Foxes give an easy chase
In a game with less than two hours total playing time, Notts thrashed Leicestershire Foxes with 42 balls unused at sparsely populated Grace Road.
Voges won the toss and inserted the home side on cool cloudy night. After the recent rain the wicket played poorly and was an unsuitable surface to play hit and giddle cricket.
Gurney (Pavilion) and Pattinson (Bennett) opened the bowled and with his fourth delivery Grimsby’s finest bowled Josh Cobb after the right hander had hit the previous two balls for four. Two overs later du Toit with a big one-day ton to his name against Notts was leg before to Pattinson. Carter could not get his line right as Leicestershire finished their 6-over power play on 41 for two.
Regular baseball bowling partners Patel and Mullaney applied the tourniquet to Leicestershire innings as the home side collapsed. In his first over Mullaney removed left hander Boyce caught and bowled low down for nine. In the ninth over Ramarnesh Sarwan who had been starved somewhat of the strike fell in identikit fashion caught and bowled by Mullaney as Leicestershire stood at 56 for four.
Former Gladiator Kadeer Ali hit Mullaney straight to Wessels at long on as he claimed his third wicket. It got worse as in the next over Patel Pakistani Razzaq played round a ball and departed to another stonewall leg before decision, 65 for 6 in the 12th over.
The home crowd finally had something to cheer as Wayne White hit Patel for a straight six, but next ball he departed bowled by Patel, who will no longer play any further part in the preliminary games due to England commitments. Harrow educated Rob Taylor was next on the conveyor belt being well caught at midwicket by the captain as Mullaney picked his fourth wicket at a cost of 19 runs. The final two batsman did not last long as the skipper replaced Patel from the Bennett End, first old timer Claude Henderson miscued a ball as Patel took a fine running catch in the covers. Hoggard nursing a broken finger lasted just a single ball as he fell leg before to Voges as Leicestershire had hit their competition low score of 96 all out with 15 balls unused. The lowest score against Notts had also been beaten by 10 runs, the previous low of 106 being achieved by Lancashire at TB in 2005. Patel (2-20) and Pattinson (2 for 21) proved good support to Mullaney as the skipper had two for six off nine balls. I am not sure of the merits of Gurney and Carter in the same line up, particularly with Graeme White now coming in. Adams is unlikely to step in to the line up so the obvious choice would be Fletcher, unfortunately he needs to lose weight as whilst performing water bottle duties he brought comparisons from the home crowd of the long forgotten Jimmy Ormond who plied his trade in these parts and also The Oval of course.
Notts had an easy target as Hoggard opened with a maiden. Hales (5) still looks out of sorts as edged the Leicestershire captain to slip. Wessels hit a couple of fours as Wayne White was expensive but departed for nine bowled by Hoggard, 29 for two in the fifth. Voges and anchor man Lumb added 31 in 23 balls before Voges was bowled by left armer Taylor for 21. Patel hit a bright and breezy 17 before holing out to long off as Henderson picked up a wicket. Taylor coming home had an innings of 4..444 as Notts got home by six wickets with Lumb carrying his bat for 25 not out, the highest score of the evening. Mullaney was named man of the match. Harder challengers await.
Wednesday Games
The Taunton Cidermen set something of a sterner test for the Bears to chase at Taunton.
Somerset 191/6, South Africans Richard Levi 69, Albie Morkel 38, Craig Kieswetter 20 and Nick Compton 12 - 25 extras in innings too. Pick of the bowling was Chris Woakes 2/25 from a full compliment.
As it turned out, Bears never got into the chase after the loss of pinch-hitter Laurie Evans for 17, Varun Chopra did hang around for 37 but no one else did before the cause was lost. Over 15 went for 15 runs but by that stage the required rate was over 18. Bears eventually floundered on 128, 63 runs short of the home side, Steffan Piolet 26 not out, Max Waller 4/16, Alfonso Thomas 3/17
At the Oval, Surrey lurched to a total of 128/8 Ireland's Gary Wilson 33 and Lions' Jason Roy 22. Graham Napier 3/16
Eagles were also disappointing in the chase losing by 18 runs on 111/9. Gareth Batty 3/20
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