Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "notts"
Local boy Steven Croft steers Lancashire to victory
Nottinghamshire 338-8 Lancashire 341-7
In his 600th competitive match for Lancashire, Blackpool-born Steven Croft masterminded Lancashire’s dramatic three-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire in the quarter-final of The Royal London Cup at Blackpool’s
Stanley Park last Friday. On the same wicket as the 742 runs were scored in the previous game against Northamptonshire last week, a further 679 runs were added, this time including 63 fours and 16 sixes. Once again, much to the delight of the home crowd, Lancashire pulled off victory as they overtook Nottinghamshire’s 338-6 to win with 341-7 with nine balls remaining.
Keaton Jennings once again won the toss and put Nottinghamshire in to bat on a wicket that once again looked to be in favour of the batsman. Openers Ben Slater and Sol Budinger proved it to be so with a sparkling opening partnership of 98 in 14.3 overs. The only alarm for Notts came when Slater was caught at deep mid-on when on 18 only to discover that Jack Blatherwick had bowled a no=ball.
The pair moved serenely on and looked likely to put on a century opening partnership when Budinger, who had passed 50 in 41 balls with five fours and three huge sixes, tried one big hit too many, fell short and was well caught by Luke Wells on the deep mid-wicket boundary for 56, after adding one further boundary to his tally, George Balderston being the successful bowler.
Lancashire’s bowlers tightened their grip somewhat as Slater and Lyndon James found it more difficult to pierce the field as they put on 62 runs in 13.3 overs. A bowling change brought about the latter’s downfall as Croft’s off-spin induced a return catch and he was gone for 29 and it was 160-2.
Notts’ captain and former Lancashire and England opener Haseeb Hameed was at number three but he survived only seven balls as he made four before he returned a catch to Danny Lamb to make it 167-3 after 31 overs. Then, on his 31st birthday, Slater, having passed his half-century in 62 balls, went to his century from 117 balls with 12 fours but he survived only a further four balls before Lamb took a superb diving catch at deep mid-off from the bowling of Liam Hurt and he was gone for 104 with Notts 239-4. Lamb’s catch was so spectacular that he had to demonstrate it to his admiring team-mates as the batsman departed!
Slater had been helped in a 72-run fourth wicket stand by South African Matthew Montgomery, who was to reach his half-century in 42 balls and who, with Liam Patterson-White, 15 from nine balls with one four and one six, put on 37 for the fifth wicket before the latter holed out to Hurt on the boundary off Balderson; 276-5.
Montgomery was finally dismissed for 78, from 56 balls with eight fours and two sixes, at 311-6 when he tried one reverse sweep too many against Lamb and Wells at backward square leg took a top-edged catch. Hurt bowled Fateh Singh first ball at 312-7, Brett Hutton made a speedy 24 from 13 balls with two fours and one six, before he was caught in the deep off Lamb and South African Dane Paterson finished the innings off with six, six, two off the only three balls he faced from Lamb and with Dane Schadendorf six not out, Notts finished at a respectable, but perhaps 30 or 40 runs short, on 338-8.
Lancashire began their reply speedily and there were 33 runs on the board when Jennings, 23, edged Hutton through to Schadendorf off Paterson after just 4.5 overs. There followed a 52-run partnership in 43 balls between Wells and Josh Bohannon before the former, 47 from 32 balls with six fours and two sixes, was caught in the deep by James off Paterson.
Croft, who had begun watchfully and more sedately than is his usual wont, was joined by Dane Vilas and the pair added 61 runs in 10.3 overs before Vilas’ run-a-ball 29 came to an end when Hameed, who from the final ball of the previous over had dropped Croft from a head-high chance at mid-wicket, held on to a more difficult chance at extra cover off Montgomery from the first ball of the following over to send Vilas back to the pavilion at 180-4.
The Notts’ bowlers tightened their grip and scoring slowed considerably and the required rate rose to more than 10 an over. Trying to force the pace, Balderson was caught by Hutton off the spin of Montgomery for 15 at 205-6 and then Lavelle brought a sense of urgency back with some speedy running between the wickets and some meaty striking, two fours and one six in his 18, was caught by James off Montgomery at 237-6 by which time the rate had been brought down to around eight runs per over.
Croft, with the more than able assistance from Lamb, then took over. The pair raced to a 94-run partnership with Lamb’s 43 containing two (dreaded) ramp shots for four along with two further boundaries and one six when he was caught by Patterson-White off Hutton for an excellent 43. By then, 331-7, Croft had passed a superb century in 95 balls – his first 50 took 61 balls - with eight fours and two sixes and he had reduced the required rate considerably. He then struck successive fours and went on to make 115 not out off 105 balls with 10 fours and two sixes as he took Lancashire home by three wickets with Hurt not required to face a ball.
Footnote: The 22 yards that had realised 1,421 runs in the two Royal London games was used once more on the Saturday after the Nottinghamshire game and Blackpool’s opponents Longridge could not match what had gone before as they were bowled out for 114! Blackpool knocked off the required runs for the loss of just two wickets.
In his 600th competitive match for Lancashire, Blackpool-born Steven Croft masterminded Lancashire’s dramatic three-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire in the quarter-final of The Royal London Cup at Blackpool’s
Stanley Park last Friday. On the same wicket as the 742 runs were scored in the previous game against Northamptonshire last week, a further 679 runs were added, this time including 63 fours and 16 sixes. Once again, much to the delight of the home crowd, Lancashire pulled off victory as they overtook Nottinghamshire’s 338-6 to win with 341-7 with nine balls remaining.
Keaton Jennings once again won the toss and put Nottinghamshire in to bat on a wicket that once again looked to be in favour of the batsman. Openers Ben Slater and Sol Budinger proved it to be so with a sparkling opening partnership of 98 in 14.3 overs. The only alarm for Notts came when Slater was caught at deep mid-on when on 18 only to discover that Jack Blatherwick had bowled a no=ball.
The pair moved serenely on and looked likely to put on a century opening partnership when Budinger, who had passed 50 in 41 balls with five fours and three huge sixes, tried one big hit too many, fell short and was well caught by Luke Wells on the deep mid-wicket boundary for 56, after adding one further boundary to his tally, George Balderston being the successful bowler.
Lancashire’s bowlers tightened their grip somewhat as Slater and Lyndon James found it more difficult to pierce the field as they put on 62 runs in 13.3 overs. A bowling change brought about the latter’s downfall as Croft’s off-spin induced a return catch and he was gone for 29 and it was 160-2.
Notts’ captain and former Lancashire and England opener Haseeb Hameed was at number three but he survived only seven balls as he made four before he returned a catch to Danny Lamb to make it 167-3 after 31 overs. Then, on his 31st birthday, Slater, having passed his half-century in 62 balls, went to his century from 117 balls with 12 fours but he survived only a further four balls before Lamb took a superb diving catch at deep mid-off from the bowling of Liam Hurt and he was gone for 104 with Notts 239-4. Lamb’s catch was so spectacular that he had to demonstrate it to his admiring team-mates as the batsman departed!
Slater had been helped in a 72-run fourth wicket stand by South African Matthew Montgomery, who was to reach his half-century in 42 balls and who, with Liam Patterson-White, 15 from nine balls with one four and one six, put on 37 for the fifth wicket before the latter holed out to Hurt on the boundary off Balderson; 276-5.
Montgomery was finally dismissed for 78, from 56 balls with eight fours and two sixes, at 311-6 when he tried one reverse sweep too many against Lamb and Wells at backward square leg took a top-edged catch. Hurt bowled Fateh Singh first ball at 312-7, Brett Hutton made a speedy 24 from 13 balls with two fours and one six, before he was caught in the deep off Lamb and South African Dane Paterson finished the innings off with six, six, two off the only three balls he faced from Lamb and with Dane Schadendorf six not out, Notts finished at a respectable, but perhaps 30 or 40 runs short, on 338-8.
Lancashire began their reply speedily and there were 33 runs on the board when Jennings, 23, edged Hutton through to Schadendorf off Paterson after just 4.5 overs. There followed a 52-run partnership in 43 balls between Wells and Josh Bohannon before the former, 47 from 32 balls with six fours and two sixes, was caught in the deep by James off Paterson.
Croft, who had begun watchfully and more sedately than is his usual wont, was joined by Dane Vilas and the pair added 61 runs in 10.3 overs before Vilas’ run-a-ball 29 came to an end when Hameed, who from the final ball of the previous over had dropped Croft from a head-high chance at mid-wicket, held on to a more difficult chance at extra cover off Montgomery from the first ball of the following over to send Vilas back to the pavilion at 180-4.
The Notts’ bowlers tightened their grip and scoring slowed considerably and the required rate rose to more than 10 an over. Trying to force the pace, Balderson was caught by Hutton off the spin of Montgomery for 15 at 205-6 and then Lavelle brought a sense of urgency back with some speedy running between the wickets and some meaty striking, two fours and one six in his 18, was caught by James off Montgomery at 237-6 by which time the rate had been brought down to around eight runs per over.
Croft, with the more than able assistance from Lamb, then took over. The pair raced to a 94-run partnership with Lamb’s 43 containing two (dreaded) ramp shots for four along with two further boundaries and one six when he was caught by Patterson-White off Hutton for an excellent 43. By then, 331-7, Croft had passed a superb century in 95 balls – his first 50 took 61 balls - with eight fours and two sixes and he had reduced the required rate considerably. He then struck successive fours and went on to make 115 not out off 105 balls with 10 fours and two sixes as he took Lancashire home by three wickets with Hurt not required to face a ball.
Footnote: The 22 yards that had realised 1,421 runs in the two Royal London games was used once more on the Saturday after the Nottinghamshire game and Blackpool’s opponents Longridge could not match what had gone before as they were bowled out for 114! Blackpool knocked off the required runs for the loss of just two wickets.
