White-hot Wayne slays the Dragons

Date: Sunday 06 September 2009

Leicestershire Foxes 217-8 (Dippenaar 49, White 46*) beat Glamorgan Dragons 194 (Bragg 78, Maynard 39, White 4-36, Buck 2-38) by 23 runs.

Wayne White performed superbly with both bat and ball as Leicestershire Foxes beat Glamorgan Dragons by 23 runs in an intriguing game at Grace Road today.

The all-rounder registered career-best List A efforts across the board as the team triumphed for the second time in the competition. White made a crucial unbeaten 46 with the bat before taking his first one-day four-for to ensure the side got over the finishing line.

Promising seamer Nathan Buck also enjoyed a good day. He scored 21 in his first List A knock and shared a great eighth-wicket stand of 52 runs from 39 balls with White to give the innings some much-needed momentum. He also took a personal best 2-38 from a high-quality eight over spell at the start of the reply.

White’s haul of 4-36 included two key wickets – one of Tom Maynard, who shared a potentially matchwinning stand of 75 with Will Bragg, and then Bragg himself towards the end, who made the game’s top score of a brilliant 78.

Despite his efforts though, the Dragons fell short – but it was a close run thing. Earlier, the Foxes made 217-8 from their allotted overs, with captain Boeta Dippenaar top-scoring with 49. White also made a valuable contribution, while Tom New and Jacques du Toit both go into the thirties.

It was a proud day for both New and James Taylor, who received their County caps before the game started. New was soon in the thick of the action as Dippenaar won the toss and elected to bat.

New scored the first boundary of the innings with a powerful cut, but the innings suffered an early blow when James Benning was caught behind off Huw Waters.

du Toit came in at number three and looked to be positive; hoisting Waters over mid on. He survived an early chance when guiding David Harrison straight to captain Jamie Dalrymple at slip, but the usually reliable fielder shelled the opportunity.

du Toit continued to be aggressive, playing another shot over the top in the seventh over. New played a delicate pull stroke in the next, and built on that with a lofted stroke over the top. du Toit executed a similar shot to take the score past fifty in the ninth.

New kept the tempo going with a series of flicked twos into the leg-side, and Glamorgan were struggling to gain control as the stand passed fifty.

It was good batting from the Foxes, and du Toit continued to take advantage of the restrictions with another blow over mid-on. Both men were playing well and New was unfortunate to suffer a freakish dismissal to end the 62-run partnership.

The batsman drove straight back to Harrison, and the ball struck the bowler full on the boot before rebounding up to Dalrymple at short mid-wicket.

It was a much-needed breakthrough for the visitors and allowed the visitors to put on the brakes. Indeed, a poor spell followed as County lost two more wickets in quick succession.

Firstly, Taylor was caught by Wallace off Chris Ashling and du Toit then chipped a catch to Dalrymple at cover off Harrison.

It meant three wickets had been lost for three runs, and Harrison had really dragged back his figures. After conceding 27 from his first four overs, he ended with 2-32 from his full allocation after switching to the Pavilion End.

Runs had dried up for a spell, although Dippenaar released the shackles with a nicely driven four. At the halfway stage, the Foxes were 90-4 and needing to step on the gas.

The first over of the second half of the innings was indeed a good one for the team, with Dippenaar starting by dissecting two fielders behind square perfectly for a boundary.

He then played two nice late cuts that went for four and two respectively and it bought up the Foxes hundred.

That flurry of runs persuaded Dalrymple to take the pace off the ball completely, with he and Dean Cosker operating in tandem. Cosker was particularly parsimonious, conceding just 32 from his eight overs.

In general, the first few overs were tight from both ends, but Nixon chipped a three over extra and Dippenaar clipped a beautiful shot through straight mid-wicket in Dalrymple's second over.

The duo had consolidated well and bought up their 50-stand at the end of the 26th over. Dippenaar used his feet beautifully to loft Dalrymple for another four over straight mid-wicket, although the captain took a wicket later in the over.

Nixon held back on a drive and lofted it straight to Gareth Rees at long-off, who held the catch to end his stay for 17. That left the score on 132-5 after 27, with White joining his skipper at the crease.

White scored his first boundary with a fine tickle round the corner and a late cut for four bought up the 150. With runs coming a bit more freely, Dalyrmple withdrew himself and bought back Cosgrove.

Dippenaar deftly touched one round the corner off the returning bowler to move within one run of his half-century, but he unfortunately fell to the next ball when nicking the Australian through to Wallace.

The innings was in danger of subsiding when Cosgrove struck twice in two balls when trapping Claude Henderson leg-before but White and Buck batted beautifully towards the end of the innings to kick the Foxes on.

There was a combination of good running and firm hitting, with White striking a four over straight mid-wicket in Cosker's last over for a rare boundary off the spinner.

White then had a tremendous 38th over, lapping a cheeky sweep brilliantly over short fine leg before creaming a drive through extra.

Buck then smashed a six straight over Cosgrove's head to bring up the 200, and an inside edge flew off White's bat for another boundary later in the penultimate over. Buck cut a four over backward point to bring up the 50-stand, and in total, 28 runs being added from the 38th and 39th overs combined.

The youngster was bowled by Waters for 21 in the last over, and Iain O'Brien helped White take the score up to 217-8 by the end.

Glamorgan started with promise. Despite Harry Gurney bowling an excellent first over that cost just a single, fourteen runs then came off the third. Rees cut a four, Cosgrove drove to the boundary and Rees also played a nice pick-up over mid-wicket as the score raced to 22-0 off three.

Buck dragged things back with a maiden, and Gurney's next went for just a wide as the Foxes got struck in.

Cosgrove had been starved of strike, though, and was eager to be aggressive when he got the bowling. He smashed a four through cover, but perished as head prospered as Gurney gained revenge by having the batter caught to an attacking drive by Dippenaar at mid-off.

Bragg joined Rees at the crease, and the latter cut a four in the ninth to keep things moving. However, Bragg could not get Buck away early on, and the ball whistled past the outside edge on numerous occasions.

He battled through and went on to play handsomely. Rees was profiting from his cut stroke and scored a four through the backward point region in the eleventh. A Bragg cut later that over bought up the visitors' fifty.

County needed something to happen and Buck struck twice in two balls though as the Foxes got on top. Firstly, he had Rees slashing a drive to Nixon, who was in a strange catching position at what can only be described as a close cover point.

Dalrymple then got an inside edge to the youngster and New held a good catch to reduce Glamorgan to 50-3. The hat-trick ball was perilously close to becoming a wicket too, as Maynard just got a touch onto one that looked as though it was about to pin him leg-before.

Buck bowled through, and although a couple of boundaries spoilt his figures a little, he still finished with 2-38 from a highly promising burst.

Henderson entered the attack to bowl alongside O'Brien, who was saved for first change with the Loughborough Town duo taking the new ball.

O’Brien produced a cracking fourth over. Only two came from it, and it was a welcome respite from a little period where Bragg and Maynard had scored a little too freely for the Foxes' liking.

Their stand passed fifty and was looking ominous. Both are natural aggressors, and Glamorgan moved to 102-3 at the halfway stage, with Bragg on 30 and Maynard 28.

Dippenaar's next move was to bring on White at the Pavilion End and Maynard greeted his introduction with a lovely drive through mid on.

White then switched to the Bennett End, which was to prove a shrewd move. Just as Harrison profited from a change in the opposite direction earlier, White prospered from this alteration later in the piece.

It didn’t work immediately though. Bragg continued his fine innings with a cut for four over backward point as the target was reduced to double figures, and also scored a brace of twos in the same over.

Runs were coming steadily; County needed a wicket and White provided it. He had Maynard caught at deep backward sqaure by du Toit, who held the catch above his head.

Incoming batsman Ben Wright survived a vociferous leg-before appeal first ball, and White and Benning bowled tidily in tandem to apply the brakes. 81 runs were now needed from 13 overs, with the rate now having crept above six. The visitors were still battling away though.

Wright survived an appeal for caught behind from White, and Bragg was still working away and. A cut four - his fourth boundary of the innings at that stage - bought up a well-played fifty from 60 balls.

It was nip and tuck at this stage. It was anybody’s game, but County made a decisive move as three wickets then fell in the space of three runs as the Foxes turned the screw.

Firstly, the impressive Benning had Wright caught by du Toit at mid off, and Dippenaar then turned to his experienced duo of Henderson and O'Brien. Both struck with leg-befores to boost victory hopes. Mark Wallace went first ball to the spinner, while Cosker fell to the New Zealander - also without scoring.

Bragg hadn't given up the ghost and he struck Henderson for a four and six in the straight mid-wicket region. He was now ploughing a lone furrow though and needed to score the majority of the remaining target of 55 from eight.

Bragg struck the returning White for four through extra cover in the 34th as the target slipped below 50, but a good O'Brien over meant the Dragons now required 43 from five.

Harrison can certainly give it the long handle, but it was gloomy and he had no time to settle. White had the batsman caught by O'Brien at mid-off to leave the youngster with a lot to do.

O'Brien completed his eight overs for the cost of just thirty runs and the Dragons now needed 38 from three. It was simply asking too much of Bragg. He kept playing well though, including striking White through backward point, but the bowler gained revenge by having the batsman caught by Dippenaar in the covers.

It ended a fine act of defiance from Bragg, and he will have rued the absence of someone batting through with him.

White then had last man Waters caught behind by New to end the innings in style - it was a fine win for the team, and ended a super personal week for White.

The team’s next Pro40 challenge comes at Derbyshire next Friday under the floodlights on Sky television.