Oundle's National Final turned into a damp squib, Ramsey beaten in play-off final

​Oundle should have tackled Liverpool-based Northern CC in the ECB T20 Club Championship final at the Derby County Ground, but a waterlogged playing area and no reserve date meant the teams were forced indoors for cricket’s equivalent of a penalty shootout.

Players bowl at unguarded stumps and Northern proved the more accurate, winning 4-2 and leaving Oundle with memories of a glorious run which included exciting successes at county, area and regional finals days.

No Northamptonshire champions had ever reached the final and coupled with a club-best second placed finish in the Northants Premier Division, behind champions Finedon and two points head of third-placed local rivals Peterborough Town, it was a fine season for Oundle.

Both Oundle and Town saw their final league games abandoned because of heavy rain when intriguingly poised. Tommy Simeons (52no) and Sam Jarvis (43no) had pushed Oundle to 102-1 chasing Desborough’s 251-8, while Kislingbury Temperance were 78-3 chasing Town’s 161.

Captain David Clarke (73) had dominated Town’s innings. Both Oundle and Town improved on their 2023 finishing positions by a place. Finedon have now completed a hat-trick of titles and only they and Town have won the title in the past seven seasons.

Harrison Craig’s three wickets for Oundle against Desborough made it 43 for the season, the most in the division.

RAMSEY CC Ramsey CC can also reflect on a terrific season even though it ended in disappointment.

The runaway Cambs League champions were beaten by 22 runs in a play-off final by Downham Stow at Cricketfield Lane when a place in the high-class East Anglian Premier Division was at stake.

Norfolk League champions Downham posted 262-5 in their 50 overs despite a typically miserly spell of 1-12 from 10 overs from Ramsey overseas star Sandun Madushanka. The left-arm spinner was the leading wicket taker in Cambs Division One with 56 at under nine runs apiece with a brilliant economy rate of 2.3.

Michael Cafferkey took two wickets before top-scoring in Ramsey’s reply with 68. The Rams had been set a rain reduced target of 242 from 42 overs, but closed on 219-8 after useful contributions from Taylor West (56) and Wayne Bradley (32). Cafferkey was the leading run scorer in Division One matches with 914.