Last week Norfolk men competed in the annual summer County Week event in group 4 on home soil at Cromer.
The squad of Crawley(C), Jenkins(VC), Watkinson, Davies, Stoppani, McNaughton, Terry, Withers, S Whiting & Fisher were eager for the week to begin having had their preparations and friendly fixtures affected by rain.
The squad took a moment before play to remember Jeremy Cameron who would have loved the week that was about to unfold.
Monday saw a tough start verses Lancashire. With the boys 6-1 down some key momentum was gained when both McNaughton/Withers & Jenkins/Terry came back from a set down to mean the fixture ended in a 6-3 defeat.
Tuesday the squad took this positivity into the fixture v Nottinghamshire and produced a fine 5-4 win against the strongest team in the division.
Further 5-4 wins on Wednesday and Thursday against Leicestershire and Durham & Cleveland respectively placed the Norfolk lads in with a chance of promotion going into the final day.
Friday the squad continued their good form by taking an unassailable 5-1 lead v Berkshire, however other results meant the fixture was halted with no further play being required. Nottinghamshire had beaten Leicestershire meaning they won the group and Lancashire had put Durham & Cleveland away comfortably to take second place.
Despite the disappointment Captain Crawley was full of praise for the squads efforts…’To win 4/5 days and not get promoted is very rare. The momentum the boys built on Monday afternoon was key and credit must go to all of the guys the way they came through the tight moments in the group thereafter. To win three fixtures 5-4 shows real character and togetherness. I’d like to say a special well done to Will (Stoppani) and Scott (Whiting) on the County Week debuts, although they didn’t get to play they showed the type of attitude and team ethic that every Norfolk junior and senior should show, their support of the guys on court really made a difference. Congratulations to vice captain Kris Jenkins who reached 50 caps for the men's side during the week, he continues to be an important member of the squad. We thank Cromer for their hospitality, there really isn’t a better County Week venue in the country. The boys can enjoy a little rest before turning their attention to Winter County Cup in Exeter 22-24th November.’
