Foxes hold on to down the Outlaws

Date: Sunday 29 August 2010

Leicestershire Foxes held their nerve against Nottinghamshire Outlaws to clinch a thrilling four-run victory in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition at Trent Bridge this afternoon.

Josh Cobb ultimately proved to be the hero as Adam Voges (71*) scored nothing off his final delivery when a six was needed to clinch the two points. A four would have tied proceedings, but in total, just six came from the last over of Cobb's off breaks.

The youngster's fine work built on some excellent bowling from skipper Matthew Hoggard (3-43) and James Benning (2-29) after Matthew Boyce (60) and James Taylor (58) had shone with the bat.

Their 112-run partnership led a recovery from a tricky position of 64-4 in the 16th over and it proved too much for the Outlaws, despite Voges' heroics on his third 'debut' for the club.

Voges had only arrived in the country last night as he replaced fellow countryman David Hussey but although he beat jet lag, he could not get the better of the Foxes, who landed a double over their East Midlands rivals.

The Foxes, who had triumphed at Trent Bridge in t20 and a pre-season friendly this season, made three changes as they set about completing a hat-trick of one-day victories in Nottingham.

Leicestershire showed three changes to the side that lost to Scotland last Sunday as Alex Wyatt made his seasonal bow and Cobb and Hoggard came in.

Nadeem Malik and Wayne White sat this one out and Hoggard lost the toss upon his return to the fray. His charges were invited to bat first against an Outlaws side that also had a youthful feel to it.

Notts bought in England under 19 seamer Jake Ball – who shone with the ball and nearly helped win the game with the willow alongside Voges – and Akhil Patel, while Alex Hales, Steven Mullaney and Graeme White were also in the side.

Ball took 3-32 in only his second ever game for the Outlaws as he put the Foxes in early trouble but Taylor, Boyce and Tom New – who also added impetus with a quickfire unbeaten 33 from just 18 balls – rescued the situation.

After Benning was caught in the covers for eleven, Jacques du Toit (who hit three boundaries in his tally of 25) and Cobb set about a partnership but both batsmen were bowled by the medium pace of Ball.

Indeed, the youngster took two wickets in the space of just four balls as du Toit chopped on and Cobb was bowled by one that nipped back and when the bowler also had Greg Smith caught behind four overs later, the Foxes were stuttering.

All four batsmen had got starts – Cobb and Smith, like Benning, made eleven - but the innings needed a stand of substance.

That is where Taylor and Boyce came in. It was tough going against the medium pace of Ball and Mullaney and the left arm spin of Samit Patel and White but both played sensibly and hit out when the opportunity arose.

The 100 came up in the 23rd over and after reconstructing sensibly, the duo then put their foot down on the accelerator.

Boundaries had been difficult to come by but three overs worth ten or more came between 33 and 35 as both batsmen bought up well-played half-centuries.

Boyce was first to the landmark – his first List A fifty of the season – from 58 balls with two fours and a six, while Taylor moved to his half-century from 64 deliveries with three boundaries.

Both fell as the innings progressed to Samit Patel and Ryan Sidebottom respectively, but New’s breezy knock helped the Foxes up their rate to 5.5 an over.

Eighteen runs came in the 38th as New let rip; he struck four fours and a maximum in an excellent innings and although Jigar Naik was run out, Hoggard added three from three balls alongside the keeper to get the Foxes up to something defendable.

In reply, the Outlaws got off to a flyer in terms of the run rate but Wyatt struck an important blow by removing the dangerous Hales, who has been in fine fettle this season.

The young batsman was trapped leg before by the tall seamer in the second over and when Harry Gurney dismissed Akhil Patel in the same manner in the seventh, the Foxes had gained a foothold.

Patel had struck four boundaries in a hard-hit 22 and Gurney’s wicket maiden was just what the doctor ordered. From 42-1 after six, the Outlaws rate was bought back to six and the wicket was thrown in for good measure.

Benning’s introduction was important as he made a double breakthrough while giving very little away. The medium pacer had Matthew Wood and Samit Patel caught by Cobb and Naik respectively as Notts slipped to 72-4.

The innings was mirroring the Foxes in terms of the score and the pattern given nobody had taken on their starts but in Voges and skipper Chris Read at the crease, the Outlaws had two men capable of winning the game.

The pair built in the face of some tight bowling and the home side moved to 112-4 after 26 overs.

Eleven runs came off the next as the pair started to up the ante. The scoreboard moved to 135-4 after thirty overs, so 85 were needed off the last ten; far from impossible given the standards set by t20.

However, the skipper returned to dismiss his counterpart and that put the Foxes back in the driving seat. Read picked out du Toit at deep backward square to put paid to an innings that had been getting increasingly dangerous.

The batsman made 32 from 42 but if the Foxes thought that might have been the beginning of the end, then they were mistaken.

Hoggard snicked Mullaney off to New for just eight to put the Outlaws on 152-6 but White shared the first of two pesky stands with Voges, who, like Hussey, is good at cajoling the most out of the lower order.

By the end of Naik’s seventh over, the hosts required 64 off six but the Outlaws kept chipping away. After scoring nine from that over, Voges and White took eleven apiece from the next two overs as they laid down the gauntlet.

The Aussie moved to a 63-ball half century in the process and White was also going for his shots to set the alarm bells ringing.

They shared 32 in just nineteen balls and it was therefore somewhat of a relief when Naik (1-48) bowled the youngster for an 11-ball 14 that included two fours.

Notts were 184-7 at the end of the 36th over and that meant 37 runs were needed off four. Hoggard made a brave call by bowling himself out at that stage but the move paid dividends as he trapped Fletcher leg before.

Voges refused to give up the ghost though and found another willing partner in the form of Ball, who was making a name for himself.

Despite losing that wicket of Fletcher, ten runs came from Hoggard’s last and when the next two overs went for fifteen runs, the Outlaws may well have fancied their chances.

They needed ten runs off the last over and Hoggard had two options; to continue with Cobb’s tidy off spin or go back to Wyatt, who had bowled three overs in his opening burst.

Given he was making his first appearance of the season, that would have been a tough ask so Cobb (1-25 off five) was given the opportunity and grasped it with both hands.

He came through the pressure situation with shining colours to ensure the Foxes had a third win of the tournament. Voges scampered a brace of twos to leave seven required from four deliveries but he could only get a single off the third ball.

Ball was then stumped by New to end the 29-run stand and leave six required off two, and Sidebottom scrambled a single to put Voges back on strike. He needed five runs to become the hero but did not score off the final delivery as Cobb came out on top.

It was a much needed two points to take the Foxes off the bottom of the table and their next task will be a tough game against Kent Spitfires at Grace Road tomorrow (1.45pm start).

The Spitfires beat close rivals Hampshire Hawks this afternoon to stay in qualification contention and they have an experienced side at their disposal. It should be an interesting game and given it’s a Bank Holiday, why not come down and follow the Foxes?