has been split by a six-year stint with Leicestershire which meant that he was playing only his sixth match in the competition.
Cheshire were wobbling at 115 for five – all the wickets taken by Will MacVicar - but Dearden and Dan Newton then added 163 for sixth wicket to take them to 396.
Dearden’s 188 was 102 more than his previous best in the competition and his 167-ball innings included seven sixes.
Newton played a valuable supporting role and made his maiden Championship half century in just his second match in the competition.
Cheshire collected a bowling point at the end of the day as Cornwall, who began the day with a ten points advantage over their hosts, reached 55 for three .
Left-arm seamer Michael Finan, playing his first match for Cheshire in two years following stints in first-class cricket with Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, soon removed Karl Leathley before Henry Dobson accounted for Billy Taylor and Jake Rowe with successive balls an over apart.
Max Tryfonos and debutant Connor Cooke (St Austell) saw Cornwall through to the close on 55 for three.
Day 2
Cornwall captain Paul Smith’s brilliant maiden century rescued his side against Cheshire at Chester Boughton Hall and set up a tense final day in the battle to avoid relegation from Western Division One of the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship.
Cornwall were deep in trouble and in danger of following on when they slipped to 198 for nine in response to Cheshire’s first innings 396.
Smith was on 16 when last man Ellis Whiteford joined him but he turned the match on its head in spectacular fashion, plundering 133 from 180 balls to take Cornwall to 350 all out and maximum batting points.
Smith struck six sixes, three of them out of the ground including two that landed in the Shropshire Union Canal, while Whiteford gave him excellent support with 22 not out in a last wicket partnership of 152.
Smith, a proud Cornishman, celebrated his century by tapping the county crest on his sweater with his bat and was given a standing ovation by his team-mates and an appreciative crowd when he eventually fell narrowly failing to clear the ropes again.
Left-arm quick Michael Finan took four wickets in his first bowl for Cheshire in two years after stints with Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. But they came at a cost, not helped by a rash of no balls.
The forecast rain arrived shortly after tea with Cheshire 55 ahead and needing to keep a watchful eye on events at Banbury where Devon again had the better of the day against hosts Oxfordshire.
Day 3
Cheshire suffered relegation from Western Division One after they were unable to force victory against Cornwall at Chester Boughton Hall and Devon beat Oxfordshire by 167 runs at Banbury.
Cheshire lost their grip on the game on Monday evening when Cornwall skipper Paul Smith and Ellis Whiteford added 152 for the last wicket and they never regained control.
Instead of being in a position to enforce the follow-on, Cheshire found themselves with little room for manoeuvre after rain delayed the start of the final day.
Half-centuries from Alex Money and Luke McCoy took Cheshire to 195 for four declared in their second innings but a last day run chase had no appeal for Cornwall who needed only a draw to secure their Division One status.
Openers Karl Leathley and Max Tryfonos shared a partnership of 112 for the first wicket and the loss of three quick wickets proved too little too late for Cheshire.
By that stage Devon, last season’s Western Division champions, had ensured they would not finish bottom as they shot Oxfordshire out for 131 in their second innings.
Off-spinner Sam Read took six for 27 – his maiden five wicket haul - with only Luke Hayes (23), George Tait (26) and Prav Chahal (29) delaying Devon’s victory march.
