Bumper crowd enjoys Family Funday
Sun 27 May 2018
RESULT | Royal London One-Day Cup game 4: Leicestershire Foxes 293 for 9 lost to Yorkshire Vikings 295 for 1 by 9 wickets
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
REACTION | Head Coach Paul Nixon spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae after the match
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
POINTS | Leicestershire Foxes 0, Yorkshire Vikings 2
REPORT | Yorkshire Vikings paced a run chase to perfection on a day where a crowd approaching 3,000 enjoyed the Royal London One-Day Cup Family Funday fixture at the Fischer County Ground.
After Leicestershire Foxes won the toss and elected to bat, Mark Cosgrove (84, 88b), Neil Dexter (50*, 59b) and Ned Eckersley (50, 63b) were the mainstays of a 50-over total of 293 for 9.
It didn’t prove to be enough as opener Adam Lyth (132*, 127b) shared 153 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore (74, 71b) and a further unbroken 142 with India international Cheteshwar Pujara (75*, 81b) as the visitors won by nine wickets.
Spectators had an entertaining day of action as well as a number of activities, including cricket in the Foxes Den, arts & crafts, the Red Monkey Play area, and a guest appearance from some snakes and frogs at the Animal Experience.
County showed two changes to the side that lost at Derbyshire Falcons as Cameron Delport returned from IPL duty while fast bowler Richard Jones was also making his first appearance of the season after injury.
A testing new ball spell was delivered by young bowlers Matthew Fisher and Ben Coad with the Foxes slipping to 39 for 3 in the tenth over.
Delport (8, 7b) cracked two boundaries through cover point in the opening over but was trapped lbw by Fisher in the second. Colin Ackermann (8, 13b) played one glorious stroke down the ground off Coad but the seamer gained revenge when taking a return catch. Horton (14, 21b) then drilled Fisher to Steven Patterson at mid-off.
An alliance of 128 between Cosgrove and Eckersley was exactly what the doctor ordered. Patterson introduced himself and Liam Plunkett, and then the leg-spin of Adil Rashid, as the duo quickly settled.
The batsmen each lofted a maximum to long-on before Cosgrove deposited Rashid for a couple of fours in the 23rd en route to a fine 50 from 56 balls (5x4, 1x6).
Cosgrove clattered another six over long-off as the score progressed to 136 for 3 at halfway, and the stand reached 100 shortly afterwards. The left-hander continued to go for his strokes, including a big straight maximum off Rashid, while Eckersley scored 50 from 61 balls (2x4, 1x6).
Yorkshire continued to chip away and took three more wickets. Eckersley advanced to Plunkett and was caught by Pujara at mid-on, Cosgrove was held right on the boundary at mid-on by Kohler-Cadmore from the bowling of Rashid, while the same combination accounted for Tom Wells (8, 6b) - this time the fielder took the catch at long-off.
The score progressed to 224 for 6 with ten overs to go but the Foxes lost a seventh wicket five runs later as Ben Raine (14, 13b) top-edged Patterson to Rashid at point.
Dexter anchored the closing stages of the innings while Callum Parkinson played a useful hand of 21 (20b) before nicking Coad to ‘keeper Jonny Tattersall. Jones (0, 3b) then top-edged Fisher high to Tattersall in the 48th over.
Varun Aaron recorded a handy unbeaten 14 (8b) while Dexter became the Foxes’ third half-centurion from the final ball of the innings (3x4, 1x6).
Lyth and Kohler-Cadmore shared 61 inside the powerplay to get the Vikings ahead of the required rate, and the duo continued to frustrate the Foxes.
The left-hander posted 50 from 36 balls (10x4), the 100-run partnership came up after 14.2 overs, Kohler-Cadmore reached his half-century off 55 deliveries (6x4, 1x6), and Yorkshire’s 150 was recorded off the first ball of the 23rd over.
All-rounder Delport gained a much-needed breakthrough as Kohler-Cadmore pulled the next delivery to Horton at mid-wicket. Although the Foxes needed to build on the wicket, Lyth and Pujara had other ideas, and took the score past 200 at the end of the 32nd over.
Lyth, who played strokes all around the wicket, including a pull for six to move into the nineties, recorded a fine century from 96 balls (13x4, 1x6). Pujara quietly went about his business and posted his fourth 50 in a row off 62 balls (6x4) as the duo guided their side home in the 47th over.
TEAM | Delport, Horton (capt), Eckersley (wk), Ackermann, Cosgrove, Dexter, Wells, Raine, Parkinson, Jones, Aaron.
FIGURES | Raine 9-0-45-0, Jones 7-0-43-0, Aaron 10-0-63-0, Dexter 2-0-18-0, Parkinson 10-0-62-0, Delport 5.3-0-38-1, Ackermann 3-0-23-0.
PHOTO | Thanks to Ed Melia for the photo of Mark Cosgrove batting.
* Our next Royal London One-Day Cup home fixture is the return of county cricket to Oakham School with the fixture against Lancashire Lightning on Thursday, May 31. Ticket prices are: £12 adults, £3 under 16s and £27 for a family ticket (2 adults & 3 under 16s). All of these are for advance purchases, with the prices held until 4pm on Wednesday, May 30. Tickets can be purchased HERE
