25th May 2022
| Matt Thompson
White ball cricket continues for Wales NC this Sunday with the start of the 50 over one day trophy at Port Talbot against Buckinghamshire.
Bucks will be looking to exact some swift revenge on the back of their two T20 losses to Wales at High Wycombe earlier in the month, and also for the 2 wicket defeat to Wales in the one day trophy last season. Both sides are joined in their group by Wiltshire, Staffordshire and Dorset.
For Wales, they will be looking to carry on the momentum gained from a strong finish to the T20 campaign having been impressive and inconsistent in the same breath across the early part of the summer. It will however, be a much changed side to the team that enjoyed the best one day campaign for over 25 years last year. Leading run scorer Oskar Kolk is absent having enrolled into the military, veteran seamer Aneurin Norman remains out with a prolonged injury and Andrew Gorvin continues to enjoy the start to his professional career with Glamorgan. New recruit Greg Smith is unavailable with club commitments, whilst Greg Holmes, Ben Morris and Ben Kellaway are absent also. In come Newport's Morgan Bevans, who flayed the Buckinghamshire bowling to all parts at High Wycombe in the T20, and Kieran Bull who reminded everyone of his class since returning to the fold midway through last season.
CAPTION: Morgan Bevans starts the one day trophy after a fine run of form this season for club, university, and Glamorgan 2nd XI.
There are 50 over debuts for Lorenzo Machado and North Walian seamer Jason Foulkes who also impressed at High Wycombe - Wales NC's leading wicket taker in the competition Tegid Phillips returns to the line up for the first time this season now that exams have finished. The 20 year-old off spinner, alongside Gorvin secured his first professional contract with Glamorgan after an impressive season with the 2nd XI and Wales last year.
Whilst Wales came up just short of qualifying for T20 finals day, skipper Sam Pearce is raring to go for Sunday. He commented, "whilst we were happy with how we went in this competition last year, it doesn't really count for anything now. This is a new start for every team, us included and we will need to hit the ground running from ball one. We learnt some really good lessons throughout the T20 competition, the main one being not to look too far ahead, and just take it each game as it comes. If we do that, and do the basics as well as we are capable then the rest should look after itself."
Pearce himself will no doubt look to play a key role, as he currently sits 2nd overall in Wales NC history for wickets taken in the competition (28) since his debut in 2014, closely followed by the evergreen Richard Edwards who sits 3rd (22). Both men, alongside Tom Bevan were key components of the NCCA's European T10 success last season and have all featured heavily throughout the NCCA T20 group stage.
Bucks will be without top order batters Eliot Callis and Michael Wells but will look to the experience and quality that Alexei Kervezee and former Cardiff UCCE batter Alex Woodland bring to the line up.
CAPTION: Tegid Phillips was Wales' best bowler in the competition last year.
Play starts at Port Talbot from 11am, and admittance is free for spectators.
Wales NC squad from: TR Bevan (St Fagans), SJ Reingold (Neath/Stanmore), CR Brown (Lansdown), L Machado (Neath), MJ Bevans (Newport), CL Herring+ (Pontarddulais), SJ Pearce* (Bridgend), TD Phillips (Cardiff), SJ Jardine (Neath), JS Foulkes (St Asaph), RD Edwards (Neath), KA Bull (Potterne).
Buckinghamshire CCC squad from: AN Kervezee, AJ Woodland, CJ Louth, CJ Marrow+, RAJ Richardson, MJ Payne, EW Bragg, JAG Rodnight, SR Croft, JGJ McLeod, TG Weymes, TRG Hampton.