CUMBRIA County Cricket Club lost the National Counties One Day NCCA Trophy Final by 29 runs after being unable to run down 196 against Berkshire County Cricket Club.

The Cumbrian’s won the toss and elected to field first at the picturesque cricket ground on the bucolic Wormsley Estate in Buckinghamshire.

Captain Michael Slack opened the bowling from the Deer Park End and eventually caught out Johnny Connell on the last ball of the seventh over with his delivery after Sam Dutton’s miraculous two-handed catch from six inches off the ground.  

Then, four balls later Ed Moulter shaped a ball to Euan Woods who chopped it on for a three ball duck when bowling from the Dibley End.

After 11 overs, Berkshire were staggering on just 29/4.

Seasoned captain Dan Lincoln, who played in the T20 Blast for Kent in 2021 and Archie Carter steadied the ship, but Berkshire remained were struggling at 56/6 off 21.4 overs.

At the end of their 50 overs, the hosts finished on 195/9.

The usual big-hitting Freddie Fallows opened the batting for Cumbria with his fellow opener and they stayed about level with the  run rate of just under four per over until Fallows was holed out to Lewis at extra cover off Andy Rishton in the eighth over.

Dutton and Ben Walkden then scored 35 in just under seven overs before Dutton missed getting his foot back over the line and was stumped by Luke Beaven.

Cumbria were well on track for victory after scoring a century off 24.1 overs thanks to the partnership of JJ Fielding and Matthew Sempill.

The Cumbrian supporters had started to believe that their side were on course for victory, but in the 35th over the match changed as Fielding was given out LB after a video review.

The new pairing of Nico Watt and Sempill needed to score exactly 50 off the remaining 15.2 overs, but Rishton executed a direct hit to run Watt out half a yard short of the second run.

Berkshire didn’t allow the remaining Cumbrian batsman to get accustomed to a style of delivery and Sempill was eventually run out, which left the visitors needing 36 off eight overs.

Unfortunately, they were all out for 166 off 45.3 overs in what was a disappointing end to a brilliant match.