White-hot seconds reach semi after thriller

Date: Tuesday 08 June 2010

Leicestershire 2nd XI clinched a thrilling three-wicket win at Surrey yesterday to clinch a semi-final berth in the ECB’s experimental 40-over competition.

The Foxes were impressive winners and chased down 297 following good batting contributions from Wayne White, Nathan Hawkes, James Benning, Joel Pope and Josh Cobb.

Hawkes (48* from 32) hit ten in the final over of the game to seal the deal at Purley CC with three balls to spare.

White made a brilliant quickfire 82 from 76 balls and Benning chipped in with 47 (57 balls). Pope added 44 from 35 and Cobb tallied 32 from 19 balls.

The newly-designed format, which sees the teams play in whites with a pink ball and includes two innings of twenty overs apiece where batsmen can only go in once, seems to be suiting the side.

Surrey batted first on a cracking surface and Tom Lancefield, who went in on 78 and completed his ton in the second dig.

Surrey ended their first 20 overs on 139-3. Leicestershire started quickly with Benning looking in good touch.

The team were just eight behind on 131-3 to leave an intriguing second innings.

Lancefield’s hundred then came from 97 balls and he was eventually out for 117, which included two sixes and fifteen fours.

Irish keeper Gary Wilson’s swift 46 maintained the high run rate and Surrey finished well to ensure they closed on 296-7 from their 40 overs.

Over the course of both innings, Nadeem Malik, Sam Cliff and White each took two wickets.

That left a victory target of 167 from the second half of the innings and the batsmen went about their task with gusto.

They wasted no time in taking the attack to the attack and with ten overs to go, 78 runs were required with six wickets in hand.

White was very much the key man. He went to 50 in just 39 balls and eventually made a brilliant 82 with boundaries aplenty to leave 19 required off 13.

Surrey took two wickets in the penultimate over and ten were required from the last over.

Hawkes was on strike and a pulled short ball to the ropes. Two balls later, he hit a match-winning six over deep mid wicket.

That sparked celebrations in the visitors’ dressing room and they can now look forward to a semi-final against Sussex on Monday, June 14.

The game will be played at Lutterworth CC with an 11am start.

* Leicestershire Seconds got through to the quarter-final stage by beating Northamptonshire at Dunstable.

Northants were in some trouble at 59-6 at one stage in their first phase but eventually made 166-9 from their split allocation of 40 overs, with Cliff shining with 4-35.

Cobb’s unbeaten 77 guided the side home comfortably with six overs to spare.

* Leicestershire Seconds drew their three-day friendly against Warwickshire recently.

Malik, AJ Harris and Dan Masters all took three wickets as Warwickshire were bowled out for 273 and Jigar Naik made an unbeaten 78 as Leics made 293-7 declared.

Pope as also in the runs with 62 and Hawkes made 36.

In the second innings, Amar Rashid claimed 4-28 as Warks were dismissed for 243. Naik and Malik also took two-fors.

Leics were therefore set 224 to win but fell short on 169-8.

Lewis Hill top-scored with 42, Cobb made 39 and Hawkes scored 32.