Warwickshire were given the fright of their lives, as Bedfordshire pushed
them every step of the way at Luton
Andrew Miller07-May-2003Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy: Round 3Bedfordshire v Warwickshire, Luton
ScorecardWarwickshire were given the fright of their lives, as Bedfordshire pushed
them every step of the way at Luton. Despite winning the toss and batting
first, Warwickshire’s innings was little more than a compilation of cameos,
as Will Sneath (4 for 38) nipped out vital wickets at key moments. In a
total of 233 for 8, nobody scored more than Tony Frost’s 47. Bedfordshire
responded in kind, and at 200 for 6, they were within sight of a famous
victory. But Mark Wagh grabbed three quick wickets to leave Bedfordshire
with too much to do.Berkshire v Durham, Reading
ScorecardVince Wells gave a fleeting reminder of the form that earned him an
allrounder’s slot in England’s 1999 World Cup squad, as Durham romped to an
eight-wicket victory over Berkshire at Reading. Wells, who was sacked as
Leicestershire’s captain last winter, started his day with 6 for 20 in nine
overs, and finished it with a 61-ball 63, with seven fours and a six. The
first of Wells’s victims was the former West Indian captain, Jimmy Adams,
now a Sky TV summariser, who was dismissed for 8. Berkshire slumped to 58
for 8, but recovered to reach 110.Buckinghamshire v Gloucestershire, Wing
ScorecardGloucestershire flailed Buckinghamshire for a massive 401 for 7 at Wing, the
fifth-highest in C&G Trophy history (the top two scores came in that
astonishing match between Surrey and Glamorgan at The Oval last year). The
star of the show was Tim Hancock, who continued his prolific one-day form
with a buccaneering 135. Two days ago, against Leicestershire, Hancock
clumped a 57-ball 82. Buckinghamshire, unsurprisingly, had lost their
appetite for the fight long before the halfway mark – and crumbled to 77 all
out in 25.1 overs – James Averis taking 6 for 23.Cambridgeshire v Yorkshire, March
ScorecardMichael Vaughan was dismissed for a lowly 10 – taking his tally for the
season to 16 runs in three innings – as Cambridgeshire shook Yorkshire’s
fragile confidence with two quick wickets at March. But Matthew Wood (118*)
and Michael Lumb (82) prevented a repeat of Monday’s 54-all-out collapse
with a 127-run stand for the third wicket, and Yorkshire’s total of 299 for
5 was never in threat. But Cambridgeshire refused to give up, and their
approach was epitomised by their captain, Ajaz Akhtar, who grabbed three
wickets with the new ball, and followed up with a lusty 46 from 51
deliveries.Cornwall v Kent, Truro
ScorecardBen Trott and James Hewitt made light work of Cornwall’s batsmen, as Kent
eased to a five-wicket victory at Truro. Trott and Hewitt took three wickets
each, and Peter Trego wrapped up a stubborn tail, before Kent took the
scenic route to victory with five batsmen scoring between 17 and 30. The win
would have been all the more comprehensive, but for some sticky resistance
from Cornwall’s last three batsmen, who lifted the total from a ropey 62 for
8 to a passable 140. James Tredwell was then trapped lbw fourth ball to
raise fleeting hopes of an upset, but the target was never enough.Devon v Lancashire, Exmouth
ScorecardDevon’s Australian-born allrounder, Neil Hancock, provided Lancashire with
their only genuine opposition of the day. Hancock’s rapid 73* from No. 7
rescued Devon from a precarious 85 for 7, but their eventual total of 180
was still easy pickings for Lancashire’s batsmen, who knocked off the runs
in 40.4 overs, Ian Sutcliffe finishing on 89*. Andrew Flintoff continued his
excellent early-season form with three wickets – albeit a touch expensive as
Hancock chanced his arm – but John Wood was the pick of the bowlers with 4
for 33.Durham CB v Glamorgan, Darlington
ScorecardMatthew Maynard’s peroxide barnet and goatee may be an attempt to disguise
the ravages of time, but there is nothing remotely decrepit about his form
this season. Maynard’s 115 – his third and easiest century of 2003 – carried
Glamorgan to an 86-run win over an experienced Durham Cricket Board XI at Darlington. Maynard added 135 for the third wicket with Ian Thomas (93), and despite a spirited reply from Allan Worthy (59), Glamorgan’s 312 for 9 was always out of reach.Essex CB v Essex, Chelmsford
ScorecardWill Jefferson (132) and Darren Robinson (70) wrapped up Essex’s internal
struggle inside the first hour of the match, with a rapid 170-run opening
partnership at Chelmsford. When they were finally separated, Nasser Hussain
continued his recent trend of modest domestic scores, making just 6, but
Ronnie Irani supported Jefferson until four wickets fell for 34 runs in a
late collapse. The Cricket Board XI was never likely to catch a total of 315
for 6, but they gave it their best shot. Mohammed Akhtar (71) and Adnan
Akram (61) launched the chase in fine style, but three wickets apiece for
Scott Brant and Graham Napier kept the remainder of the batsmen under wraps.Hampshire v Sussex, Southampton
ScorecardChris Adams cracked Wasim Akram for 20 runs in the penultimate over, to
snatch an unlikely three-ball victory for Sussex at the Rose Bowl. Chasing
214 for victory, Sussex had been down and out at 160 for 6 with six overs
remaining. But Mark Davis (21*) picked up four vital fours to ease the
run-rate, before Adams’s onslaught. The backbone of Hampshire’s total had
been provided by their Aussie import, Simon Katich, who made an unbeaten 82,
but three run-outs slowed their progress.Kent CB v Derbyshire, Canterbury
ScorecardChris Bassano’s 101 was the backbone of a strong Derbyshire showing, as
Kent’s Cricket Board XI were put in their place at Canterbury. Bassano
needed just 111 balls for his century, and received good support from
Dominic’s Hewson (69) and Cork (59). Chasing an unlikely 300 runs to win,
not one of Kent’s top six reached double figures as they slumped to 38 for
6, with Kevin Dean taking 3 for 6 in six overs. But Leo Morgan and Hugo
Loudon provided a measure of resistance with a 37-run partnership for
seventh wicket, and Kent eventually succumbed in the 46th over.Lincolnshire v Nottinghamshire, Lincoln
ScorecardPaul Franks rescued Nottinghamshire from a humiliating defeat, as
Lincolnshire played out of their skins before fading in the final overs.
Franks, who came in at No. 7 with Nottinghamshire reeling at 125 for 5,
slammed a superb unbeaten 84 from 70 balls to overhaul Lincolnshire’s
excellent total of 279 for 7 with 11 balls to spare. He was ably supported
by Usman Afzaal (71) who clung on as Jonathan Davies ripped through
Nottinghamshire’s top order with 3 for 40, and Gareth Clough, whose 16-ball
27 was a vital factor in the turnaround. Earlier, Lincolnshire’s captain
(and former Notts batsman) Mark Fell had anchored the innings with a
resolute 77, although the oomph had been applied, later in the innings, by
James Clarke and Rob Chapman, with a pair of rapid fifties.Northamptonshire v Middlesex, Northampton
ScorecardMiddlesex’s prize for finishing bottom of last year’s Norwich Union league
was an away fixture against their fellow first-class underachievers,
Northants. And in a low-scoring contest, it was Middlesex who came out on
top, thanks to a brace of half-centuries from Ed Joyce and Andy Strauss, and
four wickets for their alice-banded David Beckham lookalike, Chad Keegan.
Chasing 215, Northants made a dreadful start, slipping to 29 for 4, and a
half-century for Jeff Cook couldn’t quite lift them back into contention.Northumberland v Leicestershire, Jesmond
ScorecardLeicestershire were given something of a run-around by the minnows of
Northumberland, but their greater experience told in the end, with a
comfortable 90-run victory at Jesmond. Phil DeFreitas won the toss and chose
to bat first, but Leicestershire’s innings stalled once Virender Sehwag had
been run out for 16. Mike Pollard then followed up with the wicket of Darren
Stevens, en route to the exemplary figures of 1 for 18 in ten overs.
Leicestershire required a nuggetty half-century from Paul Nixon to reach
respectability, but a target of 183 proved too tantalising for
Northumberland, who juddered to 92 all out. David Masters picked up four
wickets in 5.4 overs.Scotland v Somerset, Edinburgh
ScorecardMarcus Trescothick brought Scotland back down to earth after their defeat of
Durham in the NUL, by thumping an unbeaten 103 from 70 balls to carry
Somerset to a ten-wicket victory at Edinburgh. It was easy pickings for
Trescothick, who applied the finishing touch to a match that never lived up
to expectations. Scotland batted first and were bundled out for 138 in
exactly 50 overs. Douglas Lockhart opened up with 51, and the captain, Craig
Wright added 45, but no-one else reached double figures as Keith Parsons
mowed through the middle order.Staffordshire v Surrey, Stone
ScorecardSurrey were pushed rather closer to the wire than they had bargained for,
but Staffordshire emerged with nothing but credit for their efforts as they
fell nine runs short at Stone. A close finish didn’t look particularly
likely while Ian Ward was at the crease – his 87-ball 108 included no fewer
than seven sixes. But he received little support, and Surrey were bowled out
for 273 with three balls remaining. That didn’t matter too much as Staffs
dawdled to 137 for 3, but when Surrey turned to their second-string bowlers,
Graeme Archer and Paul Shaw let rip with four sixes apiece. Their captain,
Richard Harvey, added another two in four balls, but it was just too late to
affect the result.Worcestershire CB v Worcestershire, Worcester
ScorecardVikram Solanki was guilty of fratricide at New Road, as his superb 164*
helped Worcestershire to demolish their own Cricket Board XI by 170 runs.
Solanki smashed 20 fours and three sixes in 170 balls, and Worcestershire’s
huge total of 311 for 4 was never remotely challenged. The Cricket Board XI
could only manage 141 for 9 in reply, a total that was boosted by cameos
from a pair of former first-team players, Abdul Hafeez (28) and Stuart
Lampitt (26*).
