Minor Counties Championship Round Up

Brewood's unusually productive pastures harvested a third batting landmark as Staffordshire and Hertfordshire shared in a second-day stalemate.

Stand-in Staffordshire skipper Laurie Potter followed the first-day lead of Graeme Archer and David Ward to drop anchor for a new championship highest score of 146 not out as Staffordshire successfully thwarted Hertfordshire's victory aspirations.

Potter was at the crease for over four and a half hours - whole teams have struggled to survive half that long at Brewood in recent years - as Staffordshire reached 262 for eight declared in their second innings.

Left with a minimum 35 overs to score 211, Hertfordshire disappointingly called off the chase as soon as Longton allrounder David Womble had accounted for dangermen Ward and Martin James for a combined total of just four runs.

Simon Oakes returned to the Lincolnshire side with a vengeance to plunder seven wickets - including a first innings haul of five for 38 - as Suffolk were forced to follow on at Ransomes. Oakes was on a hat-trick on three different occasions, with one of his first-ball victims being ex-England Test star Derek Randall.

Paul Lazenbury compiled his second championship century of the week for Herefordshire against Cornwall on a day that boiled up into a smashing climax. Cornwall were 221 for eight with one ball left, needing a four for a fourth batting point. Herefordshire needed one more wicket for a full complement of bowling points but Nick George won the day by lifting ex-Somerset spinner Harvey Trump for six.

Devon's Ian Gompertz (54) and Bobby Dawson (90) shared an opening stand of 146 against Berkshire at Falkland, while Dorset's Matt Swarbrick (68) and Glyn Treagus (62) added 137 for the first wicket against Cheshire at Dean Park before former Lancashire off-spinner Chris Brown weighed in with five for 79.

Minor Counties Championship
Brewood: Staffs 248-8 & 262-8 (L Potter 146 not, BJ Frazer 4-46) Herts 300 & 41-3. Match Drawn Staffs 6, Herts 7
Falkland (Newbury): Berks 227-7 (GE Loveday 60, AJ Procter 4-65) & 59-1 Devon 198-7 (RI Dawson 90, I Gompertz 54, NA Fusedale 4-78)
Dean Park, Bournemouth: Cheshire 206-6 (MR Currie 68, RG Hignett 52, VJ Pike 5-57) & 39-4 Dorset 229-7 (M Swarbrick 68, GR Treagus 62, C Brown 5-79)
Dales, Leominster: Hereford 222 (PS Lazenbury 121) Cornwall 227-8 (N Curnow 54)
Lakenham: Norfolk 230-7 (NJ Llong 50) Northumberland 147-8
Ransomes (Ipswich): Lincs 208-8 (GM Kirk 5-61) Suffolk 89 (S Oakes 5-38) & following on 26-2