Saturday 27 June 2015 11:34, UK
Birmingham Bears edged out Lancashire Lightning by one run after an exciting finish to their NatWest T20 Blast encounter at Emirates Old Trafford.
In a repeat of last year’s final, Lancashire again fell short as Liam Livingstone could only score a single off the final ball of the innings, leaving the Lightning on 136-7 in reply to 137-8.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum opened the batting with Varun Chopra for the Bears and hit three fours in a row off Kyle Jarvis's first over.
But the rate then slowed on a tough wicket for scoring quickly on and McCullum (18) fell when he was well caught by Lightning skipper Steven Croft, who raced over from long-off to take a steepling catch off Jordan Clark.
Chopra then went for 40 and Birmingham ended up very grateful to William Porterfield, who made a patient 38-ball 36.
Spinners thrived for Lancashire, Stephen Parry taking 2-19 and Croft 2-21, while Aussie seamer James Faulkner (2-26) also bagged a pair of wickets.
Lancashire’s top order tried to make good use of the Powerplay overs and both Ashwell Prince (11) and Karl Brown (six) hit sixes early in the innings, only to then be dismissed.
Paul Horton made 24 and Croft added 15 but the Lightning's batsmen were also finding it difficult and Recordo Gordon (4-20) was emerging as a hero for the visitors.
Faulkner made 34 off 25 balls to keep Lancashire in the hunt but was dismissed by Gordon, who took two wickets in the penultimate over.
Seventeen runs were needed from the final six balls but Livingstone smashed Oliver Hannon-Dalby for a four and a six, only to be run out as he tried to run a second and level it on the final delivery.
Elsewhere in the North Group, Leicestershire Foxes seamer Ben Raine took a wicket with the final ball of their match with Yorkshire Vikings to secure a dramatic tie at Grace Road.
Jack Leaning’s well-paced 48 not out from 30 balls looked set to have secured victory for Yorkshire as they chased Leicestershire’s 142-7.
But, with the scores level, Adil Rashid (three) fell lbw to a well pitched-up delivery from Raine, who finished with 3-23.
Andrea Agathangelou had earlier top scored for Leicestershire with 40 off 26 balls while England man Jonny Bairstow made 37 off 22 balls for Yorkshire.
Northamptonshire Steelbacks beat group leaders Worcestershire Rapids by two runs in another enthralling encounter at New Road.
Northants made 193-8 thanks to eighth-wicket pair Steven Crook and Rory Kleinveldt, who took 62 from the last 3.1 overs in an incredible display of hitting.
Kleinveldt was out to the final ball of the innings after striking six sixes in a match-turning 42 from 12 deliveries, while Crook finished unbeaten on 56 from 35 balls.
Kleinveldt (2-25) then continued to deliver the goods, having Moeen Ali caught with the first ball of Worcestershire’s reply.
However, Worcestershire made a bold attempt to keep up with the rate as Daryl Mitchell (34) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (36) added 76 in just short of eight overs, but wickets began to fall, most damagingly when Colin Munro (33) was caught at long-off in a fine over from Muhammad Azharullah.
The Rapids kept going and Ross Whiteley (41 not out) and Ben Cox (24) managed a sixth wicket stand of 54.
But that man Kleinveldt then bowled two crucial overs in which he dismissed Cox and conceded only one boundary.
With 14 wanted from the last over, Whiteley drove Azharullah's first five balls for twos but could only manage a leg-bye from the last and the hosts finished agonisingly short on 191-6.
Northamptonshire’s England all-rounder David Willey hit 31 from 12 balls at the start of their innings but was unable to bowl due to an ankle injury.
Head coach David Ripley said: “We have got our fingers crossed. He has gone off for an X-ray just to check his bone.
"He's kind of gone over a bit on his foot and he is booked in for a scan on Monday. Maybe it will be a twisted ankle and he'll be back firing for us next week."
A Chesney Hughes' half-century and three wickets from Nathan Rimmington helped Derbyshire to a 34-run home victory over Notts Outlaws.
Hughes scored 52 from 29 deliveries, including five fours and three sixes, as the hosts finished with 201-7, their second-highest score in T20 cricket.
Opener Hamish Rutherford got the innings off to a good start with 37 off 20 balls, while Aussie Ben Hilfenhaus took 3-29 from his four overs.
Rimmington (3-24) then bowled England's Alex Hales for a golden duck with the first ball of the second over when Notts replied and, although Riki Wessels smashed 66 from 33 deliveries, the visitors lost seven wickets in 29 balls to be bowled out for 167.
