Record day in vain for Running Foxes

RLC 2 | Leicestershire Foxes 327 for seven v Yorkshire Vikings 329 for three “ Vikings win by seven wickets

SCORECARD | Available from Cricinfo HERE

POINTS | Leicestershire Foxes 0, Yorkshire Vikings 2

REPORT | Marcus Harris and Lewis Hill combine to record a new third-wicket record stand against Yorkshire County Cricket Club in List A cricket, after a 212-run partnership. Harris also recorded a new List A career best and a maiden List A century in the clash, and Hill recorded his second career List A century and his 1,000th List A run.

Further, Rehan Ahmed made Leicestershire Foxes history, coming in as the 247th player to represent Leicestershire in List A cricket, and the youngest to do so in the Club’s history in the 50-over format.

Lewis Hill won the toss at an overcast Uptonsteel County Ground and decided to bat against Yorkshire Vikings.

George Rhodes was promoted to opening batsman, alongside Rishi Patel, with Nick Welch missing out following the injury sustained against Derbyshire Falcons on Thursday, 22 July.

Rhodes recorded 8 from five deliveries, before Waite went through the gate to clip the Foxes man’s off stump.

Rhodes made way for Marcus Harris with Leicestershire on eight for one.

Patel and Harris continued Rhodes’ quick start, both recording boundaries off the attack of Waite and Coad.

Leicestershire brought up the fifty at the end of the eleventh over as Lewis Hill drove Revis away for his first run of the day.

Five balls before the fifty was brought up by the Skipper, County lost their second wicket as Patel (24, 32b) chipped a Revis delivery to extra cover where a diving Ballance took the catch.

Vikings had a slight chance to claim the crucial wicket of Harris as the Australian sat on 35.

The batsman drove Bess straight back down the wicket, and after a dive to his left, the Yorkshire captain failed to catch the drive as it bounced off his fingertips and away for a single.

Five overs later and Harris recorded his second Royal London Cup half-century in two games as he guided Shutt down to fine leg for the single required “ the fifty coming from 69 balls and including six fours.

Just under two overs later and Harris recorded the first maximum of the day for Leicestershire, as he drove Shutt straight back down the ground and clattered his shot into the window of the media centre at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

The 100 partnership for the third wicket stand was then brought up, after 104 balls and 65 minutes together in the middle.

This was swiftly followed by Hill’s second half-century of the campaign, after a back-foot cut down to deep backward point off the bowling of Shutt “ the fifty coming in 47 balls, including five fours.

Harris and Hill then wrote themselves into the Leicestershire CCC history books, with a record breaking third wicket stand against Yorkshire CCC. The previous record of Allenby and Ackerman of 131 was set at Headingley in 2007.

Vikings then spurned another chance of a wicket as Hill (68no) was now dropped in the field. He looked to reverse sweep Bess away down to third man, but Coad failed to take the low grab as the record-breaking third wicket partnership for Leicestershire continued.

The records kept falling as Harris brought up his maiden List A ton after guiding Revis into the leg side for the single required “ the ton came in 114 balls and included nine fours and two sixes.

The third wicket partnership eventually came to an end, though, with just under eight overs remaining in the Foxes’ innings as Harris departed for a List A career best of 127 (130b).

The Australian drove Waite’s delivery to the hands of Balance at point who took the catch. Arron Lilley emerged to join Hill (91no) in the middle with Leicestershire on 261 for three.

Three overs later and Hill recorded his second career List A century, as he pushed Waite into the off side for the single required, to bring up his first ton of the season, coming from 96 balls, including 10 fours.

Moments before, Lilley “ who replaced Harris “ lost his wicket for 15 (11b) after not catching all of Waite’s delivery and driving it straight to Bess on the long off boundary who took the catch.

Hill’s wicket fell soon after, moments after he recorded his 1,000th List A run, as pulled Waite away but was caught on the boundary by Pillans at deep midwicket for 100-ball 108.

Two wickets fell in the remaining overs for the Running Foxes with Kimber driving one towards Tattersall at long on off the bowling of Waite, who claimed his fifth wicket of the match.

Coad then claimed the last Foxes wicket to fall in the innings after pinning Mike infront for 3 (4b).

Klein then joined Rehan Ahmed in the middle for the final three balls of the innings and brought the 50 overs to a close with his first four of the game.

The Germany international superbly scooped Coad away down to fine leg to bring the innings to a close on 327 for seven, finishing on 5no (2b) alongside Ahmed on 7no (10b).

Klein then opened the bowling for Leicestershire as Yorkshire got their reply up and running following the innings break.

The visitors got off to a fast start, racing away to their fifty within nine overs and bringing the first powerplay to a close on 66 for one.

The one wicket to fall fell on 9.2 as Chris Wright claimed the crucial wicket of Fraine for 45, as the Yorkshire opener approached his maiden List A half-century.

Wright found the edge of the batsman and Lewis Hill comfortably took the catch behind the stumps.

The second wicket stand was proving a tough partnership to break, as Duke and Ballance began to accelerate ahead of the required rate.

Duke led the way, and brought up his half-century from 59 balls, including seven fours.

Dieter Klein came back into the attack and brought the stand to a close with a huge wicket, as Ballance mis-judged the slower delivery and top-edged it to George Rhodes at backward point for 86 (81b).

The third wicket stand, proved as tough to break as the second with Duke looking on form in the middle.

Hill came in after the dismissal of Ballance and picked up where his predecessor left off and recorded his fifty from fifty balls, including five fours and one six.

At the end of the same over, Duke accelerated to record his century, becoming the third centurion of the match after the ton came from 111 balls and included ten fours.

The Vikings entered the latter stages of their innings and with 10 overs remaining, the visitors required 60 further runs to claim victory.

The third wicket stand reached it’s 150th run, after 121 balls and 76 minutes in the middle together.

There was time enough left in the game for the Running Foxes to break the third wicket partnership, as Duke’s impressive innings came to an end 125. Ed Barnes claimed his first wicket of the innings after sneaking one through the gate to clatter the batsman’s leg stump.

Tattersall emerged to join Hill (86no) in the middle with Vikings requiring nine runs from the remaining 4.2 overs.

The fourth wicket duo went on to record Yorkshire’s first victory of the 2021 Royal London Cup campaign with a seven-wicket victory over Leicestershire, with Hill (90no) and Tattersall (6no) in the middle.

FIGURES | Waite 8-0-59-5, Coad 8-1-46-1, Revis 6-0-35-1, Pillans 8-0-49-0, Bess 9-0-64-0, Shutt 4-0-23-0, Hill 7-0-46-0

Klein 10-0-65-1, Wright 8-0-48-0, Barnes 6.5-0-53-1, Ahmed 10-0-71-0, Lilley 3-0-19-0, Mike 5-0-32-0, Rhodes 5-0-37-0

FOXES | Patel, Rhodes, Harris, Hill (C, wk), Lilley, Kimber, Mike, Ahmed, Barnes, Klein, Wright

VIKINGS | Fraine, Duke (wk), Ballance, Hill, Tattersall, Revis, Bess (C), Waite, Pillans, Coad, Shutt

IMAGES | Thanks to John Mallett of Outside Off for supplying images throughout the game.

MATCH SPONSOR | We would like to thank CT Alarms for sponsoring our Royal London Cup fixture against Yorkshire Vikings.