Cumbria’s latest NCCA Championship game with Buckinghamshire is well poised at the end of the first day.
Although Cumbria trail at Chesham by 88 runs with just three wickets in hand the current partnership has yielded 56 runs.
Sam Dutton of Furness, who went in at 19-3, is on 78 not out and has found an able partner in Netherfield wicket-keeper Finlay Richardson (31 not out).
The visitors were rocking at 93-7 after 24.2 overs and have batted for 18.4 overs to take their side to 149-7 at the close.
Other than Dutton and Richardson only two Cumbrian batsmen have reached double figures, Gary Pratt (14) and Marcus Stables (15).
Opening bowler Cameron Parson, who actually made his Bucks debut against Cumberland at High Wycombe in 2016, has already taken a career-best 5-43 from his 11 overs to date.
Buckinghamshire had won the toss and elected to bat first, eventually bowledmout for 237 from 74.5 overs with a man from each side capturing the headlines.
Their innings was dominated by opener Andy Woodland while Cumbria’s left arm spinner Matthew Siddall continued his superb run of form with a career best performance.
Woodland scored his first Minor Counties century (previous best 84) as he batted a marathon four hours and 17 minutes – first in and last out – for an innings defining 121.
Siddall, bowling virtually unchanged for 33 overs, picked up 8-88 with Woodland one of the two wickets he failed to take. Fellow spinner Nico Watt chipped-in with 2-87 from 25.5 overs.
