One-Day Cup: Alastair Cook helps Essex win as Yorkshire & Worcestershire chase big totals
- Published
An unbeaten 92 from former England Test captain Alastair Cook helped guide Essex to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over Middlesex to make it two wins from two in the One-Day Cup.
Wicketkeeper Jack Davies' 70 rebuilt Middlesex's innings but he had little support, Shane Snater leading the way with figures of 3-45 as the hosts bowled them out for just 212.
Essex never looked troubled, Cook forming an unbroken partnership of 159 with Tom Westley (87 not out) as they reached 213-1 with 11 overs to spare.
Essex are one of three sides to have won each of their opening two One-Day Cup matches so far.
Elsewhere, Somerset got their title defence off to a winning start while there were victories for Lancashire, Worcestershire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Glamorgan. Sussex's game against Durham washed out without a ball being bowled.
At Taunton Somerset debutant Sonny Baker impressed with figures of 3-46 though Derbyshire did manage to make a decent score 298 thanks to career-best List A scores from Fynn Hudson-Prentice (96) and Brooke Guest (74).
In reply James Hildreth batted through an injury to bring up a memorable century with a six over deep point, with opener Steven Davies adding 94 and Lewis Goldsworthy 57 not out on his List A debut as Somerset successfully got to 299-4 for a six-wicket triumph with just three balls left.
The early pacesetters
Danny Lamb's career-best List A bowling figures of 5-30 built the foundations for Lancashire's commanding six-wicket triumph at Gloucestershire.
The all-rounder was part of a Red Rose attack that had their hosts toiling on 89-7, though George Scott (43) and Matt Taylor (51 not out) scrambled Gloucestershire to 171 all out.
Despite seamer Josh Shaw's 4-36, Lancashire - without captain Dane Vilas, a late call-up for the Hundred - had more than enough in the tank to ease to victory, a steady 47 from Keaton Jennings providing the backbone as they got to 177-4 after 43.4 overs.
Glamorgan were the other county to secure a second win on Sunday, New Zealand batsman Hamish Rutherford and Joe Cooke standing out in their 59-run victory at Northants.
Rutherford top scored with 86 before Tom Cullen (58 off 44) and Cooke (33 off 18) saw Glamorgan through until the end of their innings with some big hitting, getting them to 295-6.
Tom Taylor had a standout game for Northants, taking two wickets and leading their run-chase with an unbeaten 65, but Cooke and Michael Hogan took three wickets apiece to restrict the hosts to 236 all out.
Yorkshire & Rapids pull off big chases
Harry Duke became Yorkshire's second-youngest one-day centurion - behind only Sachin Tendulkar - as they chased Leicestershire's 327-7 to win by seven wickets.
Australia Test batsman Marcus Harris was the game's top scorer (127), putting on 212 with Lewis Hill (108) for the Foxes' third wicket, while Matthew Waite took career-best List A figures of 5-59.
In reply Yorkshire scored quickly but diligently, 19-year-old Duke making 125 off 130 balls and George Hill 90 not out as they reached 329-3 with 13 balls in hand.
It was even tighter at New Road, where George Munsey's maiden List A ton was not enough for Kent to avoid a three-wicket defeat at Worcestershire.
The Scotland batsman made 96 in vain on Thursday but went one better this time, out for 108 after putting on 184 runs for Kent's fourth wicket with Harry Finch (84) as they reached 322-7 from their 50 overs.
Jack Haynes (77) gave the Pears a strong platform but they wobbled from 166-2 to 184-6 before Ed Barnard (39) and skipper Joe Leach's 88 off 51 balls in a club record seventh-wicket stand of 134, enabled the hosts to get to 323-7 with five balls to spare.
Hameed ton tops off great week
In the same week he was called up to England's Test squad and scored 112 for a County Select XI, Haseeb Hameed was at it again with an 88-ball ton on his One-Day Cup debut for Nottinghamshire in their 86-run triumph at Warwickshire.
He added 127 for Notts' third wicket with Ben Slater (86) and went on to make 103 as the visitors were bowled out for 323.
Rob Yates also made 103 for the Bears - on just his second appearance in the format - but a first professional five-wicket haul for Lyndon James saw them collapse from a promising 226-4 to 237 all out and fall well short.