One-Day Cup: Sussex and Hampshire win to earn home semi-finals

Cheteshwar PujaraGetty Images

Cheteshwar Pujara has scored 614 One-Day Cup runs for Sussex, including three hundreds

Sussex and Hampshire earned home semi-finals in the One-Day Cup with wins in the final round of group games.

Tom Alsop hit 189 not out off 155 balls and Cheteshwar Pujara 132 in Sussex's 400-4, their highest List A total, as they beat Middlesex by 157 runs.

Hampshire's 313-9 helped them defeat Yorkshire by 72 runs at Scarborough.

Kent's three-wicket win over Lancashire knocked out holders Glamorgan, while Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire also won through to Friday's quarter-finals.

Leicestershire will play host to Kent, with Notts away at Lancashire - who still finished second in Group B despite their defeat - on the same day, with the winners progressing to the semi-finals on 30 August.

Sam Northeast made 177 not out off 148 balls for Glamorgan and Billy Root hit an unbeaten 113 as they beat Worcestershire - their stand of 245 a new club record for the fourth wicket against any opposition in List A games - but it was not enough to see them through to the knockout stage.

Group One

Sussex broke their own record 50-over score in the winner-takes-all top of the table clash with Middlesex at Hove.

The hosts had already plundered four 300-plus scores in this competition this summer but this time they really pushed on, largely thanks to the 240-run third-wicket stand between Alsop and Pujara, who made his third ton in four innings.

Alsop smashed five sixes in his career-best score as Sussex made an astonishing 249 off the last 20 overs.

It was the first time Sussex had got to 400 in List A cricket but the previous record, 399-4, was made off 10 overs fewer, in a CB40 win over Worcestershire in 2011.

Middlesex only briefly threatened to get anywhere such a daunting total, Joe Cracknell top-scoring with 71 as they were bowled out for 243 - to go from top of the group at the start of the day to fourth.

"Puj has got such a calming influence. He seems to have everything under control. He understands the game so well, and we just feed off him," said Alsop.

Leicestershire qualified in second place after a nervy victory over Durham, who lost for the seventh time in eight games to finish pointless at the bottom of the group.

After Durham were bowled out for 197, veteran seamer Chris Rushworth took three quick wickets to reduce the Foxes to 158-8.

But an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 30 between bowlers Beuran Hendricks and Eddie Barnes saw Leicestershire home, to follow up earlier half-centuries from Rishi Patel and Arron Lilley.

It had looked as though it was going to be a far more comfortable win when Durham slumped to 54-7, but 18-year-old Stanley McAlindon, batting number 10, hit his maiden half-century, before then taking 4-29.

Rex Features

South African Wiaan Mulder took 3-28 in Leicestershire's win over Durham

Nottinghamshire made short work of Surrey as they raced to an eight-wicket win inside 32 overs at Welbeck Colliery - but then needed results elsewhere to go in their favour.

After slumping to 14-3, Surrey were still in trouble on 36-5 before two half-century stands involving teenager Tom Lawes, who survived a drop on seven to hit a personal best 75 off 63 balls.

But Surrey's 181 all out was never enough - largely thanks to 4-44 from Toby Pettman in only his second appearance, and 3-24 from Brett Hutton.

Ben Slater (81 not out) and Lyndon James (54) then helped them reach 193-2, off 31.5 overs, to complete back-to-back wins after Saturday's victory over Leicestershire.

Notts then received the helping hand they needed when Warwickshire were stunned by previously winless Somerset at Edgbaston.

Lewis Goldsworthy made a maiden List A century (111) and Jack Brooks took 4-38 as Somerset won by 14 runs to collect their first cup win at the eighth attempt - on the ground where their T20 Blast hopes were ended by Hampshire on Finals Day a month ago.

Goldsworthy and James Rew (96) shared a third-wicket stand of 198 in 35 overs as Somerset posted 266-5 and, despite a stand of 104 in 18 overs for the fifth wicket between skipper Will Rhodes (92) and Ethan Brookes (51), the depleted Bears batting line-up - without Sam Hain, Krunal Pandya and Michael Burgess - fell short on 252.

Group Two

Hampshire began their game on top of the group and remained in that position as a consistent batting display proved enough to earn their seventh win in eight games.

Ben Brown (60 off 83 balls) laid the foundation before Tom Prest and Aneurin Donald added 83 in eight overs - Prest making 55 and Donald 76 off 31 balls, including six sixes, as they pushed on beyond 300.

Yorkshire were reduced to 31-4 and 86-5, and had to use 12 batters after Dom Bess was struck on the helmet by a throw from the outfield.

They were eventually all out for 241 in the 46th over as John Turner claimed 5-41 for the visitors.

Rex Features

George Balderson's hundred for Lancashire against Kent was his first in any format of the game

The tightest finish came at Canterbury where George Balderson propelled Lancashire to 295-9 from their 50 overs by hitting a six and 15 fours in his unbeaten 106 off 87 balls, but Kent chased down the target with one ball remaining.

Josh Bohannon had earlier made 75, while Harry Podmore and Grant Stewart claimed three wickets each for Kent.

Jack Blatherwick took two wickets in his second over to send back Ben Compton and Ollie Robinson, but Alex Blake kept Kent in the hunt with 81 off 78 balls, supported well by Darren Stevens and Stewart -who both made 49, and Harry Finch 45.

Finch was caught off Luke Wells at the start of the final over with three still needed, but Podmore struck the winning boundary as Kent reached 298-8.

Glamorgan thought they had done enough by piling up 356-3 - with Northeast now holding the record for the club's highest score in List A and first-class cricket, having made 410 in the Championship last month - and beating Worcestershire by 19 runs.

The home side made a good fist of the run-chase, but ended on 337-9 despite Ben Cox's 84 not out off 78 balls, and scores of 58 and 63 by Jake Libby and Joe Leach.

The result, plus Yorkshire's defeat, put Glamorgan briefly into third place but their hopes of continuing their trophy defence were dashed by the Kent victory.

Opener Luis Reece scored 106 off 125 balls as Derbyshire beat Northamptonshire by eight wickets at Wantage Road in a dead rubber game.

A stand of 161 between Lewis McManus (107 off 11) and Tom Taylor (75) helped the home side post 311-7, but Reece struck a six and 13 fours as Derbyshire replied with 312-2 in 48.5 overs - with Shan Masood (53) and Harry Came (44) sharing a match-winning unbroken stand of 91.

Forthcoming fixtures

Quarter-Finals: 26 August

Semi-Finals: 30 August

Final: 17 September (Trent Bridge)

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