Magical Mike Return Inspires Foxes To Rapids Victory

By Jon Culley, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Leicestershire Foxes 153 for four (4pts) beat Worcestershire Rapids 150 for eight by six wickets

Leicestershire Foxes made it three home wins from three with a comfortable home victory over Worcestershire Rapids to keep themselves among the North Group contenders at the halfway point of the Vitality Blast campaign.

Chasing a modest target of 151, the home side were victorious by six wickets with 17 balls to spare. Sol Budinger made 30 with three of his team-mates contributing 26, captain Louis Kimber’s coming off just 12 balls and including the winning runs.

All-rounder Ben Mike, making a belated start to his Blast campaign after suffering an injury in April, was impressive in taking three for 14, with left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis picking up two for 25 after Gareth Roderick (49 off 29 balls) had top-scored in a below-par effort by Worcestershire.

The Rapids’ disappointing show with the bat followed a curious opening powerplay that included a wicket-maiden from Mike but nonetheless rewarded the visitors - missing captain Brett D’Oliveira with a foot injury - with a score of 54 for two after opting to bat first on a green-tinged pitch.

Jake Libby was caught at midwicket off Mike after Ed Pollock had ran himself out, stranded by such a distance as Libby wisely chose not to chance a single to backward point that there was time for the ball to reach the bowler via the wicketkeeper and still beat his dive, but Roderick found some momentum.

Having supplemented an early scooped six off Logan Van Beek with seven fours, he was one short of a first fifty of the season when leg before in the 10th to Trevaskis, ending a 53-run stand with Adam Hose.

Roderick thus looked to have given the Rapids innings a decent platform, yet they spiralled from 87 for two to 118 for seven.

Hose miscued Trevaskis to extra cover, Mike then dismissed Ethan Brookes and Ben Dwarshuis with consecutive balls, the former brilliantly caught by Rishi Patel on the fine leg boundary, the latter straightforwardly at mid-off, before Tom Hinley was bowled by Rehan Ahmed. Tom Taylor’s unbeaten 20 dragged the total to 150.

Australian left-arm quick Dwarshuis was lifted effortlessly over the leg-side boundary by Patel and powerfully over long-on by Budinger but had the latter caught behind off a slower ball as Leicestershire emerged from the opening six at 50 for one, substitute wicketkeeper Henry Cullen wearing the gloves after Roderick suffered an injury batting.

Patel, Shan Masood and Rehan found fielders, at long-off, mid-on and deep extra cover, respectively, after matching Budinger in making starts but failing to go on, yet the Foxes were always comfortably ahead of the game, with just 26 needed from 29 balls after Rehan’s demise.

Kimber and Ben Cox required only 12 of them to get the job done, the captain hitting the winning boundary.