One-Day Cup: Group leaders Warwickshire & Leicestershire earn fifth wins
- Published
Oliver Hannon-Dalby has now taken 18 wickets in Warwickshire's five One-Day Cup wins in 2023
One-Day Cup group pacesetters Warwickshire and Leicestershire both maintained their winning ways to stay well on course to qualify for the knockout stages.
In Group B, Warwickshire continued to show that B stands for Bears as top wicket-taker Oliver Hannon-Dalby claimed another four scalps to beat Derbyshire at Edgbaston, maintain their 100% record and go four clear at the top on 10 points.
Group A leaders Leicestershire also stay top after beating Essex to claim their fifth win in six games, while Middlesex, bottom of Group A after losing all three previous games they had played, found their touch in dramatic fashion by beating Nottinghamshire at Radlett.
Sol Budinger, who hit 102 for the Foxes, and Middlesex all-rounder Martin Andersson, with a round 100, both hit their maiden centuries in professional cricket.
And there were contrasting fortunes in tight finishes on either side of the Pennines as Yorkshire beat Surrey by one wicket in a breathless finish at Clifton Park, York, while Hampshire cemented second with an 11-run win over Lancashire in Manchester.
Bears go four points clear in Group B
In-form Hannon-Dalby took four wickets in eight balls as Warwickshire limited Derbyshire to 247-9 at Edgbaston.
On-loan David Lloyd (65) and Brooke Guest (57) led the way for the visitors.
But the Bears were always in control in reply, inspired by 75 from skipper Will Rhodes.
Michael Burgess (46) and Jacob Bethell (44) then saw the hosts to 248-6 to leave the 100% Bears four points clear at the top of Group B with three games left.
Derbyshire now look out of it, having won just one of their five games.
Centurion Budinger boosts fired-up Foxes
Essex had half-centuries from teenagers Charlie Allison (85) and Noah Thain (75 not out) to thank for steering them to a score of 250-8 against Group A leaders Leicestershire at Kibworth.
The visitors had slumped to 95-5 when Tom Scriven trapped Simon Harmer leg before wicket, but the two 18-year-olds then shared a stand of 105 to give their side something to defend.
Essex made the hosts wobble with two wickets in three balls on 48-2, before the Australia-bred Budinger and Peter Handscomb (69) restored calm with a stand of 113.
But Leicestershire then had to withstand some late scares, as left-arm spinner Aron Nijjar took three wickets to win on 251-8 - by just two wickets with nine balls to spare.
Budinger's previous best score was his 89 against Gloucestershire at Bristol, also in the One-Day Cup, in 2022
Hampshire openers Nick Gubbins (66) and Fletcha Middleton (58) got their side off to a great start against Lancashire at Old Trafford, putting on 131 for the first wicket in 23 overs.
But both departed in the space of seven balls to trigger a clatter of wickets as the visitors collapsed.
All 10 wickets went down for just 103 runs, as Hampshire were bowled out for 234 - Will Williams (3-30) and spinner Jack Morley (3-40) taking the bulk of the wickets between them.
But Brad Wheal, playing only his second game after returning from injury, then returned career-best List A figures of 5-47 as Hampshire kept their heads to win by 11 runs.
After slumping to 64-4, Lancashire looked to be on course for victory when George Lavelle (57) and George Balderson (44) shared a stand of 93.
But Scott Currie removed both in successive overs, either side of Matty Hurst's run-out, before Wheal returned to finish off the tail and keep Hants on course for the knockout stages, within two points of leaders Leicestershire.
Andersson's previous highest score in any form of cricket was also at Radlett, 92 for Middlesex against Hampshire in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020
Middlesex had a maiden century from Andersson to thank for posting 365 against Nottinghamshire, the fifth-highest score in their List A history.
Andersson, pushed up the order to bat at six, recovered from being dropped on 18 to share a 129-run fifth-wicket stand with Ryan Higgins.
But, even when Higgins departed for 88 on 265-5 in the 36th over, Andersson helped add a further 100 runs as he hit his highest score in any form of cricket - a round ton off 80 balls.
Notts then buckled to the Middlesex pacemen, Higgins and in-form Ethan Bamber taking three wickets apiece as the visitors faced the threat of a record List A runs defeat.
But Matt Montgomery (40), Calvin Harrison (41) and Tom Loten (44) at least restored some respectability before being bowled out for 231 in the 41st over.
Harry Duke and Dom Leech were the Tykes' last-wicket heroes against Surrey at Clifton Park
Surrey had to recover from 0-2 at Clifton Park, after losing both Ryan Patel and skipper Rory Burns to the final two balls of Yorkshire paceman Dom Leech's first over.
They were still in real trouble on 79-5, but Ben Geddes hit 92 off 90 balls, aided by Conor McKerr (32) and Josh Blake (23), to help their side reach 241.
The Tykes were then indebted to Harry Duke, who hit 93, although the most crucial of those runs came in a 32-run last-wicket stand with Leech.
The game looked up for the hosts after they slumped from 141-3 to 210-9, but they still had time in hand - and the last pair held their nerve before Leech, who finished on 18 not out, hit the winning boundary off Patel with nine balls remaining.
Wednesday's fixtures (11:00 BST)
Group B:
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Gloucestershire
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Worcestershire
Thursday's fixtures (11:00 BST)
Group A:
Canterbury: Kent v Nottinghamshire
Woodbridge Road, Guildford: Surrey v Lancashire
Clifton Park, York: Yorkshire v Hampshire
Group B:
Chester-le-Street: Durham v Somerset