Championship Final Disappointment as Berkshire Look Ahead to Plate Final
As the Senior season draws towards its conclusion, Berkshire’s 50+ sides have one final opportunity for silverware, with the 50+ 1st XI preparing for their Plate Final against Surrey following the 50+ 2nd XI’s Championship Final against Yorkshire.
The 50+ 2nd XI saw their Championship hopes come to an end against Yorkshire at Tring Park Cricket Club, with Yorkshire securing a 110-run victory after posting 187-9 from their 45 overs.
Having won the toss and elected to field, Berkshire made a positive start with the ball and kept Yorkshire in check for much of the innings. Mark Barnard top-scored with 35, while Richard Vigars added a valuable 45 from 62 balls and Stuart Hudson contributed 17. Berkshire’s bowling attack shared the wickets, with Timothy Howson, Ravi Godbole and Upendra Deshpande all taking two wickets, alongside one each for Saraff Saleem and Sean Taylor.
Chasing 188 for the Championship, Berkshire struggled to build momentum and were eventually bowled out for 77 in 29 overs. Ian Dawkins provided the main resistance with an unbeaten 39 from 75 balls, but Yorkshire’s Jason Meadows proved particularly difficult to handle, producing an outstanding spell of 5-10 from six overs, including two maidens.
Despite the disappointing result, reaching the Championship Final was an excellent achievement for the 50+ 2nd XI, who can reflect on a strong campaign which saw them compete for silverware right through to the final.
Attention now turns to the 50+ 1st XI, who are preparing for their Plate Final against Surrey Senior Cricketers Association at Kibworth Cricket Club on Sunday 13 September, with an 11am start.
Berkshire booked their place in the final with a convincing six-wicket victory over Devon in the semi-final, chasing down 194 in just 35 overs. Mandip Sohi led the way with an excellent 63 from 59 balls, while Pete De Lange finished unbeaten on 50.
The final provides another opportunity for Berkshire to finish the Senior season with silverware, and the side will be looking to build on their impressive semi-final performance when they take on Surrey at Kibworth.
As the Senior season draws towards its conclusion, Berkshire Cricket would like to thank all of the players, team managers, coaches, scorers, umpires, host clubs and everyone else who has contributed to another busy and enjoyable season of Senior cricket across the county. Your continued support throughout the season is greatly appreciated.