Leicestershire CCC Crowned Second Eleven Championship Champions

Leicestershire CCC’s Second XI have completed a trophy-laden week at Uptonsteel County Ground, after the side were crowned champions of the Second Eleven Championship (SEC).

The triumph follows the Foxes’ euphoric Metro Bank One Day Cup final win against Hampshire at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

The Club’s playing squad and support staff gathered during the luncheon interval in Wednesday’s washout against Yorkshire to celebrate both successes, with Andy Smith, ECB Cricket Operations Manager, handing over the prestigious SEC shield.

Dips Patel’s side enjoyed an unbeaten campaign, winning five and drawing three of their fixtures, as they finished at the summit of the 18-county table.

Several first team stars impressed throughout the campaign, with Saturday’s heroes Harry Swindells and Sam Evans ending the year with 362 runs at an average of 40.22 and 344 runs at 34.4 respectively.

Roman Walker impressed with both bat and ball, picking up 29 wickets at a miserly 13.03 and scoring 294 runs at 36.75. Will Davis was close behind in the wickets column, claiming 26 victims at just 11.3, including a ten-fer in May’s victory over Durham.

The season also gave an opportunity for the Club’s Academy scholars to gain exposure to senior level cricket, with the likes of Sam Wood, Jake Tarling, Liam Tew and Rishan Herath all featuring across the title-winning campaign.

Second XI Head Coach, Dips Patel, said: “Second team cricket can be difficult with the schedule and amount of rotation required, so I want to pay tribute to the players for their professionalism and hard work across the season.

“Our job as coaches is to guide young players in their long-term development and prepare the squad for first team cricket. With players like Uttam (Ramji) getting call-ups and seeing the way Sam Evans and Harry Swindells played in the final, I think we’ve done really well.

“Capping it off with a trophy is an incredible achievement. All the coaches deserve huge credit, as do the guys behind the scenes. This season has been a huge success story for us and I’m very proud.”

Leicestershire supporters can see both trophies on display during the remaining two days’ play against Yorkshire at Uptonsteel County Ground. Entry to play on Thursday and Friday is FREE of charge.