Foxes win thriller to stay in the hunt
Sun 31 Jul 2016
Royal London One-Day Cup Matchday 7: Leicestershire Foxes v Notts Outlaws
Leicestershire Foxes again demonstrated their bouncebackability to keep themselves in the Royal London One-Day Cup after a thrilling 8-run win against Notts Outlaws.
The team previously won against Lancashire Lightning after a disappointing loss to Yorkshire Vikings in the competition last Sunday and today beat an Outlaws side who had confidence from their fine NatWest T20 Blast win against the Foxes on Friday night.
County were in trouble at 27-3 but recovered to post 279 in exactly 50 overs - a total that just proved to be enough after some brilliant late hitting from debutant Luke Wood, who top-scored with 52 off 31 balls.
Niall O'Brien (82) and Mark Pettini (50) previously played roles in three consecutive partnerships that yielded 50 or more, including an innings high 66 for the fifth wicket between themselves.
But perhaps the game's most telling contribution came from Cameron Delport, who scored 46 after seeing the Foxes slip to 10-2 before returning 2-43 from ten overs of canny medium pace, including the last six balls of the game.
Delport had to restrict the Outlaws to 11 runs or fewer and only four were gathered - including a leg-bye - from a set that also included the key wicket of Wood.
The result moved the Foxes on to six points and the two points banked means there is a scenario that can see the team through with victory at Derbyshire tomorrow.
Leicestershire Foxes continued to rotate their squad in white ball cricket, showing three changes to the side that beat Lightning as Kevin O'Brien, Ben Raine and James Sykes came in for Mark Cosgrove, Neil Dexter and Dieter Klein.
The Foxes lost a couple of early wickets to left armer Wood as Paul Horton (2) was caught by 'keeper Chris Read before Kevin O'Brien (3) was beaten by a beauty that thudded into the top of off stump.
Luke Fletcher then got in on the act, producing a delivery that nipped away off the seam sharply to take the edge of the bat of Lewis Hill (10), Read completing the dismissal with a good take to his right.
That brought Delport to the crease and he looked in fine fettle, with particularly pleasant strokes through the covers, deep backward square leg and mid-on all recording boundaries.
Delport dispatched anything loose that came his way while Pettini mixed solid defence with some attractive strokeplay, including one cover drive that split the field to perfection.
The left-hander enjoyed most of the strike in the partnership and did the bulk of the scoring, contributing 39 off 34 balls as part of the 50 stand with Pettini making 11 off 13 deliveries.
County's number five looked set to make a half-century but a change of tack brought about a wicket. Delport played back and was trapped lbw by Patel's spin after recording eight fours in a 45-ball stay that helped to add 58 for the fourth wicket.
Pettini sensibly continued to be the man that the Foxes batted around. Although Patel and Steven Mullaney tried to squeeze, Niall O'Brien struck both bowlers for a brace of boundaries while Pettini struck collected the first maximum of the game by planting Mullaney over long-on.
The skipper moved to a vital 50 from 77 balls (3x4, 1x6) in the 34th over and it came as a surprise when he fell later in that offering, chipping one of Mullaney's many variations to Riki Wessels at mid-wicket.
Niall O'Brien struck Fletcher through the on-side before clattering Mullaney backward of point and his half-century would come off the 58th ball received (6x4).
The 'keeper had been joined by Michael Burgess, who opened his boundary account with a dashing drive through extra as 11 came off the 39th over, including a chop down to third man by Niall O'Brien.
Two consecutive boundaries followed as Patel returned from the Pavilion End, the first a clean hit by Niall O'Brien over the bowler's head before a reverse-sweep was nicely executed. He then smoked Mullaney high over mid-off's head and into the green seats below the hospitality suites.
Niall O'Brien continued to look to take the attack to the Outlaws but departed from Dan Christian's second ball as a leading edge looped to Wessels at mid-off to end a useful alliance of 64.
County's aggressive intent did not stop; when Harry Gurney re-entered the attack to bowl the 45th, Burgess played a powerful cross-batted stroke that flew through mid-off while Sayer also timed a shot in that direction.
Sayer and Burgess shared 43 in just 4.3 overs, each hitting down the ground for six in the process. The former continued his cameo by striking backward of square for four to record the 250 at the start of the 48th over while Burgess (36, 32b) also hit a four before Christian pegged back his off stump.
Further useful runs were added in the closing stages although the Foxes lost their final three wickets by the end of their allocation.
Sayer went for 26 off 19 balls as two former Foxes combined, the current Leicestershire player being caught by Greg Smith at deep mid-wicket off Gurney.
The left armer had Raine (7) held at the wicket with his next delivery and a big leg before appeal followed as Gurney went close to a hat-trick. Sykes (1) was then run out attempting a second run off the last ball of the innings.
Pairing Freckingham with Sayer was an inspired move by Pettini as the paceman dismissed dangerman Michael Lumb (19) following two neat overs from the off-spinner.
The left-hander struck Freckingham for four early off-side boundaries in picking up where he left off at Trent Bridge but the bowler held his nerve and took the edge in the fifth over, Niall O'Brien taking a handy catch diving to his left.
A quiet period followed as Outlaws moved to 38-1 after 10 before Wessels tried to impose himself. The opener struck a couple of fours in quick succession but perished in pursuit of a third, comfortably taken by Sayer at deep cover.
Leicestershire kept chipping away and Patel (4) was the next batsman to fall, bowled in Kevin O'Brien's first over from the Pavilion End.
The Ireland international then struck another big blow as Christian, who hit the Outlaws' fastest ever T20 half-century against the Foxes two days ago, chipped to Delport at cover.
Brendan Taylor was still at the crease and he lofted his fourth boundary in Kevin O'Brien's sixth over to put some pressure back on the bowler.
He found a willing ally in Smith, who sent a big six over long-on from the bowling of Raine, but Taylor then lost his leg stump to the all-rounder as the 29th over progressed.
Mullaney started to cause problems by powering a quintet of deliveries away, two of those boundaries coming as part of a 36th over that yielded 16 runs.
The alliance passed 50 in the next offering but it was halted by Freckingham as Mullaney (30, 26b) dragged on to his stumps.
Another key wicket followed as Delport, who did an effective job at various points of the innings, removed Read courtesy of a terrific diving catch by Pettini at mid-off.
It was even more of a tall order when Smith fell one short of 50, lbw to Sayer, with Notts requiring 76 off 40 balls at that stage.
Wood, however, played an absolute gem of an innings to keep his team in contention.
The left-hander, who made a memorable century against Sussex last summer, struck five fours and two sixes in a splendid 29-ball 50. Fletcher offered invaluable support including a maximum of his own that recorded the 50 stand off 27 deliveries.
With 18 coming from the 47th over, suddenly the Outlaws were in range requiring 21 from the last two overs.
But Raine conceded just eight runs and a brilliant last over from Delport, including the key wicket of Wood, yorked by the second ball, kept the Foxes alive.
Bowling figures for Leicestershire: Freckingham 9-1-60-2, Sayer 8-0-41-1, Raine 10-1-47-2, K O'Brien 10-0-48-2, Sykes 3-0-30-0, Delport 10-0-43-2.
