Semi-final heartache for Suffolk
June 24, 2025SUFFOLK suffered NCCA Trophy Semi-Final heartache for the third time in eight years on Sunday.
They lost to Shropshire by four wickets with one ball to spare in a rain-affected tie at Shifnal CC.
Rain arrived just ten minutes before the scheduled start of 11am, delaying the contest until 1.25pm and reducing it to 40 overs-a-side after Suffolk had won the toss.
Jack Beaumont contributed a quickfire 30 off 19 balls before Ollie Burle and George Rhodes added 53 for the third wicket – the highest partnership of the innings.
After Burle, fresh from scoring 52 on his debut for Warwickshire 2nd XI, departed for 38, Rhodes lost Darren Ironside before he followed for 45 from the first ball of the 31st over.
Alex Oxley fell four balls later, so it was let to skipper Josh Cantrell and Jacob Marston to push the visitors towards a competitive total.
Marston made a useful 18 off 21, but it was Cantrell who was chiefly responsible for Suffolk’s final total of 223 for 9, striking five fours and one six in a sparkling 28-ball undefeated 48.
Suffolk’s total looked to be a par score, so the tie was evenly balanced at the half-way stage, before the momentum shifted in favour of Shropshire.
Despite a smart stumping by Marston to remove Rahul Kaushal off the third ball of the innings, George Hargrave tucked into Suffolk’s bowling, crunching five fours and three sixes in his 42 off 26 deliveries.
The stand with Tom Fell was worth 75 off ten overs when a splendid diving catch by Cantrell accounted for Hargrave off the bowling of Jack Beaumont, who then removed Jacques Banton first ball.
At 80 for 3 off 11 overs, the outcome was back in the melting pot, before Fell and Andre Bradford lifted the hosts to 130 for 3 off 24 overs before the rain came again.
A delay of 62 minutes saw play eventually resume at 6.50pm, and with a cut-off time to finish the tie by 7.10pm, Shropshire were set a revised target of 30 from five overs instead of 94 off 16 overs.
Cantrell swooped again to catch Fell for a well-crafted 72 off 57 just three balls after the restart as only one run came from the 25th over.
Shropshire skipper Charlie Home went on the attack against Cantrell, scoring three boundaries off four balls as a crucial 14 runs came from the 26th over.
Burle dropped Home at long on and parried the ball over the boundary for six in the process off the first ball of Harper’s next over, before he miscued a sweep and Marston took a simple catch.
That left seven required off two overs and Rhodes conceded five off the 28th, meaning just two were needed from the final six balls.
Harper bowled Joe Stanley off the second, but two singles saw Shropshire into the final, where they will face Dorset, who beat Berkshire by six wickets.
Harper, who finished with figures of 5.5-0-31-4, said afterwards that the odds shifted ‘massively’ in Shropshire’s favour with the reduced target after the rain break.
“With them having seven wickets left they had absolute licence and we had to proper gamble with some close fields and fielders on the boundary, so to take it to the last two balls was a helluva effort from us.”
Suffolk’s fielders are pictured above celebrating the second of Jack Beaumont’s two wickets in two balls during Sunday’s semi-final match.
Tags: George Rhodes, Jack Beaumont, Josh Cantrell, NCCA Trophy, Ollie Burle, Shifnal CC, Shropshire
Categorised in: Suffolk CCC