Hill plays well but Borthwick fires Durham
Thu 6 Aug 2015
Lewis Hill made a terrific 86 but Scott Borthwick claimed career bests with both bat and ball as Leicestershire Foxes lost to Durham in the Royal London One Day Cup at Grace Road.
After being invited to bat first, Mark Stoneman (98) and Borthwick (87) put on 146 for the second wicket to lay the foundations for a Durham total of 349-7.
Debutant Liam Hurt and Rob Taylor each took two wickets for the Foxes while Atif Sheikh was excellent in returning 1-46 from ten overs.
Hill posted his highest List A score of and his stand of 99 with Niall O’Brien helped the Foxes to 148-3 in the 24th over.
But the holders hit back to dismiss Leicestershire for 203 inside 38 overs as they completed an 146-run victory, Borthwick finishing with 5-38 off 7.3 overs.
The Foxes handed a first start to Hurt as part of four changes from the side that lost to Derbyshire on Tuesday. Hill, Ollie Freckingham and Andrea Agathangelou also came into the team.
Durham openers Stoneman and Phil Mustard put on 50 in 6.3 overs but there was a welcome wicket in the 8th over as Freckingham bowled the ‘keeper for 12 (20b).
The visitors continued to keep the scoreboard moving and Stoneman, who was dropped in the slips off Sheikh when on 36, moved to 50 from 35 balls. The captain then took his boundary tally into double figures with a brace of consecutive fours at the start of the 14th over.
Stoneman found another ally in Borthwick, who hit three fours in the 25th over to record his 50 from 53 balls. Durham’s score was 148-1 at halfway and the stand moved into three figures in the 27th over.
Borthwick also hit three boundaries in the 33rd over, this time off successive deliveries, before a second wicket fell in the 35th. Stoneman departed two short of a deserved century as Sheikh returned, Hurt taking the catch at mid-on.
There was a nice moment for Borthwick as he beat his previous highest List A score of 80 but the batsman was dismissed in unfortunate fashion for 87. Graham Clark drove firmly back at Freckingham, who used his right boot to deflect the ball on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Clark and Ryan Pringle added 31 in 4.3 overs before Hurt (8-1-59-2) picked up his first wicket for Leicestershire by trapping the former leg before for 31.
The arrival of John Hastings really upped the tempo as the Australian all-rounder posted 27 off 11 deliveries including five fours and a six as part of a stand of 47 off 15 balls with Pringle. The fifth wicket alliance took the score beyond 300 before Hurt claimed his second wicket as Hastings was snapped up by Agathangelou at point.
Pringle was then superbly held by Ali at long-on off Taylor (10-0-65-2) in the next over having made an enterprising 30. Calum MacLeod also made that total before also falling to his Scotland international teammate Taylor in the last over of the innings, caught by Agathangelou at deep mid-wicket.
The Foxes needed a solid start but lost their first wicket with 14 on the board as Ned Eckersley was leg before to Chris Rushworth for 9. His opening partner Angus Robson (10) fell in the 6th over, caught behind off Hastings, and the Foxes lost a third wicket when Ali (4) was bowled by Gordon Muchall.
Hill and O’Brien then formed a terrific partnership with shots played all around the wicket. Hill was first to 50 from 56 balls with six fours and a maximum and O’Brien moved to his half-century in the space of three strokes.
The ‘keeper hit a six followed by two consecutive fours off Borthwick but was out to the ball after reaching his milestone, caught behind by Mustard off the leg-spinner. One wicket brought a cluster as Cosgrove (4) and Agathangelou (3) were both bowled by Rushworth before Hill (86) was held at the wicket off Borthwick.
Taylor (14) and Hurt (15) formed a stand of 21 before the spinner wrapped up the innings to claim his maiden five-for in one-day cricket. The left-hander chipped Borthwick to Stoneman at mid-wicket in the 36th over while Hurt (15) and Sheikh (0) were both bowled in the 38th.
Leicestershire have two back-to-back Royal London One Day Cup games remaining at Worcestershire (August 17) and at home to Somerset (August 18) but the next action is a return to LV=CC cricket tomorrow against Derbyshire at Grace Road (11am start).
