Spitfires win cracker despite Taylor's heroics

Date: Wednesday 19 August 2009

Leicestershire Foxes 209-8 (Taylor 95, Dippenaar 47, Azhar 4-41) lost to Kent Spitfires 211-7 (Northeast 39, Kemp 38, Henderson 2-24) by three wickets

Amjad Khan and Paul Dixey guided Kent Spitfires to a thrilling win against Leicestershire Foxes with just two balls to spare in the Pro40 match under the floodlights at Grace Road.

Needing 15 to win from the final seven balls to chase down their target of 210, Khan hit a four from the last ball of the penultimate over before Dixey (14* from ten balls) pulled off heroics in the last.

After the duo swapped singles, the Kent ‘keeper struck a six over straight mid-wicket and four over mid-off with the third and fourth balls of the last over to clinch the win, which was harsh on a Foxes side who’d battled so hard to triumph in the close contest.

Earlier in the afternoon, County’s total of 209-8 was built around a brilliant 95 from in-form James Taylor, who flourished in front of the television cameras.

The teenager shared stands of 59 with the returning Paul Nixon and 98 with skipper Boeta Dippenaar (47 at a-run-a-ball) in making his second List A half-century in three days, and formed the fulcrum of a hard-working Foxes' effort with a highly-entertaining and mature knock.

Although the Spitfires got off to a flying start in their innings, the bowlers pulled it back with Claude Henderson bowling a particularly good spell in taking 2-24 off eight overs.

However, it wasn’t quite to be as the batters nicked it at the death, with County wondering how they hadn’t claimed the deserved two points.

At the start of proceedings, skipper Dippenaar had no hesitation in batting after winning the toss but the innings got off to a bad start when James Benning was trapped leg before for two by Azhar Mahmood (4-41) on his home debut in the first over.

Indeed, scoring was not easy early on as both Azhar and Amjad settled in. However, Matthew Boyce found the boundary twice over mid-on and through extra as the Foxes got into their stride.

The left-hander also fell early though, nicking Azhar to the safe hands of Justin Kemp at slip. That left the team on 19-2 with Nixon joining Taylor at the crease to good effect in his comeback game.

Taylor, who was promoted to number three, was happy to get himself set at the wicket and Nixon also dug in before finding the boundary twice in succession in the ninth over to get the scoreboard moving.

The left-hander punched a drive through mid-on for four before driving through the covers with a nice stroke that also crossed the ropes.

Taylor then opened his boundary account by rolling the wrists on a drive through mid-on and a partnership was developing nicely.

Successive Taylor fours in the 12th over bought up the 50, with a drive through mid-wicket being followed with a straight stroke through mid-off.

The teenager then played a delightful square cut off change bowler Phil Edwards, while Nixon got in on the act when former Fox Darren Stevens entered the attack with a tickle off his pads to the boundary.

Another excellent square cut from Taylor was followed up with a super on-drive as the stand passed 50, and the score stood at 74-2 after the powerplay overs.

Unfortunately, the partnership was ended at 59 when Nixon sliced his old teammate Stevens to backward point for 19, and James Hockley took the simple catch.

Dippenaar joined Taylor in the middle and his first four came courtesy of a lovely drive through mid-on.

Slow left armer Rob Ferley had been introduced into the attack shortly after 15 overs had passed and James Tredwell came on to form a tweaking partnership in the 20th over.

The twirlers applied pressure by rocketing through their overs in the middle period of the game, but neither claimed a victim as the Foxes importantly kept wickets in hand.

County passed 100 in the 22nd over, and Taylor moved to a 66-ball fifty shortly afterwards, which included six boundaries at that stage.

The batter then played a nice sweep to the boundary, while Dippenaar played a classy square drive in the 25th over as the duo played sensibly against the slow men.

The 50-run stand came up in the 26th and the pair continued to build, taking the score to 145-3 with ten overs to go.

Dippenaar was put down by Stevens in Tredwell's seventh over, and used the stroke of luck as a cue to up the ante.

The batsman took advantage by striking the off-spinner over straight mid-wicket for a one-bounce four, and then scored twos with a pleasant drive to wide long-off and a delicate late cut to move into the 40s.

Taylor also put his foot down and pulled the returning Edwards for a powerful four. The youngster then played two quality reverse sweeps in Tredwell's last over as the stand moved towards 100.

It didn't quite get that far as Dippenaar holed out off Edwards with the partnership having reached two shy of the ton.

Taylor then moved into the 90s, but was run out by a dead-eyed throw from the stand-in captain Kemp agonisingly close to his century.

It was still a fabulous knock from the young batter, compiled off 113 balls with nine fours and followed a 50 in the same competition against Middlesex on Sunday and knocks of 45 and 94 which helped the side save the four-day game against Derbyshire last week.

Tom New added some late momentum with fours through the covers and square-leg, and he and Chris Thompson took the score to 200 at the end of the 38th.

However, only nine runs could come from the final couple of overs with three wickets falling – and that proved quite costly later in the evening.

Firstly, the 'keeper fell on the pull in the penultimate over, heaving an Edwards half-tracker to Tredwell at deep mid-wicket.

Azhar then claimed two in his final over to finish with a four-for, bowling the unfortunate Thompson off his boot and having Wayne White caught after the batter attempted a delicate lap shot.

County needed a highly-disciplined start to build pressure but it didn’t come about. Indeed, the Spitfires took off at the beginning, with boundaries coming regularly and a number of wides also not helping the cause.

The Foxes were right on the back foot as Sam Northeast started well, driving pleasantly thrice through mid-off, extra and cover in the opening two overs.

Boyce couldn't quite cling onto a Hockley drive off Gurney in the fifth, and the batter then opened his boundary tally with a four through backward point.

The duo continued to score freely and the 50 came up in the 8th - with ten boundaries coming up by the end of that over.

The batsmen had five apiece at that stage, and a Northeast glance in the 9th and Hockley on-drive in the tenth kept the rate going.

The Foxes badly needed a wicket to stop the bleeding and Thompson provided it later that over, finding the under-edge of Hockley's bat with New taking a great catch standing up with the score on 66.

Young batter Alex Blake came in and picked up where Hockley left off, playing four classy drives early on through mid-off, extra (twice) and cover.

County were delighted to have the fielding restrictions lifted, as the Spitfires had scored seventeen fours in the opening fifteen overs. Given the Foxes only managed 19 in their whole innings, the team was now well behind the eight-ball.

However, Henderson came on and bowled beautifully alongside Benning, striking twice in quick succession - including his first ball.

The slow left armer bowled one that just slipped down the leg-side and New took a bail off at the second attempt to remove Northeast (39).

Henderson then took another in the next over, bowling Blake after the youngster dragged the ball onto his wicket.

The double burst was a timely boost and things were starting to happen, including Taylor nearly getting his revenge on new batsman Kemp in Benning's sixth over.

The captain had run out the batter earlier, and Taylor was narrowly wide with an athletic dive and throw at the stumps which would have redressed the balance with a direct hit.

Henderson's introduction alongside Benning certainly had the desired effect, with just eleven runs coming from five overs between 15 and 20 as the team finally had some much-needed control.

It meant the rate, which had been reduced to below fives, had crept back up to 5.25 by the time Jigar Naik (2-46 off eight) entered the attack alongside his spinning colleague.

He created an immediate opportunity but Josh Cobb, who had just entered the fray as a substitute fielder, put down the chance offered by Stevens under the floodlights at deep mid-wicket.

The lack of pace was proving a problem for the visitors but Stevens hit a six over straight mid-wicket to bring up the first boundary in ten overs in the 25th.

However, the spinner gained revenge when Stevens fell in the manner he could have done so easily have done earlier. White made no mistake with the catch in the deep and the Spitfires were now 137-4 in the 27th.

By the time Henderson had finished his outstanding spell, the visitors now required 61 from ten with the rate as high as it had ever been in the innings.

Kent did have the benefit of two experienced players at the crease in Kemp and Azhar but White's next over cost just three including a leg-bye.

Kemp responded by striking a straight drive for four off the next as the target was down to 49 from eight and a glanced four from the South African from the last ball of White's next over spoilt what would have been an excellent set.

However, Naik struck in the next over, bowling dangerman Kemp, who was attempting to sweep.

He also enticed a false shot out of Azhar, who got away with a checked drive for two. It all meant a target of 36 from the last six overs was required with the Spitfires looking far from comfortable as they had done earlier.

The chase was reduced to 23 from four as Tredwell found the boundary from Naik's last ball, but the screw was then turned by the home side.

Firstly, the left-hander was caught behind by New off White (1-44 off eight) as part of a great over from the all-rounder, who conceded a solitary single from it.

Benning then returned and kept the pressure on, bowling Azhar via bat and pad during another fine over which went for just two.

Two wickets and three runs conceded from the two overs represented a fantastic return, and when the first five balls of White's last went for five runs, the game looked as though it had turned decisively.

However, Khan smashed the last ball over mid-off for four to leave eleven needed from the last.

Benning was the man chosen to send down the last over, and with only two taken from the first two balls, it was going to need something special.

Dixey duly delivered; hitting a clean six over straight mid-wicket and a four over mid-off and the visitors nicked the two points from under the Foxes' noses.

The result was tough to take, particularly for man-of-the-match Taylor and Benning, who had only gone for 23 off 7.2 overs before Dixey’s decisive hitting.

The Foxes are back in action tomorrow with the start of a four-day Champiosnhip game with Gloucestershire, which starts at the normal time of 11am despite tonight’s late finish.