Terrific Taylor can't prevent defeat

James Taylor had an outstanding game for Leicestershire Foxes but it was not enough to prevent the team from a 25-run defeat to Warwickshire Bears in the Clydesdale Bank 40 tournament at Grace Road.

Taylor produced career best List A performances with both bat and ball but his unbeaten 103 from 95 balls with eight fours and two sixes and 4-61 ultimately proved in vain.

The Bears made 272-8 and their innings was based around Neil Carter's excellent century and good contributions from captain Ian Westwood and Ant Botha.

The in-form Carter survived a stumping chance when on 37 and went on to share 112 with Westwood (47). His knock included some trademark lusty blows but also plenty of thoughtful cricket.

Botha added a quickfire 42 from 25 deliveries while Taylor picked up his maiden List A four-for during the innings; indeed, they were his first wickets in the longer form of the one-day game.

Nathan Buck, Matthew Hoggard and Jigar Naik all took a wicket and went for 42, 41 and 41 respectively from their full allocations and those figures don’t fully justify how well they actually bowled.

In reply, James Benning (46 from 42) got off to a flyer and Taylor shared half-century stands with Matthew Boyce (33 from 38) and Wayne White (16 from 21) but it was ultimately all to no avail.

Earlier in the afternoon, Hoggard won the toss and invited the Bears to bat first. Joel Pope and Dan Masters were in for their first appearances for the season, while key all-rounder Andrew McDonald returned to the fray.

Paul Nixon, Claude Henderson, Will Jefferson and Nadeem Malik were all rested after picking up various niggles at Swansea.

For the Bears, Westwood, Boyd Rankin and Richard Johnson came in for Stef Piolet, Tim Ambrose and Jonathan Trott from the side that won in the t20 match last Sunday.

Although Warwickshire have had a nightmare in the LV=County Championship this term, their one day form has been excellent and this game was always going to be tough; that was clear given dangermen Carter and former Leicestershire man Darren Maddy were in first up.

Buck started with an impressive maiden although Carter scored the first boundary of the day in the second over as he drove down the ground. Buck then sent down another good over but Carter found the ropes three times in the fourth.

A cut over backward point and a similar shot through the same region bought up two of the fours while a lofted drive over mid off also raced away.

Carter then drove over long on in the fifth while Maddy suffered a run out scare in the same over. Carter nudged down and called Maddy through for a single and sold his teammate down the river. The batsman had no chance of getting back but Benning was just off target with a direct hit attempt.

Naik was on for an early bowl and was therefore operating under the powerplay restrictions. The batsmen took advantage of that; a sweep from Maddy went fine for four and after picking up a two, he then lofted over mid off for six.

Going for fourteen was tough on the spinner as it wasn't a particularly bad over. Buck continued to go well from the Pavilion End and picked up a
well-deserved wicket.

Maddy lofted high into the air and Hoggard took the steepling catch at mid on to end the 44-run opening stand. Naik then struck in his second over by trapping Keith Barker leg before without scoring.

It was impressive stuff from the tweaker, and a wicket maiden evened up his misfortune from the first over. After the first powerplay the Bears were 44-2 and Hoggard immediately took the second block.

An inside edge from Carter went for four to bring up the fifty at the end of the ninth but the Foxes were doing a good job in stemming the flow.

Buck had figures of 1-21 from his first six and Naik settled to go for just five in his next three overs. It all meant the Bears were 63-2 after twelve and the captain introduced himself.

That move reaped immediate dividends as Hoggard ripped a beauty through Troughton's defences. It took out middle stump and Leicestershire had their third wicket with 65 on the board.

Naik's next over cost just a brace of singles and in his sixth he created an opportunity when enticing Carter out of the crease; Pope couldn't grab hold of the ball though and the batsman survived.

It was good pressure from both Naik and Hoggard although Carter did relieve the pressure with a drive down the ground from the last ball of the 17th.

Naik took a breather having taken 1-24 from six and White entered the attack in place of the off-spinner. Carter scored his eighth four as he approached fifty and that came up shortly afterwards from his 62nd delivery.

Benning replaced White in the 22nd as Hoggard continued to fully utilise his resources and the hundred came up via a single from the second ball of the over.

Westwood lofted a four over mid on for his first boundary and the duo took their stand towards fifty. Carter swept hard for four in the 24th and his approach was certainly keeping the Foxes on their toes. This innings wasn't just about the big hitting the left hander is reknowned for.

He then struck powerfully over the top for his tenth four and the team badly needed his wicket. The left-handed duo had now doubled the score and were accumulating nicely from the visitors' perspective.

Naik returned to finish his spell and Westwood hit a super drive through extra as he began to cut loose and Carter edged through the vacant slip region for another boundary.

Westwood again drove the ground in the 27th as he continued to go well and a fine touch down the leg side from Carter bought up the 150. The third four in that particular over came when Carter skied a drive over backward point and by the end of it, the Bears were 156-3.

Hoggard's figures took a blow in that last over and 1-41 doesn't really do him justice. Naik also finished his spell and also ended with 1-41 from his allocation. Masters then returned and the first ball was swept away by Carter for his fourteenth four; it bought up the hundred partnership and the Bears were going great guns now.

After Naik's good work, Hoggard decided to persist with a change of pace and Taylor was utilised from the Bennett End. His over proved hard to get away but the Bears were handily placed on 170-3 with ten overs to go.

The third powerplay was then utilised by the Bears, which seemed a good decision given the pair were set and the captain was well placed given he was in the thick of the action in the middle.

However, as so often happens, the powerplay bought a wicket. Masters bowled one that Westwood looked to pull but he got a touch to the ball and Pope completed the legside catch.

A similar delivery was pulled away from Carter later that over as he moved into the nineties and to continue with the all-action nature of the innings, a terrific ball then beat the batsman all ends up out.

Taylor kept going within the powerplay and Carter gave himself room to drive through cover and over mid off to complete his hundred. It came from his 92nd delivery and was the 17th boundary hit. Taylor kept persevering though and bowled the left hander next ball.

Rikki Clarke and Botha were new to the crease and the former Surrey man eased himself in with a delicate dab in Masters' fifth over to open his boundary account.

The all-rounder then struck Taylor for six over wide mid on but the bowler stuck to his task and pinned him leg before with the last ball of the over.

That bought another dangerman to the crease in Chris Woakes and Botha was also getting his eye in; a powerfully pulled six proved that.

Taylor nearly had a third wicket when enticing Woakes into a lofted drive but Masters couldn't hold on to a diving effort at deep mid wicket.

Woakes capitalised on his reprieve by touching a four off his pads in the 37th over but Taylor had his man in the next in identical fashion to the earlier opportunity.

Woakes smashed a full toss straight down the throat of Jacques du Toit - who had moved into that fielding position at deep mid wicket - and he duly completed the good catch.

Botha hit a four through extra as he continued to play well and a deliberately placed pull in the penultimate over also went to the boundary; as did a more fortunate stroke that squirmed off the inside edge to the fence.

That bought up the 250 and Botha struck two straight sixes and Imran Tahir two fours in the last over to spoil Taylor’s figures and ensure the Bears ended with momentum.

Taylor snared his fourth wicket inbetween though when the former Derbyshire man picked out McDonald at extra. It meant 56 runs had come from the last five overs and that left the Foxes a stiff target to chase.

du Toit and Benning opened for the Foxes and Woakes was in action at the Pavilion End. Carter opened from the Bennett End and Benning scored the first four of the innings in the fourth over.

That shot down to third man was followed up with a stroke through the covers that also went to the ropes. Woakes was proving harder to get away and after five overs, the Foxes had 23 on the board.

du Toit was trying to up the ante and he fell to Carter, who was now operating around the wicket. The batsman stepped across and the ball snook round his pads and clipped the top of off stump.

It bought Taylor to the crease and he ticked the board over while Benning launched his third boundary through the cover region.

Another two fours went down to the third man boundary as the opener got stuck into his work and the score was identical to the Bears after the first powerplay on 44.

The second phase was taken immediately and the Bears continued to bowl short and wide at Benning, who was clearly relishing that. A delivery along those lines was sent down by Rankin in his first over and the tall Irish international paid by being cut for six.

A delicate late dab from Benning also went for four in that region but that was a fine shot from a perfectly good ball in fairness to the seamer.

Benning was looking in super touch and a great stroke then went through extra cover. Clarke nearly clung on to a stunning catch in the slips to dismiss the opener off Carter but the all rounder really ought to have held Taylor off Rankin.

It was a regulation chance and the Bears' disappointment was clear. However, they didn't have to wait too long for their second wicket as Benning fell.

The batsman had been giving himself room in a bid to hit through the off side but on this occasion, Rankin was gunbarrel straight and the ball clipped the top of middle stump.

Rankin and Maddy were forming an effective partnership and as so often happens, the runs dried up for a spell after the wicket. Taylor was certainly prepared to accumulate; his first 24 strokes were all singles

McDonald stroked wide of mid on to score his first boundary but he became Rankin's second wicket when pulling the bowler to Botha at mid on.

Boyce got off the mark with a nice straight drive off Maddy and that prompted a change as Barker replaced his fellow all-rounder. The Foxes were 95-3 at halfway; the same as the Bears at that stage.

Leg spinner Tahir was then bought on and just three runs came from his first over and the target was now 176 from 19 overs. Taylor broke the single sequence with a reverse sweep for four and Boyce also cut for four as the batsmen looked to take on Tahir. The left hander then swept for six as the runs continued to come.

The score was 127-3 after 25 and it left 145 needed from fifteen. The fifty stand came up with another Taylor reverse sweep and the batting powerplay was taken at the start of the 27th over.

Seven came from the first over that but Boyce fell in the next as he tried to hit the returning Carter over mid off. He could only pick out Barker, who took the catch to end his breezy knock of 33.

Taylor drove over the top for a welcome boundary in the 29th and a pick up for six flew behind square for a 61 ball fifty that included two fours and that six. A second maximum followed as he drove Carter over long off.

At the end of the powerplay the Foxes were 165-4 and Taylor pulled the returning Tahir to the ropes twice to take that tally to 177-4 after 31. It meant 96 were needed from the last nine overs but just three came from the next over sent down by the impressive Barker.

Taylor kept going though and a sweep and powerful cut yielded six runs in the next over and with six to go, the Foxes were 196-4 and required 77 from six.

The 200 came up with a wonderful cover drive from Taylor from the first delivery of Rankin's last over and White added a four with a nudge past the keeper as eleven came off it. Rankin finished with 2-39 from his allocation and Barker continued his good work.

The left armer was hard to get away and took a well-earned wicket when White picked out Botha at mid wicket. The over cost just five too so it was a fine effort from the seamer.

Pope kept taking the attack to the bowlers and when Woakes came back, the ‘keeper scored a brace of twos and a four past long off. Eleven runs came off the 37th and it left fifty needed off three.

It was a tough task for Pope and he died for the cause as he holed out to Maddy off Barker for nine. The bowler finished with excellent figures of 2-37 off eight.

Naik creamed a drive through cover and Taylor smashed wide of mid on as the Foxes kept trying to chase down the target but it was down to 34 from the last.

Although that was highly unlikely, the race for Taylor to get his ton was still on and that meant the finish was exciting nevertheless.

He got to the landmark, which eclipsed his maiden List A century 101 against Worcestershire last season, off the final ball with a four through backward point and although it was disappointing to lose, it was a joy to see another Taylor masterclass.

The team now have three days to prepare for the LV=County Championship match against leaders Sussex. The match begins on Thursday at 11am.