Wiltshire CCC's NCCA T20 campaign continued with a double header against Cornwall
Wiltshire CCC v Cornwall: NCCA T20
Westbury & District CC, Westbury
Sunday 31st May 2026 at 11:00am and 2:00pm
Game 1
With the heatwave coming to an end Wiltshire welcomed Cornwall to Westbury to continue their T20 campaign. Cornwall won the toss and decided to take to the field and let Wiltshire set a target. Will Naish,42, and Tom Cheater, 13, opened and Tom hit 3 fours in the first over. Eight byes and a single saw the score race to 21 but unfortunately Tom was caught out in the next over, one of Will MacVicar’s two victims. Will Naish steadied the ship and saw two partners come and go before he became one of Elliot Hooper’s three victims. The score increased to 107 in a partnership with Cyrus Shafi. Cyrus scored a valuable 47 runs before he became one of Hooper’s victims. The score rose to 146 for 8 as the innings closed, but would it be enough?
Cornwall lost wickets in a similar fashion until Alfie MacDonald, 59, and Elliot Hooper, 30, put together a stand of 55 for the 6th wicket until Hooper became one of Archie Pascoe’s victims 2 for 33. At this stage it was looking as though Cornwall might overhaul Wiltshire’s total but Stan Brown, 2 for 35, removed Billy Taylor in the final over as Cornwall required just 8 for victory. Two runs from the final ball earned Cornwall a tie with an attempted third run resulting in a run out, 146 for 8. Two wickets fell to spinners Charan Chahal and Archie Fairfax-Ross with the whole team putting in a great effort in the field. There was a catch and a run out for Alfie Johnson and more fine catches from Cyrus Shafi and Tom Cheater.
Wiltshire CCC tied with Cornwall
Game 2
Cornwall won the toss again and yet again put Wiltshire in to set a target. With only 18 runs on the board Wiltshire had lost their top three and were looking to be in a precarious position. This brought skipper Ed Young, Wadworth Man of the Day, to the crease and he played a captain’s innings just when it was needed. He was ably supported by Cyrus Shafi, 21, as they put on 63 for the 4th wicket. Stan Brown, 24 not out, was next in and in an unbroken stand he saw the total rise to 153. After 15 overs the score was just 86 for 4 and it was looking doubtful whether Wiltshire could set a challenging target or not. In an unbelievable final over Ed Young, 83 not out, hit 22 runs (4,2,4,4,2,6) and lifted the Wiltshire score to 153 for 4.
The reply from Cornwall had them well in touch with the necessary scoring rate, but they lost wickets regularly. A partnership between Tom Orpe, 28, and Will MacVicar, 68 not out, saw them move the score on from 23 for 2 to 90 for 3. The partnership was broken by a sharp run out by Archie Fairfax-Ross. Cornwall’s heroes from the first game, MacDonald and Hooper, could only muster 15 runs between them this time around. Good work in the field with catches for Jake Goodwin, Archie Fairfax-Ross, Stan Brown and Tom Cheater saw Cornwall reach 138 for 5 after 19 overs. Sam Freestone was given the responsibility of the final over which he began in style by flattening the wicket of Hooper. They now had just five balls to score a challenging 16 runs to win. MacVicar had earlier hit three mighty sixes, but he was unable to repeat that in the final over and the total rose to just 144 for 6 and victory for Wiltshire. It was again a great team effort, but all would have been in vain if it wasn’t for the heroics of captain Ed Young in that final over.
Wiltshire CCC beat Cornwall by 9 runs
Before their next T20 fixture they have a National Trophy Quarter Final 50 over match against Oxfordshire. This will take place at Warminster next Sunday 7th June. This season’s form has been excellent with any number of players offering match-winning form. They then have a week to recover before resuming T20 action against Dorset at Wimborne on 21st June
