Berkshire V Herefordshire Div 1 Western Division

8 Aug 2025   |   By Richard Prime

HEREFORDSHIRE face another tough test when they hit the road for their first NCCA Cluberly Western Division 1 away match of the season this weekend.

The county side will be travelling to Falkland CC near Newbury to take on Berkshire, the reigning champions and one of the strongest National Counties sides during the past decade or so.

But Herefordshire will be buoyed by having avoided defeat in their first game against Oxfordshire, although they owed a big debt to the weather for their escape.

After being set an unlikely 451 to win, Herefordshire had struggled to 168-8 when the rain arrived to wash out any further prospect of play.

Herefordshire are also boosted by the return of a number of key players who were unavailable for the Oxfordshire clash.

Skipper Matt Pardoe will be back while Taylor Cornall will join him at the top of the order.

There’s also a return to three-day cricket for all-rounder Roshan Venkataraman who made his first Herefordshire appearance of the season in last weekend’s T20 Super 12 matches.

Sinel Gunarathne will also make his three-day debut after impressing in white-ball cricket at the start of the campaign, while there is also a first championship appearance for Brockhampton’s Ollie Langford.

Play at Falkland will get under way at 11am on Sunday, the first of the three days.

Herefordshire: Matt Pardoe, Taylor Cornall, Ben Chapman-Lilley, Ollie Walker, Sinael Gunarathne, Luke Tulacz, Luke Powell, Ollie Langford, James Rudge, Roshan Venkataraman, Imaad Mahmood.

CAPTION: Brockhampton’s Ollie Langford will be making his three-day debut.