Beds hope for Championship success after Trophy failure

Bedfordshire batting. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 23.

Four defeats in a row - the latest against Devon at Dunstable on Sunday - meant that the county took the wooden spoon in their MCCA Trophy group.

It has not been the start new skipper Jamie Hewitt, who took over the helm from Steve Stubbings after the first two games, would have hoped for, but the side looks better suited to three-day cricket.

“The championship has always been the priority this season and we are hoping for some good results,” said team manager and chairman of the selectors Mike Archer.

Bedfordshire could hardly have faced a tougher start though, for Buckinghamshire are the reigning Eastern Division champions.

The county have still to finalise their side but they will definitely be without last season’s leading run-getter James Kettleborough who is still nursing a broken finger.

This will be the first time a Championship game has been staged at the attractive Ampthill ground. Play gets under way at 11am on Sunday and continues on Monday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Beds could have no complaints about being beaten by Devon on Sunday.

Once again the batsmen failed to come up with enough runs to give the bowlers a fighting chance and, as at Cople in the previous match, it was the run out of George Thurstance (59) which altered the course of the Bedfordshire innings.

He and Andy Reynoldson had put on 103 for the fourth wicket when Thurstance was caught out of his ground when the ball was deflected on to the stumps.

Reynoldson made 53 and Alex Walker struck a brisk 23, but with the wicket improving all the time, 218-9 was below par.

Bedfordshire needed to take early wickets, but the Devon openers put on 73 at a quick rate before Rob Holman was caught behind off Martin Weightman for 24.

The hosts were briefly back in the game when Luke Cherry claimed two wickets to reduce Devon to 82-3, but despite some good bowling by left-arm spinners Tom Brett and Dan Vernon, the county’s only other success came from a fortuitous run out.

With opener Rob Woodman batting beautifully throughout and deservedly reaching a century, Devon coasted home by six wickets.

Scores: Bedfordshire 218-9. Devon 219-4.