Outstanding Foxes send records tumbling
Tue 2 May 2017
Royal London One-Day Cup Matchday 3: Leicestershire Foxes v Warwickshire
RESULT | Leicestershire Foxes (2 points) beat Warwickshire by 103 runs
REACTION | Tom Wells spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae, the interview is available to download HERE
REPORT | Leicestershire Foxes rewrote the record books as they recorded an outstanding 103-run victory against defending champions Warwickshire in another enjoyable Royal London One-Day Cup game at the Fischer County Ground.
The Foxes' 363-7 was their highest List A team score against another county, beating the 344-4 against Durham in 1996, while Mark Pettini’s superb career-best 159 off 135 balls became Leicestershire’s highest individual List A score against first-class opposition.
There was also a second half-century in three days for Aadil Ali and a maiden List A 50 for Tom Wells, who built on a great platform by smashing 67 off just 44 deliveries.
Dieter Klein (2-44) struck two early blows but Warwickshire made a spirited attempt to chase the runs as Sam Hain (103, 107b) and Tim Ambrose (83, 74b) shared 118 for the fourth wicket to take their side to 229-3.
But Wells also claimed a personal best with the ball, dismissing both top-scorers en route to claiming 3-44 with some help from Aadil, who took an unbelievable catch to end Hain's fine knock. Gavin Griffiths also returned a career-best 3-35 as Warwickshire were ultimately dismissed for 260.
Credit naturally goes to the batsmen of both teams but a lot should also go to the groundsmen as 1,303 runs have been scored in the opening two Royal London One-Day Cup games at the Fischer County Ground. The Foxes have now won two out of three matches in the competition ahead of a double-header this weekend.
Leicestershire Foxes showed one change to the side that lost to Worcestershire Rapids. The team continues to have no luck with injuries; Rob Sayer missed out after picking up a knock on Sunday, left arm seamer Klein coming into the XI.
Warwickshire made two adjustments to the bowling department following yesterday’s defeat to Durham Jets with Keith Barker and Josh Poysden replacing Chris Wright and Grant Thornton.
Ned Eckersley elected to bat first and Cameron Delport and Pettini looked in good touch, racking up the boundaries as the Foxes raced to 72-0 after seven overs.
The left-hander smashed a trio of shots down the ground among five fours and also hit Rikki Clarke for a straight six while Pettini struck eight boundaries in that passage of play. He sent a trio of drives through mid-on, mid-off and the covers, nudged down to third man and fine-leg (twice), and cracked a couple of deliveries through backward point.
It prompted Ian Bell to bring spinners Jeetan Patel and Poysden into the attack and the change of pace worked. Delport (34, 21b) swept the leg-spinner to Hain, who took a tremendous catch at backward square-leg to leave the score at 77-1 in the ninth over.
Ali came in at number three and the score moved to 80-1 after the powerplay. The number three used his feet to loft Poysden over mid-on and also edged Oliver Hannon-Dalby down to third man for a further boundary.
Leicestershire’s 100 came up at the end of the 14th over and Pettini then recorded his second 50 in three competition innings from 42 balls (8x4).
The duo continued their good form with Ali hitting his boundaries clean and straight, while Pettini used the pace of the ball well to manipulate the ball to the ropes and also struck Poysden high over mid-off for four.
Ali reached 50 for the second time in three days from 57 balls (5x4) and the alliance moved into three figures as the Foxes continued to score at a decent pace.
It took the experience of off-spinner Patel to end the 104-run partnership, Ali holing out to Hain at long-on as a powerful drive just didn’t quite have the legs to get over the ropes.
Pettini recorded an 89-ball century that included 13 fours and the score reached 194-2 with 20 overs remaining. The batsman formed another stand, this time worth 56 with Cosgrove.
The opener produced a terrific pull off Clarke to register his 14th boundary. The ball went only a few yards to Aaron Thomason’s left at deep mid-wicket but the fielder had absolutely no chance of cutting it off.
Cosgrove hit an almighty straight maximum that almost cleared the broadcasting gantry at the Bennett End and then clattered a couple of fours through the leg-side but fell at 25 (19b), well-held by a back-pedalling Bell at mid-off from the bowling of Hannon-Dalby.
The Foxes promoted Wells to bat at five and the move worked extremely well as he and Pettini shared a swashbuckling 91 in 10.3 overs. Pettini continued to play beautifully, including an excellent sweep and consecutive extra cover drives off Patel, all of which went to the ropes.
Wells hit a couple of huge sixes off Poysden, including one that cleared the Mike Turner Cricket Centre. Inbetween those strokes, Pettini bettered his highest score List A score of 144 before progressing to 150 from 129 balls (18x4). The batsman then posted Leicestershire’s highest List A score against another county, overtaking Brian Davison’s 158* against the same opposition at Coventry in 1972.
All-rounder Wells struck two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries from Hannon-Dalby as he posted his first List A half-century from 35 balls (3x4, 3x6) before Pettini departed in the next over, the 47th, caught right on the boundary by Hain at long-off from the bowling of Barker.
Another big maximum over mid-on followed from Wells while an edged four from the all-rounder took the Foxes to their best List A score against first-class opposition. The 350 was recorded at the end of the 48th over as Lewis Hill played a terrific reverse sweep off Hannon-Dalby before two wickets fell in two balls.
Wells was nicely taken by Will Porterfield at deep mid-wicket off Barker at the start of the next offering and Hill (6) was caught by Hannon-Dalby at short fine-leg. Chappell (3) also perished before the innings came to an end, caught by Hain at deep mid-wicket off Hannon-Dalby, leaving Ned Eckersley 10 not out.
The visitors were still facing a tall order and their cause was not helped when Klein pinned Porterfield lbw with his first delivery, Warks 7-1 after seven balls.
Trott (20) pulled Chappell for six and looked in generally good touch but he was also dismissed in the powerplay by Klein, a lovely delivery swinging late to take the outside edge on the way through to Hill.
Hain and Bell regrouped and the former posted a cultured half-century from just 45 deliveries with a seventh four that was nicely timed through mid-on.
The stand reached 58 before Wells picked up a key wicket, Bell (29) driving to cover where Aadil took the catch. Warwickshire kept going and Ambrose twice hit back-to-back boundaries as the visitors progressed to 150-3 at halfway and the duo shared 50 inside nine overs.
It was an enterprising partnership as Hain knocked the ball around while Ambrose looked to put bat to ball, the ‘keeper moving to an excellent 50 from 40 deliveries with his seventh four.
Hain struck two boundaries in the 33rd over, including a clever reverse sweep off Delport, and the stand passed 100 in the 35th over with the target coming down to 151 off the last 15 overs.
The opener reached 100 from 102 deliveries (11x4) before Ambrose lofted James Sykes for four. It needed something special to end the partnership and Aadil provided it, taking a stunning effort. The fielder judged his sprint and dive towards the long-on boundary to perfection, helping Wells to dismiss Hain (103) as the required run rate climbed above 11.
Hain was the first of seven batsman to fall for the addition of just 31 runs. Wells made another important blow, bowling Ambrose off the inside edge to end a fine innings, before Griffiths and Delport had Clarke (4) and Thomason (6) caught at mid-off respectively.
Patel (2) was run out by Hill as the batsmen attempted a single that simply wasn’t there, and Griffiths took a return catch to dismiss Poysden (0) before trapping Hannon-Dalby (0) leg before to wrap up a superb victory. The Foxes now travel to South Northumberland CC to face Durham on Friday (11am start).
TEAM | Pettini, Delport, Aadil, Cosgrove, Eckersley (capt), Hill (wk), Wells, Chappell, Sykes, Griffiths, Klein.
Bowling figures for Leicestershire: Chappell 10-0-67-0, Klein 8-0-44-2, Wells 8-0-44-3, Griffiths 8-0-35-3, Sykes 7-0-48-0, Delport 3-0-20-1.
* Thanks to Ed Melia for the photograph of Mark Pettini.
