Tuesday 29 July 2014 23:26, UK
Gloucestershire and Worcestershire both got off the mark in Group A of the Royal London One-Day Cup with contrasting victories on Tuesday.
Will Gidman saw Gloucestershire home in a low-scoring game against Yorkshire, his unbeaten knock of 71 helping the visitors reach a target of 197 with three wickets in hand at Headingley.
The all-rounder hit 10 boundaries from the 89 deliveries he faced, crucially sharing in a seventh-wicket stand of 69 with Jack Taylor (38) after the Gladiators had collapsed to 83-6.
Skipper Michael Klinger made 37 at the top of the Gloucestershire order, then became the first of four wickets for 14 runs when he was caught off the bowling of Richard Pyrah.
However Gidman – who had earlier taken 2-28 with the ball – stood firm. Even when Taylor departed to leave the score on 152-7, he combined with Tom Smith (four not out) to clinch victory with 28 balls to spare.
Yorkshire themselves had recovered from 45-5 in their innings, Jack Leaning making 56 and Adil Rashid 71 as the pair salvaged the situation with a partnership worth 129.
Gidman and David Payne had combined to decimate the White Rose County’s top order, the latter dismissing Andrew Gale and Johnny Bairstow in successive overs as three wickets went down without a run being added.
Yet, having battled their way to reach 174-5, the home team then collapsed again to 193 all out, Tim Bresnan and Pyrah both being run out as they were skittled in just 41.4 overs.
Worcestershire, meanwhile, were comfortable winners over Northamptonshire, bowling the Steelbacks out for 186 in 38.2 overs after compiling 274-9 at Milton Keynes.
Tom Fell top-scored for the Pears with 72 while Ross Whiteley made a breezy 52 that included three sixes and the same number of fours.
There were also useful contributions from Jack Leach (25) and Shaaiq Choudhry, who finished up unbeaten on 30, as Worcestershire posted a commanding total despite three wickets apiece for David Willey and Steven Crook.
Northamptonshire’s reply got off to a disastrous start when they lost their first four wickets for 27 runs inside eight overs, New Zealand paceman Mitchell McClenaghan picking up two of them.
Ben Duckett tried to repair the early damage, making 49 at faster than a run-a-ball rate. Yet by the time he departed, bowled by Choudhry, the score was 140-7 at only the halfway stage of the innings.
Daryl Mitchell came on to wrap up a Worcestershire win in a hurry, claiming 4-19 in 6.2 overs to help his team bounce back from a heavy eight-wicket loss to Essex in their opening fixture in the new-look 50-over competition.
