Minor Counties Championship Round Up

Nigel Gadsby became Cambridgeshire's all-time record runscorer in the Minor Counties championship when he shared in his third 200-plus stand of the season with Simon Kellett at Fenner's.

Gadsby and former Yorkshire batsman Kellett, who put together unbroken opening stands of 241 and 265 against Suffolk at Saffron Walden last month, added another partnership of 215 in 52 overs against Buckinghamshire, with both scoring unbeaten centuries.

Kellett made 103 not out, while Gadsby finished on 100 not out, and in the process overhauled Maurice Crouch's record of scoring 8,474 runs for Cambridgeshire between 1936 and 1963. Buckinghamshire had earlier made 209 for seven off 57 overs - Paul Sawyer topscoring with 71 - and they closed the day on 47 for one in their second innings.

At Askam, Staffordshire's plucky victory bid turned into a survival fight against Cumberland paceman David Pennett.

Steve Dean's men were poised to make up significant ground on the Eastern Division leaders when they reached 82 for three in pursuit of a challenging 163 target in 43 overs.

But the departure of opener Laurie Potter for 41 caused a mid-innings wobble to 86 for six as Pennett (seven for 33) changed the complexion of the game. He was twice on a hat-trick - David Womble and David Boden both getting first-ballers - and Staffordshire had to give up the chase to finish on 134 for eight.

Potter had taken six for 32 off 27.4 overs in the Cumberland second innings, which fell away from 83 for three to 149 all out.

Minor Counties Championship
Askam: Cumberland 153 & 149 (L Potter 6-32) Staffs 140-6 & 134-8 (DB Pennett 7-33) Drawn. Cumberland 2 Staffs 4
Fenner's: Bucks 209-7 (PR Sawyer 71) & 47-1 Cambs 215-0 (SA Kellett 103 not, NT Gadsby 100 not)