Taylor/Seconds Update/Player of the Month

Date: Friday 09 July 2010

James Taylor will make a welcome return to the fray at New Road on Sunday after helping England Lions win their triangular one day series on the same ground.

Taylor, who made 24* from 14 balls in the penultimate game, scored 19* from 17 deliveries on Thursday to help the team win the final against India A.

The youngster gave good support to Darren Stevens, and saw a potentially tricky chase through to its conclusion.

Lions needed 61 from the remaining 8.5 overs when Taylor went in and he helped to knock off the runs and was unbeaten at the end.

Earlier, Lancashire slow left armer Stephen Parry took 3-48 on his Lions debut as India A, put in to bat by Alastair Cook, set England Lions a tough chase.

Indian openers Abhinav Mukund and Shikhar Dharwan started aggressively reaching 50 in just eight overs. Indian captain Cheteshwsat Pujara once again demonstrated his class coming in with the score on 90-2, guiding India A to a total of 278-7 with an unbeaten 87.

In reply, a superb innings from Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale (90) with significant contributions from Stevens (68) and Steven Davies (55) saw England Lions reach their target of 279 with eight balls to spare.

Taylor played an important role in that chase and will now be available for the final four games of Leicestershire Foxes' Friends Provident t20 campaign.

His presence was badly missed in the defeat against the Royals on Wednesday night, but with Taylor on Sunday and Andrew McDonald returning for the game at Trent Bridge next Thursday, the Foxes will be hoping for a final flourish in the group stages.

Three wins may well clinch a quarter final berth and with the Foxes red hot on their travels, the team will be hopeful of putting in strong performances in the next two away games to set up the last two matches at Grace Road.

It promises to be an interesting end to the group stages of the competition.

* Leicestershire Seconds drew their recent Championship game against Durham at Oakham CC.

Loughborough Town's Oliver Freckingham took 5-91 as Durham made 402-9 dec in their first innings, and Greg Smith and Joel Pope were then in fine form with the bat.

Both made centuries as Leics posted 472, with Pope scoring 126 and Smith 110.

Nathan Hawkes added 59, while Matthew Boyce and Tom New made 40 apiece.

Durham were 303-5 in their second innings, with AJ Harris and Jamie Sykes taking two wickets apiece.

* Claude Henderson has been named the Lumbers' Player of the Month for May.

The award, which is kindly sponsored by the popular jewellery firm and voted for by Leicestershire supporters, went to the spinner, who had a fine month.

Henderson, who has been the star turn in Friends Provident t20 recently, won the award for his performances in the Championship and 40-over competition.

Our congratulations go to Claude.

To vote for June's award, please visit www.lumbers.co.uk