August 13, 2024

Will Luxton, George Hill keep Yorkshire’s campaign alive?

Yorkshire ended Warwickshire’s unbeaten run with a six-wicket victory at Rugby School. However, Warwickshire still holds a strong position in Group B. Despite Warwickshire’s solid performance, scoring 242 for 9 with Yates contributing 72 and Hill taking 6 wickets for 28 runs, Yorkshire secured the win with 246 for 4. Luxton led the charge with an unbeaten 105, supported by Duke’s 60 and Revis’s 51*, keeping Yorkshire’s Metro Bank One Day Cup qualification hopes alive.

George Hill’s outstanding performance with 6 wickets for 28 runs, the seventh-best List A figures in Yorkshire’s history, was crucial in limiting Warwickshire to 242 for 9. Rob Yates was the only Warwickshire batsman to make a substantial impact with 72, leaving his side approximately 40 runs short of a competitive total.

In response, Yorkshire chased down the target of 243 with 33 balls to spare, thanks to Harry Duke’s energetic 60 off 51 balls and a solid finish from William Luxton, who scored his first senior century, and Matthew Revis, who remained unbeaten on 51. This impressive chase was achieved despite missing their top run-scorers, captain Shan Masood (on international duty) and James Wharton (injured).

Yorkshire opted to bowl first and quickly applied pressure, with Ben Coad and George Hill leading the charge. Hill made a significant impact, taking 3 wickets for just 17 runs in his opening spell. He dismissed Ed Barnard with a well-pitched delivery that shattered the middle stump and caught Will Rhodes at midwicket.

Hamza Shaikh briefly challenged Hill with a daring six over midwicket, but Hill struck back immediately with an lbw decision. Dom Bess then dismissed Burgess, who became the fourth batter to fall between 10 and 15 runs, with a sweep to deep midwicket.

Yates finally found some support from Chris Benjamin, who contributed 38 in a 56-run stand that lasted 11 overs, resembling the intensity of an Indian Premier League match. Yates and Benjamin were dismissed while attempting aggressive shots—Yates, having reached 50 for the tenth time in 30 List A innings, was caught at deep midwicket off Revis. At the same time, Benjamin fell to a miss-hit off Hill.

Hill continued his acceptable performance by dismissing Jake Lintott and Kai Smith, taking his wicket tally to four. Despite a tail-end effort adding 30 runs, Warwickshire’s total still fell short of being competitive.

Yorkshire’s innings began strongly, with Harry Duke leading the charge after debutant Yash Vagadia was dismissed by Olly Hannon-Dalby in the fourth over. Despite recent struggles, the 22-year-old Duke surged to a half-century off just 44 balls, including nine boundaries.

Warwickshire made a comeback with three quick wickets in six overs. Duke top-edged a sweep off Lintott, and Finlay Bean was caught pulling Tazeem Ali’s second delivery to deep midwicket. Jonathan Tattersall was dismissed, edging Lintott to slip.

Luxton and Matt Revis then stabilized the innings. They guided Yorkshire to victory with a solid, unbeaten partnership of 129 runs in 25 overs. Luxton achieved his first List A century with a six off Yates as Yorkshire clinched their win.

Adam Zampa Runs Through Spirit to Confirm Invincibles Playoff Berth.

Oval Invincibles must defeat Trent Rockets on Wednesday to secure a direct berth in the final. The Invincibles achieved a straightforward nine-wicket win over London Spirit, scoring 100 for 1 with Jordan Cox making an unbeaten 61 off 30 balls.

Cox capped off a stellar week, which included his selection for the England Men’s Test team, by hitting a six to finish the match. His performance ensured the Invincibles’ advancement to the knockout stages of The Hundred. London Spirit, restricted to 96 runs, saw standout bowling from Zampa with figures of 4 for 17 but ultimately fell short.

The halfway point virtually decided the outcome, with the already-eliminated London Spirit managing only 96 runs in their innings.

Michael Pepper made a promising start for the Spirit, scoring 27 off 18 balls during the powerplay. Still, his dismissal by Adam Zampa marked the beginning of their downfall. Within 21 balls, Spirit collapsed to 52 for 5, losing key batters, including Ollie Pope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Andre Russell. Zampa continued his excellent form, finishing with figures of 4 for 17.

Ollie Stone, also selected for the upcoming England Men’s series against Sri Lanka, bowled tirelessly as Spirit tried to defend their modest total. However, it was only a matter of time before the Invincibles secured victory, with Jordan Cox sealing the win with 37 balls to spare.

The victory ensures that Sam Billings’ team has won six of its seven matches and is assured of a top-three finish in the men’s competition. Their final game against Trent Rockets will determine whether they advance directly to The Hundred Final on Sunday, August 18, or if they must go through The Hundred Eliminator the day before.

Meerkat Match Hero Adam Zampa said: “I’m pleased with that performance. They put us under the pump in the powerplay early but yet again there was a bit of purchase in the surface and the boys dragged it back really well through the middle.

“We’ve been playing really good cricket throughout. Today we knew how important it was to get the win. Finishing first and hopefully going straight through to Lord’s, we’ve potentially made it really tough for anyone to overtake us from here. It’s really important next game that we make that a certainty.”