After a successful campaign in the NCA 50 Overs competition, Cumbria now turn their attention to the T20 format.
Already qualified for the quarter finals of the NCA Trophy, they start their T20 programme today at Allendale with the first of two games against Northumberland (11am).
Unusually these are the only two scheduled matches between the neighbouring counties this season.
Northumberland are already out of the One Day Trophy and were promoted to Eastern Division One last year in the 3 day Championship.
Recently Northumberland have had the upper hand in matches between the two counties.
The last time that Cumbria won was in 2023 in the One Day Trophy, coincidentally at Allendale.
Since then Northumberland have won six times with one drawn and two abandoned across all formats.
Those six wins include all four concluded games in 2025 including two T20 matches (one at Keswick by 3 runs then at Cambridgeshire by 8 wickets in the Super12s thanks to big scores by John Oswell and Alasdair Appleby).
While Cumbria has a weekend off in Round 1 of the T20 Group whilst Northumberland lost one match to Staffordshire whilst managing to tie the second match.
Leading the way in the tied match was Ross Whitfield (73 from 48 balls) and Ross Greenwell (33 from 24), whilst spinners Joe Stuart and Ollie McGee both took three wickets.
In the first match Harry Crawshaw (45 from 31) led the batting and Johnny Bushnell took three wickets.
Cumbria make a couple of changes in the squad Calum Rowe, like county captain Michael Slack, is not available for the T20 campaign.
Matthew Sempill captains the side with Ben Walkden vice-captain for the T20 games. Max Winskill is recalled and Sam Bates selected for the first time since 2024.
He has been in fine form with the bat opening for Workington with a century and a half century already for his club.
Squad: Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth capt), Louis Backhouse (Kendal), Sam Bates (Workington), Freddie Fallows (Kendal), Tom Fraine (Clifton Alliance), Ethan Hardie-Knight (Cockermouth), Stan McAlindon (Tynemouth), Drew Postlethwaite (Barrow, wk), Sam Sharp (Penrith), Ben Walkden (Newton-Willows), Nico Watt (Carlisle), Max Winskill (Shaw).
Cumbria’s T20 vice-captain Ben Walkden was selected on Friday to play for Lancashire seconds for the first time since 2022 when he was in their academy.
The match at Repton School was against Derbyshire seconds who featured three of the current Staffordshire white-ball squad as well as a couple of the Derbyshire first team squad.
His selection comes on the back of some match winning performaces with Newton-le-WIllows, who currently lead the Liverpool Comp Premier Division and in which is he the top wicket taker and also third highest run scorer this season to date.
It also follows a match winning performance last weekend against Cheshire at Keswick for Cumbria scoring 32 not out and taking three catches and a wicket.
Ben was Lancashire’s most economical seam bowler taking 3/32 from four overs but failed to score a run.
