Twenty20 in England in 2005
Encyclopedia
Twenty20
cricket is played over 20 overs according to normal limited-over rules, the one exception being the rule for "timed out
", where the time by which an incoming batsman must be at the crease ready to receive his first ball is reduced to 90 seconds after the outgoing batsman has been dismissed. This amendment to the rules helps speed up the game. Additionally, boundary ropes tend to be shorter in Twenty20 cricket than for normal limited over games.
2005 marks the third running of the Twenty20 Cup, which was won by Somerset
when they beat Lancashire
at the Oval
on 30 July. It also saw England
play their first Twenty20 International against Australia
at the Rose Bowl
in Southampton
, and winning by 100 runs (see below).
There was also a further development, as Leicestershire
won approval from the England and Wales Cricket Board
to host an International Twenty20 competition at the end of the season, although they are having to call it 20:20 to get round trademark issues. It will be competed over 15, 16 and 17 September between Leicestershire Foxes, Somerset Sabres, Nashua Titans, a Lashings World XI, the PCA Masters and the Asian XI.
The 2005 Ashes tour started with the Australians
taking on a Professional Cricketers Association eleven at the picturesque ground at Arundel
in a Twenty20
game. A crowd of 11,000 turned up to see the tourists win with one ball to spare, although in practice the result was always clear after an opening partnership
of 131 between Adam Gilchrist
and Matthew Hayden
. The Aussies got an ideal start as Stephen Fleming
edged Brett Lee
's first delivery to the slips
and the Masters XI were 0 for 1, having been put in to bat by Australia. Darren Maddy
made 70 in 57 balls and Paul Collingwood
(38) and Mark Ealham
(39) also scored runs, but the rest of the team made little impression as the PCA Masters XI made 167 for 6. The Aussies lost only two wickets in making their target. (Cricinfo scorecard)
England
started cautiously in the only Twenty20 International against Australia
at the Rose Bowl, only hitting six runs off the first two overs as they saw off the bowlers, but Geraint Jones
then decided to have fun with Brett Lee
. Hitting two boundaries off the next over, Lee was hit for 14, and England moved rapidly to 28 for no loss before Jones cut McGrath to deep third man, where Kasprowicz took a catch on the boundary - out for 19 with four fours. Marcus Trescothick
hit a single to end the over, but England were happy enough with 29 for 1 after four overs. Lee's next over was, again, hit for 14, as Lee served up one wide and a no-ball to end with three overs for 31 as singles were taken off every ball. That prompted a bowling change, with Michael Kasprowicz
coming on for Australia, and with good reward, as the penultimate ball of his over was caught by Symonds at midwicket - Andrew Flintoff
out for 6. Kevin Pietersen
managed to scamper a single, and after six overs, England were 50 for 2.
With Jason Gillespie
coming on, England continued to take the singles, although the fielding restrictions were off and Australia could stop more of those. However, Michael Clarke
at deep backward point handed England three runs in the seventh over with a misfield. Pietersen continued to dominate the Australian bowling, smashing a four and a two off Gillespie, as England took ten runs off the eighth over. Australia looked clueless - a rare sight - as they continued to give runs away through misfields, and Kevin Pietersen smashed his way to 33 not out off 16 balls - after ten overs, England were 93 for 2, and looking to set a massive target.
The Australian captain Ricky Ponting
brought on part-time spinner Michael Clarke
to bowl the eleventh over, and got immediate success, when Pietersen launched him to Matthew Hayden on the fifth ball, but England were still 101 for 3 after eleven overs. In the next over, the new batsman Michael Vaughan
edged Andrew Symonds
' ball to midwicket, and the pressure was suddenly on the English. With Trescothick out for 41 a bit later to an attempted sweep off Symonds, England were suddenly looking down a hole after a fine start, and Andrew Strauss
and Paul Collingwood
slowed the scoring, to see England 111 for 5 with six overs to play. However, a slog sweep from Collingwood to end the fifteenth over turned the match again, as it went away for six and England moved to 124 for 5. With Jason Gillespie
being brought back, Collingwood led the charge, as England stole seventeen runs off the seventeenth over and wrought control of the game again. Despite Andrew Strauss being bowled by Gillespie for 18, Collingwood hit another two boundaries towards the end of the over, to move onto 42 not out and the team score to 167 for 6. Vikram Solanki
was out in the next over for 9, caught by Hussey off McGrath, and on the last ball, Collingwood was caught by for 46. Still, England would be pleased with 179 for 8, the highest score on the Rose Bowl in Twenty20 matches.
Australia started shakily, with Adam Gilchrist
playing-and-missing and edging one shot over Andrew Strauss at third man, who miscued the path of the ball, as the Australians got eight off the first over bowled by Darren Gough
. With Gilchrist finally taking one liberty too many, an easy catch was given, and Kevin Pietersen took it to remove arguably the most dangerous batsman in this format. On the next ball, Hayden was out, caught by Pietersen for 6. Symonds survived the next ball, but odds had improved for England, as the visitors were now 23 for 2. What followed was an Australian collapse - Michael Clarke went for a golden duck to Lewis, a slightly dubious decision, but that gave the English the needed momentum. Within the next four overs, Australia had lost four more wickets for eight runs, Symonds for 0, Hussey for 1, Ponting for 0, Martyn for 4, and despite a recovery from Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee, the required run rate ran away to 12 an over from the last eleven overs. Jon Lewis
finished his spell with four wickets for 24 - a special international debut, even though it was only in a Twenty20 game. Despite a good recovery and a partnership of 36, Gillespie eventually holed out a catch to Marcus Trescothick off the hero of the match, Paul Collingwood, and England headed even further towards a victory. Eventually, McGrath was bowled by Harmison, ending the innings for 79 all out - exactly the same score that England succumbed to in the fourth innings chase against the Australians in the first Test of the last Ashes.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Despite South African
international Shaun Pollock
only bowling two of a possible four overs, Brian Lara
again using plenty of bowlers as captain
of the International XI, the Asia XI were bowled out for 157 thanks to patient bowling from the retired Adam Hollioake
, who took three for 16 - the three wickets being a hat-trick of Rahul Dravid
, Chaminda Vaas
and Anil Kumble
. Former Australian batsman Greg Blewett
then smashed five sixes in a massive 91 not out, and with good help from Scott Styris
who made 39 not out from number six, the International XI won by six wickets.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Essex Eagles
collapsed to lose their first match of the 2005 Twenty20 Cup to Sussex Sharks
. Winning the toss and batting, Essex quickly made their way to 55 for 1, with Ronnie Irani
hitting 34 off 18 balls. But two quick wickets set them back, Andy Flower
was then run out
, and Mushtaq Ahmed
ended their innings with five for 11 from 21 deliveries - as Essex ended all out for 109. In a stately reply, Sussex did not hurry too much, as Matt Prior scored 66 off 50 balls, and 14 extras
helped the Sharks past the target after 14.4 overs.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
In front of a full house at Beckenham
, Mohammad Akram
of the visiting Surrey Lions
served up a rare maiden in Twenty20 cricket as Kent Spitfires
were tied down to 140 for 8 off their twenty overs, despite Martin van Jaarsveld
scoring a fifty. James Benning
then made batting easy for Surrey, scoring ten fours and two sixes in a crackling 66. Surrey eventually won comparatively easily, having four overs left when they reached 141 for 3.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Owais Shah
made a good attempt at getting the highest strike-rate of the opening day of Twenty20 cricket, recording 72 runs off only 30 balls to lift Middlesex Crusaders
to an unassailable 210 for 6. For Hampshire Hawks
, Shane Warne
showed somewhat poor captaincy when Zimbabwean all-rounder
Sean Ervine
was the eighth man to come on to bowl - and then took two for 13 from two overs. New Zealander Craig McMillan
, meanwhile, conceded twenty-eight runs from his only over. Despite Nic Pothas
scoring 59 off 39 balls, the Hawks were nowhere near keeping up with the required pace, and Middlesex bowler Irfan Pathan
was a main cause of that - he took three for 16 from four overs, as Hampshire finished on 192 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
James Hildreth
scored a quick 46 off 26 deliveries at Sophia Gardens as Somerset Sabres
set a challenging target of 183 to Glamorgan Dragons
. No Glamorgan bowler really had control over the Somerset batsmen, and yet they lost their wickets. A highlight of the innings was the effort of Somerset's No. 9 Gareth Andrew
, who smashed three fours in his first three balls and then was bowled with the fourth. In reply, Glamorgan got to 126 for 2 before part-timers Keith Parsons
and Hildreth got the better of them and took wickets at a leisure - however, Alex Wharf
hung in there with Michael Powell and carried the Dragons to 183 for 8 after the 20 overs were up. The crowd seemed content with the one point and a tie, but the speaker informed the crowd of the actual result, which of course was pleasing to the home side.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
In the local battle at New Road
, Worcestershire Royals
eked out a victory over rivals Warwickshire Bears
. Graeme Hick
and Ben Smith both made big scores, with 67 and 47, and skipper Gareth Batty
also made 21 to send Worcestershire to 177 for 7. Warwickshire then collapsed to accurate bowling, losing their entire top order except Jonathan Trott
to end up on 68 for 5 - but Michael Powell made 40 not out batting at seven, turning the innings almost back to Warwickshire's favour. In the end, however, they were two runs short, their No. 11 Nick Warren
only managing to hit one off the two balls he faced.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
The Gloucestershire Gladiators took a massive beating by the Northamptonshire Steelbacks in their match at Milton Keynes
. Despite Gloucestershire's Martyn Ball
taking two for 18 from four overs, positively economical, five no-balls and the fact that 16 overs had to be found from bowlers other than Ball allowed Northamptonshire to run away to 224 for 5 - a Twenty20 Cup record http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/4114470.stm. David Sales
top-scored for the hosts with 78 not out
, while Australian Damien Wright
paired up with him for 84 for the sixth wicket, scoring an unbeaten 38 of his own. Gloucestershire were in trouble from the start, as opening batsman Craig Spearman
was run out for a duck, and when Wright ripped out two more wickets, the Gladiators were 10 for three. Four wickets from Ben Phillips
resulted in a serious collapse, as Gloucestershire were all out for 143.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
A disciplined bowling and fielding effort, conceding only five extras
, was the key to Leicestershire Foxes'
win at Grace Road
. Nottinghamshire Outlaws
won the toss and batted first, but after Nottinghamshire skipper Stephen Fleming
found four boundaries in his twelve-ball 24, Jeremy Snape
and Dinesh Mongia
tied down the Nottinghamshire batsmen. Only Leicestershire seamer Darren Maddy
, who bowled two overs for 33, gave the visitors' total score of 143 for 8 a glimmer of respect. The chase was close and exciting, however, as Leicestershire lost HD Ackerman and Maddy in succession to go to 16 for 2. At 103 for 5, things looked grim, but a crucial partnership between Paul Nixon
and Ottis Gibson
won them the game with four balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Durham Dynamos were the team to beat in 2005, and up to this game they had only lost two of 17 League and Championship games. Meanwhile, Derbyshire Phantoms had only won two from 14. Nevertheless, the Phantoms recorded a comparatively easy victory, as Durham's weak batting line-up was exposed. Batting first, they only made 130 for 7, Kevin Dean
taking two for 20 and Andre Botha
two for 16, both from a full quota of four overs. Gordon Muchall
was the only batsman to pass 20 for the Dynamos. In reply, James Bryant
top-scored with a calm 53 not out off 46 balls, Jonathan Moss
slashed boundaries at will in his 46, and two fours and a two from Botha sent them to 134 for 4 with 14 balls to spare with only Nathan Astle
in some control for Durham, taking two for 14.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Phil Jaques
, an Australian, was the dominant figure for the Yorkshire Phoenix
in the Roses battle, scoring 72 from number three before being out to countryman Brad Hodge
. That lifted the hosts to 165 for 7, but that was not enough to defend. Matthew Hoggard
, the England Test bowler, showed an uncanny knack of being uneconomical, conceding 65 runs in his four overs, and despite two wickets he lost the game for the Phoenix. Brad Hodge
ended with 64 not out for the visiting Lancashire Lightning
as they won with seventeen balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Surrey Lions
recorded their second win from two matches in Twenty20 Cup cricket this season, ironic given their position at the very bottom of the 45-over National League. Ali Brown
made 64 and David Thornely 67 not out as Middlesex Crusaders
conceded too many runs at the fine batting track at Lord's, Surrey making 200 for 3. Owais Shah
notched up his second score in the 70s in two days, taking 78 from 44 balls, and things looked good despite Shah leaving at 148 for 2. But Tim Murtagh
changed all that. In four overs, he took six for 24, and with the help of David Thornely (three for 22) he ensured that Middlesex had seven batsmen out in single figures. They were bowled out for 177, with three balls remaining in the innings.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
The match at Chelmsford
was made into even more of a slog-effort by the English rain, as both sides were limited to 12 overs. Andy Flower
made 46 off 29 balls, and 17 extras made the Essex Eagles
run-rate exactly eleven an over. Defending 133, Essex got off to a good start as Antonio Palladino took two wickets, which stopped the visitors from massive smashing, and Kent Spitfires
finished on 103 for 4 - thirty runs short of their winning target.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Rain caused the match between Hampshire Hawks
and Sussex Sharks
to be abandoned. Despite the fact that a ball was not bowled, the match was declared a no-result since a toss was made.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Despite captain Graeme Smith
becoming victim of Zander de Bruyn
's bowling for just two runs, Somerset Sabres still posted a big target, thanks to Matthew Wood, who made 94 off only 35 balls before falling to Nadeem Malik
six short of a century. Wood's smashing helped the Sabres to 210 for 6, although no other batsman passed 30. Graeme Hick
tried to emulate Wood, but could only make 87 before Ian Blackwell
got the better of him, and from then on Worcestershire never really had a chance. Blackwell finished with two for 20 in his four overs, and could take his share of the honour for Somerset's surprising win.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Glamorgan Dragons
were out of luck at Bristol
, as their top order collapsed to the bowling of Carl Greenidge
. Only a last-wicket partnership between Robert Croft
and Dean Cosker
ensured that Glamorgan batted out 20 overs
, as they were 70 for 8 at one point but finished on 128 for 9. However, it was never enough. Croft took two wickets with his off-spin
, but Craig Spearman
's 39 built the platform as Gloucestershire Steelbacks
eased to victory with 17 balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Northamptonshire Steelbacks
took their second victory from two Twenty20 Cup matches thus far, as they accumulated 143 for 5 in 14 overs, despite no batsman hitting more than 40 in a rain-shortened match at Northampton
. Scotsman Dougie Brown
took one for nine off three overs for Warwickshire Bears
, but the target was too large for the visitors, as Northamptonshire bowler Ben Phillips
removed four Warwickshire lower-order batsmen - his second four-wicket-haul in three days - as the Bears crumbled to 105 for 9.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Nottinghamshire Outlaws
plundered runs off the Lancashire Lightning
fast bowlers at Trent Bridge
, to recover from their first-game loss to Leicestershire. Both James Anderson
and Glen Chapple
were taken for 53 in four overs each, as the Outlaws made 198 for 5. In reply, only Steven Crook
passed 20 for Lancashire, Graeme Swann
took three for 32 and Mark Ealham
two for 22, and Lancashire ended up with an inadequate 106 all out.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Derbyshire Phantoms
beat last year's champions Leicestershire Foxes
at The County Ground, Derby to be the only side with two victories in the North Division of the Twenty20 Cup. Bowling first turned out to be a stroke of genius, as the Leicestershire batsmen were tied down by Ian Hunter
(three for 32) and Andre Botha
(two for 19), and wickets were spread out as Leicestershire's last man, Claude Henderson
, was caught
on the last ball - all out for 137. Derbyshire's reply was shortened by rain, and they only got 14 overs to hit 103, and two wickets from David Masters
set them back to 44 for 3. However, 42 from Luke Sutton
ensured that Derbyshire made it to the target with seven balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Ed Smith
took over the mantle from Owais Shah
as Middlesex Crusaders'
most useful batsman in the Twenty20 Cup, as he recorded three sixes in a 59-ball 85 and lifted Middlesex to 189 for 8 against Kent Spitfires
at Beckenham. In reply, Kent lost wickets regularly, and Justin Kemp
- normally a quick scorer - couldn't find his footing and only made 23 not out
off 19 balls, as Kent could only scamper 169 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs, 21 runs short of the target.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
James Bruce and Richard Logan
, Hampshire Hawks'
new-ball bowlers, reduced Surrey Lions
to pieces at the Oval
. Only Rikki Clarke
passed 12 runs for Surrey, and he did so in style, making 52 with six fours and a six, while Logan and Bruce shared seven wickets btetween them. Hampshire had reason to be happy with bowling Surrey out for 118, although they did concede 17 wides, as extras were the second highest scorer for Surrey. Hampshire then attempted to collapse of their own, crashing to 6 for 2 and 66 for 7, but 34 from off-spinner and captain
Shaun Udal
saw them home without any further loss of wickets.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
After Johannes van der Wath
had given Sussex Sharks
the edge with two early wickets against Essex Eagles
, Andy Flower
and Ryan ten Doeschate
rebuilt to send the hosts to 151 for 5 after their 20 overs. Sussex, however, imploded following the departure of Chris Adams for 44, as Grant Flower
took three quick wickets, and James Middlebrook
and Andre Adams
mopped up the tail for just 108.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Warwickshire Bears
won their first Twenty20 match of the season in style, the deep batting line-up finally paying off. Almost every batsman contributed in their massive 205 for 7, Jamie Troughton top-scoring with 42, and no Glamorgan Dragons
bowler escaped their wrath. When the Dragons batted, only Matthew Elliott and Sourav Ganguly
gave them any hope of winning, and Ganguly's 36 off 35 balls was verging on the point of being useless when the required rate was 10 an over. A disciplined Warwickshire fielding effort - the Bears only conceded one extra - and Alex Loudon
taking five for 33, resulted in Glamorgan falling to 151 all out in 18.2 overs.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
This was a game of two batsmen. After Steve Kirby had ripped out two Worcestershire Royals
wickets early on, to finish with figures of two for 15 from four overs, the Royals had been 24 for 3. Zander de Bruyn
then hit eight fours and three sixes in his 76 not out, lifting the Royals to 162 for 6 and setting a potentially tricky target. However, Phil Weston
replied with 73 not out
of his own, and despite only Craig Spearman
passing 20 of the other batsmen, Weston secured a win for Gloucestershire with two balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Tim Bresnan
's onslaught of fast bowling resulted in three quick wickets for Yorkshire Phoenix
, yet he was only called upon to bowl three overs - for 22 runs - and Nottinghamshire Outlaws
were let off the hook. Chris Read
top-scored with 43 off 35, propelling the hosts to 170 for 8. An excellent start by Ian Harvey
and Michael Lumb
sent Yorkshire to 60 for 1, as Harvey found boundaries seemingly at will - when he was out for 74 (with 64 of them in boundaries), however, Yorkshire imploded from 121 for 2 to 135 for 6. Craig White
and Ismail Dawood
fought back, and number 10 Richard Dawson
won them the match with a two and a four, as Yorkshire needed four runs from the last three deliveries of the game.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Durham Dynamos
contrived to lose this one, having first had Leicestershire Foxes
on the rack after limiting them to a total of 150 for 9. Economical bowling from Dale Benkenstein
, who took two for 17, made that possible, but he was later to be the main culprit as Charl Willoughby
and Jeremy Snape
took wickets and refused to give him runs. He eventually finished on 18 from 17 balls, making the task of Gareth Breese
and Gordon Muchall
impossible - and Durham finished an agonising three runs short.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Zimbabwean Greg Lamb
, playing for the Hampshire Hawks as a home qualified player due to owning an English passport, took four wickets, including three former Test players, for 28 - which helped peg Kent Spitfires back to 154 for 9. Hampshire's reply was very well timed, and even a good bowling spell from Kent's James Tredwell
- who only conceded sixteen runs off the bat in four overs - could not stop the Hawks. Lawrence Prittipaul
made 35 before being out on the penultimate ball with the scores tied, but off-spinner and stand-in captain Shaun Udal
, however, made a single on the last ball, as Hampshire reached 155 for 5 in their 20 overs - Nic Pothas
top-scoring with 58.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Rikki Clarke
top-scored with 46 and top-bowled with three for 11 for the Surrey Lions as they moved closer to a quarter-final spot in the Twenty20 Cup with a Duckworth/Lewis method win over Middlesex Crusaders. Batting first, Surrey made 180 for 7, Tim Murtagh
hitting 24 off the last eight balls as Melvyn Betts
of Middlesex was smashed around. In reply, only Ed Smith
could do anything serious against the Surrey bowlers, with 33 off 22 balls. When Clarke dug out him, Scott Styris
and Ed Joyce
in quick succession, however, things looked bright for Surrey, and then rain intervened after 11 overs of the Middlesex innings. They were never allowed to come back, and as they were 22 runs behind the par score with their 78 for 4, Surrey took the victory.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Hampshire Hawks and Essex Eagles shared the spoils as the match at The Rose Bowl, Southampton never got underway.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
James Hildreth
smashed 71 runs off 37 balls to lift Somerset Sabres to a convincing victory at Taunton
. Along with Keith Parsons
making 57 off 28, they made a dent in the theory that spinners
are useful in Twenty20
cricket, as experienced off-spinner
Robert Croft
was dispatched for 50 runs in four overs. The slow left arm bowler Dean Cosker
was also taken for 45 in his four. The visitors' reply never really got going, Ian Blackwell
taking four Glamorgan Dragons wickets for 26 runs as the Welshmen crumbled to 123 all out, Sourav Ganguly
top-scoring with 35.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
David Sales
(59 runs) and Usman Afzaal
(46) lifted Northamptonshire Steelbacks
to a very competitive total of 180 for 6 at New Road
, where Shoaib Akhtar
bowled a maiden over but was smashed for thirty-three runs in the other three overs he bowled. The hosts' innings saw Worcestershire Royals
lose Graeme Hick
early on, and despite 53 from Stephen Moore
, Northamptonshire's bowlers had a good grip on the Worcestershire players - Johann Louw
got the best figures for the Steelbacks with three for 25 - and Worcestershire finished on 143 for 8.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
37 balls were delivered before Gloucestershire Steelbacks and Warwickshire Bears were forced to abandon the game at The County Ground, Bristol due to rain. Warwickshire were 44 for 1 after 10 leg-byes and 16 not out
from Nick Knight
when the game was stopped.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
HD Ackerman was the only one who resisted a patient bowling display from Lancashire Lightning
at their home ground, Old Trafford
. Muttiah Muralitharan
, the Sri Lankan off-spinner, took four for 19 in four overs, yet Ackerman made 79 not out amid the carnage, lifting Leicestershire Foxes to 146 for 7. However, Stuart Law
took matters into his own hands, bludgeoning twelve fours and four sixes on his way to 92 not out - the highest score of the season so far - and Lancashire won with four wickets and 23 deliveries to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
A high-scoring game at Headingley
saw both sides score at run-rates in excess of 9. Derbyshire Phantoms batted first, with Jonathan Moss
notching up 83 off just 44 balls - that's nearly two runs from every ball - and England Test
bowler Matthew Hoggard
was hit for 45 runs in three overs. Tim Bresnan
, however, continued to like the short format, as he took three for 26 in four overs. In reply, Yorkshire Phoenix reaped the benefits of a massive partnership between Australians Ian Harvey
(who made 109, the first Twenty20 century of the season) and Phil Jaques
who shared a 124-run stand for the second wicket. Michael Lumb
and Bresnan then kept the run rate up, and Yorkshire reached 198 for 4 with an over left in the game to clinch victory.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Durham Dynamos
got back on track with a closely fought six-wicket win at Riverside
. Mark Ealham
had some fun with Durham bowler Neil Killeen
as he thumped six sixes in a 17-ball 45, and his partnership with Chris Read
threatened to lift Nottinghamshire Outlaws to a much bigger score than their final 179. However, four wickets from Jamaican-born Gareth Breese
helped stem the tide. In reply, Nathan Astle
and Gordon Muchall
both made 64 - the latter a not out
- and Ealham was smashed about, conceding 51 runs in four overs. It was almost as bad for Andrew Harris, who conceded 38 off 15 legitimate deliveries as Durham won with three balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Hampshire Hawks endured their second no-result in two days against Essex Eagles, having batted to a competitive total of 151 for 9 in their 20 overs, with Greg Lamb
making 67. However, the Essex innings never got off, due to rain.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
At Uxbridge
, Middlesex Crusaders proved the worth of wicket-taking bowling. Irfan Pathan
dug out Matthew Walker
with the second ball of the game, and that set the tone of the innings. Left-arm spinner Chris Peploe
took three wickets, but conceded 35 runs, yet Kent's final total of 144 for 8 did not look too threatening. Owais Shah
kept ploughing on his hard-hitting form, taking James Tredwell
to the cleaners in his 59 not out, and Middlesex made it to 145 for 4 with 16 balls remaining in the innings, as none of the opposition bowlers took more than one wicket.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
A close, rain-damaged match at The County Ground, Hove eventually ended in Surrey Lions
snaring a last-ball victory over Sussex Sharks. Batting first, the hosts made 139 for 6 in 17 overs, spinner Nayan Doshi
taking three wickets despite being the most expensive of the bowlers, while Matthew Prior
top-scored with 51. A 28-ball fifty from Ali Brown
then lifted Surrey to 74 for 1, but two run outs saw them lose their next four wickets for eight runs. Azhar Mahmood
and Ian Salisbury
, however, shared a 36-run partnership and saw them pass the revised target of 114 by two runs on the very last ball of the game.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
At Northampton, Andy Caddick served up an unusually economical spell, taking two for 12 in three overs despite two wides. That helped tie the hosts Northamptonshire Steelbacks down to 95 for 6 in 12 overs in the rain-shortened game, and with Graeme Smith
and Keith Parsons
at the crease and the score 55 for 1, things looked bright for Somerset Sabres. Two wickets from Jason Brown
helped put the odds for a Northamptonshire win down, but Somerset prevailed, Parsons hitting the winning runs on the last ball as Somerset finished on 97 for 5.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Glamorgan Dragons continued their poor form in an eventful game at Edgbaston
. Jamie Troughton's 51 rescued Warwickshire Bears from a potentially tricky situation at 56 for 4, and quick hitting from Dougie Brown
along with eleven extras gave the hosts a total of 169 for 9. Glamorgan started well, with Sourav Ganguly
and Matthew Elliott lifting them to 88 for 1 before leaving in quick succession to Neil Carter and Jonathan Trott
respectively. Michael Powell and David Hemp
then built another big partnership of 59 to see Glamorgan 147 for 3, but Carter and Brown then shared five wickets as Glamorgan's lower middle order fell apart. Powell tried to pair up with Dean Cosker
, but the damage was already done, and Powell was run out on the penultimate ball as they needed six runs from two balls.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Brad Hodge
and 23 wides gave Lancashire Lightning
a competitive total against Derbyshire Phantoms, making 164 for 8 despite Kevin Dean
's spell of one for 16 from four overs. Hodge made 44 off 34 balls, and Dominic Cork
- promoted to five - made 28, the only ones to pass 20. Hodge, who came on as fourth change bowler, fuelled the Derbyshire implosion with wickets, as they couldn't hit the ball off the square and were all out for 98 - Hodge ending with figures of four for 17.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Leicestershire Foxes took the win at Trent Bridge
in a low-scoring match. Nottinghamshire Outlaws had won the toss and bowled first, and ought to have been pretty pleased with restricting the Foxes to 150 for 4, even though they conceded 15 extras. The opening partnership of HD Ackerman and Darren Maddy
for 67 runs had promised more for Leicestershire. However, West Indian
Ottis Gibson
dug out two early wickets in Graeme Swann
and Stephen Fleming
- Darren Maddy
and David Masters
then took wickets at leisure, and Nottinghamshire were 96 for 7. Despite a rescue mission from Gareth Clough
who hit 30 off 16 balls, there was no hitting power from the other players, and Nottinghamshire finished on 129 for 8.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Durham Dynamos won a low-scoring game at Headingley
as both these sides looked to wave goodbye to a quarter-final spot. Yorkshire Phoenix were sent in to bat, but struggled to score runs, falling to 12 for three early on. Durham captain Dale Benkenstein
bowled himself for two overs to take three wickets for 10, and that spell set Yorkshire back sufficiently to limit them to 123 for 7 - despite a total of 10 extras
. Matthew Hoggard
and Tim Bresnan
then took three quick wickets between them to reduce Durham to 15 for 3, but despite eight wickets falling in the Durham innings, Phil Mustard's 31 and an identical score from No. 8 Gary Scott was enough to lift them to 124 for 8 with an over remaining.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Middlesex Crusaders defeated Essex Eagles despite missing Irish batsman Ed Joyce
, who had gone off to play in the 2005 ICC Trophy
. An opening partnership between Owais Shah
and Ed Smith
for 100 built the platform, Shah eventually making 79, and despite three wickets from Essex off-spinner
James Middlebrook
, Irfan Pathan
smashed two sixes in his 21 to lift Middlesex to 185 for 6. Then Pathan took three quick wickets, those of Alastair Cook
, Ronnie Irani
and Ravinder Bopara
, as Essex crashed to 45 for 5. James Foster
made 62 not out to rescue Essex' honour somewhat, but the final score - 154 for 7 - was well short. Pathan got another wicket near the end to finish with four for 27.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
)
Kent Spitfires suffered another loss, this time at the Oval
against Surrey Lions. In a rain-hit game shortened by five overs, Surrey scored freely, hitting at nearly 11 runs an over - Ali Brown
with 29 and Scott Newman with 52 not out off 27 balls doing the brunt of the damage. Kent made an attempt at chasing 168, with Michael Carberry
taking 23 runs off nine balls in his innings from number three, but Surrey spinner Nayan Doshi
took four wickets for 27 to set them back to 123 for 6. With economical bowling from Azhar Mahmood
as well, Kent only managed 144 for 8.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
A twelve-over game at Hove
was won by Sussex Sharks, though the rain threatened to destroy it all. IanWard and Matt Prior opened the batting for Sussex, who had been sent in to bat by Hampshire Hawks' captain Shaun Udal
, and they made good use of it, sending Sussex to 53 for 0. Two quick wickets from Sean Ervine
slowed the Sharks' progression, as they slumped to 88 for 5, but Michael Yardy
hit 10 in four balls in an unbeaten 11-run sixth-wicket stand with Carl Hopkinson
. Chasing, Hampshire never quite kept up with the required run rate, as Mushtaq Ahmed
took three for 19 in his three overs to be the main cause of the Hawks' demise, and Hampshire finished on 89 for 6.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
The weather at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff
prevented a match from getting underway between Glamorgan Dragons and Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Only thirteen overs of play was possible at The County Ground, Bristol. By that time, two Somerset Sabres batsmen had departed for golden ducks - Graeme Smith
and James Hildreth
- and Somerset were 61 for 7. Gloucestershire Gladiators would have fancied their chances, but rain intervened to spoil the party.
(Cricinfo scorecard
Worcestershire Royals took their second successive one-run victory over Warwickshire Bears, to the agony of home fans at Edgbaston
. After Heath Streak
took two early wickets, Neil Carter entered the scene as the sixth bowler to be used. He took five wickets inside four overs, for 19 runs, as Worcestershire were all out for 141 with seven balls to spare. In reply, two run-outs and wickets from Gareth Batty
and Zander de Bruyn
left Warwickshire trailing by 60 with one wicket in hand, with Heath Streak
and James Anyon
at the crease. Streak rotated the strike well, facing most of the balls and hitting most of the runs, and brought the score to 140 for 9 with a ball to spare. Then - setting off for the last run that would tie the scores (and win the match for Warwickshire on fewer wickets lost) - Streak was run out for 59, off 32 balls, and Warwickshire's quarter-final hopes were dented, but not wiped out.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Last year's champions Leicestershire Foxes were back on track for the quarter-finals thanks to 73 from John Sadler at the Riverside Ground
. Sadler's 72-run second-wicket partnership with skipper HD Ackerman lifted the visitors to 154 for 7. Durham Dynamos yet again showed their inability to hit at anything significantly above 6 an over, Nicky Peng
's top-score of 37 being off 41 balls. Despite captain Dale Benkenstein
hitting 33 not out off 16 deliveries, it did not help, as Leicestershire smothered them to 122 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Lancashire Lightning recorded the most emphatic victory by runs in the 2005 Twenty20 season, as they had fun with the Yorkshire Phoenix bowlers. After being put in to bat, Mal Loye
and Stuart Law
put on 106 for the first wicket, and when Loye departed for 47 Brad Hodge
followed up with a 17-ball 33, a partnership of 77 with Law. Despite Ian Harvey
digging into them with two wickets, the early run-rate ensured that Lancashire set a target of 208, Law recording the second Twenty20 century this season - in 56 balls. Ian Harvey
, the man responsible for the first of those centuries, was out early for 1, and wickets fell to everyone as Yorkshire were out for 97 - Dominic Cork
taking three for 10, Muttiah Muralitharan
three for 17, and James Anderson
two for 26. Matthew Hoggard
and Tim Bresnan
recorded the highest partnership for Yorkshire, with 22 for the tenth wicket.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Derbyshire Phantoms needed to win to have a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals - and did it, in a thriller finish. Nottinghamshire Outlaws batted first, and Will Smith
and Chris Read
made 51 and 44 not out respectively. The pair where the only two Nottinghamshire batsmen to pass 20, their contributions lifted the hosts to 147 for 8. Michael di Venuto
and Luke Sutton
took Derbyshire to 92 for 1 before economical bowling chipped away at Derbyshire's batting. However, captain Sutton kept a cool head, anchoring the chase with 61 not out in 54 balls as Derbyshire won with two balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Despite Graeme Smith
making a 53-ball century, and pairing up with Matthew Wood for 129 for the first wicket, Somerset Sabres still lost the match at Taunton
. Smith's 105 helped Somerset set a target of 190, but none of the bowlers conceded less than seven an over to Northamptonshire Steelbacks' batting. Simon Francis
was the worst, ending with 57 conceded runs in four overs, while Riki Wessels
hit 49 not out with four sixes off 22 balls, and the Sabres had to see that Northamptonshire won with an over to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
The visitors Gloucestershire Gladiators recorded an easy victory at New Road
as Worcestershire
scored only 100 all out in their innings, Stephen Moore
top-scoring with only 23. Martyn Ball
took three for 24, but all the bowlers got wickets, and Mark Alleyne
conceded only six runs in four overs. Although they lost Craig Spearman
with the score on 22, the Gladiators knocked off their target easily, with nine wickets and five overs to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Mal Loye
and Brad Hodge
helped Lancashire Lightning
to recover after Stuart Law
was stumped in the second over off Durham Dynamos medium-pacer Neil Killeen
. Loye and Hodge paired up for 169 for the second wicket, as Loye became the second Lancastrian to score a Twenty20 century this season before he was eventually caught
off Nathan Astle
's bowling for 100. Lancashire closed on 208 for 4, and only Killeen conceded less than 30 runs of Durham's six bowlers. Astle got the best bowling figures, with two for 37, but his batting helped little - 55 for 37 was never enough to keep up with the asking rate of 10.5. When Durham realised that, they tried to lash out, and a result, wickets tumbled to Glen Chapple
and Dominic Cork
and Durham finished their 20 overs with the score on 171 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Nottinghamshire
won the toss at Headingley
and put Yorkshire
into bat. The hosts suffered an immediate setback when Ian Harvey
was out from the first ball to Andrew Harris, but Craig White
and Phil Jaques
settled the ship, with Jaques going on to score 55 off 33 balls. Richard Pyrah
finished the innings with 31 off 17 as Yorkshire set their guests a target of 181 to win. The start of Nottinghamshire's innings was the opposite to Yorkshire's: openers Will Smith
(55) and Graeme Swann
(62) put on 101 before they were parted, as Swann slashed nine fours, three sixes, and also had time to run eight times across the pitch in a 25-ball frenzy. Yorkshire took the next four wickets for 50 runs, with leg spinner
Mark Lawson
grabbing two, and with a high total to chase the game was in the balance. However, Chris Read
's 28 off 18 balls saw Nottinghamshire home with just two balls to go. (Cricinfo scorecard)
)
Big scores from Stuart Law
(67) and Brad Hodge
(90 not out) helped Lancashire Lightning to a massive 205 for 2 at The County Ground, Derby, medium-pacer Ian Hunter
taking both wickets. Law and Hodge shared a 154-run stand for the second wicket. Two early wickets from former England
ODI player James Anderson
pegged Derbyshire Phantoms back, and Brad Hodge
took four for 27 - his second Twenty20 four-wicket-haul of the season - to reduce Derbyshire to 106 for 7, before rain intervened with 5.3 overs left in the game. The rain never relented, and it was calculated that Derbyshire's par score was 156, thus Lancashire took a convincing 50-run victory. The victory meant that Lancashire qualified for the quarter-finals with one game to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Yorkshire Phoenix got their first win in three Twenty20 games, but the quarter-finals still looked out of sight, as they needed to win their last game and Derbyshire lose their last. Batting first, Ian Harvey
, Craig White
and Paul Jaques all made scores between 40 and 60, to lift Yorkshire to 126 for 1 at one point. Off-spinner Gary Scott and medium-pacer Dale Benkenstein
took three wickets between them, but Yorkshire still managed 171 for 7. Durham Dynamos looked in the game when Benkenstein and Gordon Muchall
were at the crease, pairing up for 79 for the fourth wicket, but a burst of wickets - thanks to Richard Dawson
and Anthony McGrath
's bowling - sent Durham to the ropes at 111 for 8. Twelve minutes later, it was all over for 131, with 17 deliveries remaining. Yorkshire's 30-year-old seam bowler
Adam Warren
took two for 32 on Twenty20 debut.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Seven overs of play was possible at The County Ground, Hove, before rain intervened. Owais Shah
made 30 not out off 20 balls to see Middlesex Crusaders to a healthy 56 for 1, but Sussex Sharks never got the chance to chase as the game was abandoned.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Warwickshire Bears jumped on the quarter-final train just as it seemed to be leaving the station, grabbing the ticket out of the hands of Somerset Sabres. Neil Carter and Ian Bell opened the batting and scored quickly, sending the score to 40 for 1, but part-timer William Durston got three wickets in quick succession to have three for four at one point. Trevor Penney
then smashed three successive sixes off Durston to end with 35 not out off 13 balls. Thus, Warwickshire closed on 172 for 8, and patient bowling from Carter and Alex Loudon
sent them crumbling to 89 for 6. Arul Suppiah
and Durston paired up for 27 for the seventh wicket, but when Suppiah was bowled by Jonathan Trott
it looked hopeless for Somerset. Jamie Anyon wrapped them up with a hat-trick to end Somerset's innings on 125.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Rain ravaged The County Ground, Chelmsford and delayed the match between Essex Eagles and Surrey Lions to after ten o'clock. When it finally began, it had been shortened to five overs a side, and Essex made good use of it as they scored 71 for 3 - Ronnie Irani
making 32, while Azhar Mahmood
took two for three for Surrey. In reply, Antonio Palladino took two wickets for Essex, but it looked up for grabs when Surrey needed eight off five after James Middlebrook
bowled a wide that went for four - however, he only conceded six runs from the remaining balls of the game, and Surrey finished on 70 for 2. Yet, they would have to be exceedingly unlucky in their last game to be eliminated, while Essex jumped into the top three and looked to qualify along with them.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
In eleven overs of play, Kent Spitfires moved to 91 for 1, Andrew Hall
making 43 not out as Sussex Sharks' new man, Pakistani Naved-ul-Hasan made his debut with nought for 10 in two overs. Then, rain made play impossible.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Glamorgan Dragons broke their streak of four successive losses with a comfortable victory at Sophia Gardins. The two brothers David Harrison
and Adam Harrison
took two wickets each for Glamorgan, as Gloucestershire Gladiators crumbled to 57 for 7. Jon Lewis
and Mark Alleyne
shared a 68-run stand, but a quick burst of wickets from Robert Croft
and Andrew Davies
had them all out for 128 at Sophia Gardens. Croft and Matthew Elliott both made fifties as Glamorgan Dragons knocked off the runs with ten wickets and 7.3 overs to spare, helped by five no-balls and four wides from the Gloucestershire bowlers.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
No play was possible at Grace Road
due to rain, but Leicestershire Foxes moved one step closer to the second place that guaranteed a quarter-final - the no-result meant that they were still two points ahead of Derbyshire Phantoms in third place, and dominating on net run-rate.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
No play was possible at The County Ground, Northampton due to rain, and the hosts Northamptonshire Steelbacks qualified for the quarter-finals thanks to the no-result.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Dane Amjad Khan
, who had missed the first part of the 2005 ICC Trophy
and most of the Twenty20 Cup due to injury, returned to cricket with a very decent bowling spell of three for 24 to set Essex Eagles back to 26 for 3. Khan's Kent Spitfires had batted first, however, and 59 not out
from left-hander Michael Carberry
lifted them to a total of 154 for 4, while Andre Adams
shone on the bowling front for Essex with two for 12 off three overs. However, the Spitfires kept firing dangerous balls at the Eagles, and eventually shot them down to 149 for 7 - Mark Pettini
making 60 in vain before he was run out
, while Andrew Hall
took two for 30 for Kent.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
In a high-scoring match at Richmond, Middlesex Crusaders made 174 for 7 having opted to bat first. Owais Shah
made yet another fifty - his fifth in eight innings - while Scott Styris
and Paul Weekes
made quick scores to up the run-rate. Shaun Udal
, Sean Ervine
and Craig McMillan
all got two wickets. Hampshire Hawks started slowly, at about seven an over, but McMillan took a liking to Chris Peploe
in particular as he smashed five sixes in his half-hour 65 not out, and thanks to McMillan's big hitting Hampshire won with sixteen balls and six wickets to spare. However, it was in vain - with only three wins, they finished fourth in the South Division tables, while Middlesex qualified despite having a poorer net run rate than Hampshire.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Surrey Lions were consistently pegged back by the Sussex Sharks' bowling at The Oval
, having been put in to bat by Sussex captain Chris Adams. Azhar Mahmood
stood firm and knocked off 40 unbeaten runs, but Naved-ul-Hasan, James Kirtley
and Mushtaq Ahmed
all got two wickets for less than six runs an over as Surrey eventually had to settle for 144 for 8. In reply, IanWard made a quickfire 50, off 28 balls, before being bowled by Surrey off-spinner
Nayan Doshi
to send Sussex to 82 for 3. Adams and Murray Goodwin
both made 28, while Azhar Mahmood took two for 21 from four overs. Eventually, a six from Naved-ul-Hasan won Sussex the game with three balls to spare to put them third in the table, but as they were the poorest third-placed side in the competition with only three wins, they were still knocked out.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Somerset Sabres made it through to the quarter-finals after recording a massive score of 228 for 5 in twenty overs - the highest team total in Twenty20 Cup
history, eclipsing a record set a couple of weeks earlier. The most economical bowler was Steve Kirby, and he conceded 35 runs in four overs, while the other four where all taken for more than 40 runs. Graeme Smith
top-scored with 53, Ian Blackwell
made 45, and James Hildreth
recorded 32 off 10 balls - 28 from six shots to the boundary and four from the other four deliveries. Somerset's innings featured eight sixes and twenty extras
. Gloucestershire Gladiators, who were second in the Midland/Wales/West group before this game at Taunton, had to go for expansive strokes, and were all out in sixteen overs, Gareth Andrew
taking four for 22 while Craig Spearman
top scored with 35 off 17 balls. Keith Parsons
also contributed bowling-wise, taking three for 12.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Warwickshire Bears were lifted to a total of 205 for 2 by hitting eight sixes at Edgbaston
, Ian Bell carrying his side with 66 not out off just 38 balls. Nick Knight
also made 61 as Northamptonshire Steelbacks failed to make any impact with the ball. The Northamptonshire reply was stifled by some reasonably economical bowling, with no regular bowler conceding more than eight an over, and good fielding which yielded one run out and stopped the boundaries. Warwickshire seamer Jamie Anyon took three for 34, for his second successive match with a three-wicket haul, while Usman Afzaal
became top scorer with a run-a-ball 43. Ben Phillips
hit 41 not out
from number four to complement his bowling figures of two for 43. In the end, Northamptonshire made 164 for 6, but still went through - along with Warwickshire, who finished second in their group thanks to their win over Somerset two days earlier.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Both Worcestershire Royals and Glamorgan Dragons were knocked out before the last round of the Twenty20 Cup group stage, so the match at New Road
was fairly academic. It did not stop Worcestershire from amassing one of the highest scores in Twenty20 Cup history with 223 for 9 - Ben Smith only taking 45 balls to smack 105 off the Glamorgan bowlers, with twelve fours and six sixes, as he lifted his career Twenty20 average from 15 to 20.62. The partnership of 149 with Graeme Hick
was enough to win the match for Worcestershire, as Glamorgan never quite got the hang of Shoaib Akhtar
- who bowled two overs for 14 with a no-ball and a wide. Glamorgan ended up only losing five wickets, but 224 was always too much to ask, and they finished with a total 186 for 5.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Nottinghamshire Outlaws were limited to 139 for 5 by economical Derbyshire Phantoms bowling - which allowed them to take singles and not much more at Derby. Only ten boundaries were hit during Nottinghamshire's innings, all in fours, and Chris Read
- usually a man with a high strike-rate - was limited to 29 off 31 balls. The Derbyshire reply was spearheaded by Michael di Venuto
who made an unbeaten 77 and added 92 with Jonathan Moss
for the second wicket. Derbyshire passed their target with nine wickets and 20 balls in hand, and the victory gave them a quarter-final berth.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
As Lancashire Lightning were already through and Durham Dynamos already knocked out of the Twenty20 Cup, the rain at the Riverside Ground
mattered little. Both sides shared a point in the game.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
With a lot of luck with other results, Yorkshire Phoenix could have qualified for the quarter-finals with a win in this game against Leicestershire Foxes. However, as Ian Harvey
's support batsmen failed to score at more than three an over until Anthony McGrath
came in at five with the scoreboard on 84 for 3, their innings was eventually worth just 177 for 5 - Harvey making 77 of those and McGrath 33. In reply, opening batsman Darren Maddy
anchored the innings with 72 not out
, and Jeremy Snape
saw off the required runs as he hit 39 off 23 balls and the Foxes won with nine balls and seven wickets to spare. Leicestershire, who needed a tie or better to be completely assured of the quarter-final spot, thus went through.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Tie-breaker rules:
After Mal Loye
's boundary-filled 73, off just 32 balls, Derbyshire Phantoms were probably happy that they escaped with conceding 189 runs in their game with Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford
. Lancashire tried to employ pinch hitters
such as Dominic Cork
and Glenn Chapple to get the runs flowing quickly, but they disappointed slightly, hitting at just over a run a ball. Derbyshire's chase looked possible despite Gary Keedy
taking the wickets of Michael di Venuto
and Jonathan Moss
, two danger men, early on - as they were 121 for 3 - but Keedy dug out another wicket, and that spurred a collapse to 139 for 8, part-time off-spinner Andrew Crook
joining in with two for 35. Derbyshire needed some big hits from the specialist bowlers in the end, and crumbled to 172 with three balls remaining, James Anderson
getting the honour of taking the last wicket.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Defending champions Leicestershire Foxes
reached their third successive appearances in the Twenty20 Cup semi-finals, after a fiery spell of bowling from South African Charl Willoughby
helped them defend a potentially low target. Batting first, all the Leicestershire batsmen made reasonable contributions, but no one exceeded 40. With the help of 17 extras
, Leicestershire finished on 159 for 6. However, Willoughby snared out three early wickets - finishing his spell of four overs with three for 11, including a rare maiden over - as Middlesex Crusaders crumbled to 16 for 3. When Jamie Dalrymple
and Scott Styris
threatened to win the game back with a partnership of 87, another South African, Claude Henderson
rapped out two more wickets, and despite Styris being unbeaten on 73, Middlesex could only scamper 140 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Northamptonshire Steelbacks failed to take full use of their home advantage, and Somerset Sabres escaped with a four-wicket win to reach their first semi-final of the Twenty20 Cup. Northamptonshire's batsmen made quick scores between 20 and 30, but Ian Blackwell
's spell mid-match of three for 16 pegged Northamptonshire back to 118 for 6. Ben Phillips
then made an unbeaten 27 to lift his team to 154 for 8, however, but he couldn't take a wicket while bowling. Despite three run-outs, Somerset made it through on the penultimate ball, as Matthew Wood recorded 58 and Blackwell a 16-ball 31 to lay the foundation before Keith Parsons
set the pace late on with an unbeaten 38.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
); Surrey won 4-3 in a bowl-out and progress to the Semi-Finals of the Twenty20 Cup
In an incredible finish to the knock-out quarter-final between Surrey Lions
and Warwickshire Bears
, the match was tied, so the players had to resort to a bowl-off - cricket's version of a penalty shootout
, in which five players have two attempts at bowling at unguarded stumps, and if the stumps fall down, that was one point for their team. Surrey opened the batting in this match at The Oval
, having been put in to bat by the Bears' captain Nick Knight
. It was a shaky effort, often interrupted by wickets, and part-timer Jonathan Trott
snared two wickets for 19 - admittedly tail-enders Ian Salisbury
and Tim Murtagh
. Mark Ramprakash
, however, hit an unbeaten run-a-ball 34 to guide Surrey to 149 for 8, well below a par score. Warwickshire's innings then began under heavy cloud cover that assisted the Surrey swing bowlers. After Neil Carter went first ball, Warwickshire struggled in the rain, and the bad weather eventually stopped play just before five overs was played - so that, if the players couldn't return, the match would be declared a no-result. However, the rain gave way reasonably quickly, and quick hitting from Trevor Penney
in particular - who made 20 off 12 balls before being caught off a ball from Rikki Clarke
closed down the deficit.
With five overs being cut off the Warwickshire chase, they needed 118 from 15 overs, and they had got to 115 for 8 with one ball remaining and Dewald Pretorius
and an injured Heath Streak
, who had not bowled, at the crease. The umpires consulted, and were uncertain about what would happen if Warwickshire scored two - which, in the event, happened. As the par scores under Duckworth-Lewis were level, the captains agreed to have a bowl-off (alternatively the umpires could have forced a bowl-off or decided the game on a toss of the coin). After five players had tried to get the stumps down, both teams had managed the feat twice, and now a sudden death style bowl-off followed. The next player from each side managed to get the stumps down once each, so the score was now 3-3, but Warwickshire's Heath Streak
missed both his attempts and Tim Murtagh
got the stumps down and won the match for the hosts by 4-3.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
In the first of two semi-finals at The Oval
on the Twenty20 Cup finals day, Lancashire Lightning
lived up to expectations by smashing 217 for 4 in twenty overs against Surrey Lions
- well helped by eleven wides and six penalty runs, although Lancashire's top five all contributed. Only Nayan Doshi
came away with some face on the bowling side, taking two for 35, but with Andrew Flintoff
making 49 and Andrew Symonds
an unbeaten 52 the target quickly reached dangerously high levels - from a Surrey perspective, anyway.
Ali Brown
and James Benning
started well with an opening partnership of 93, as Dominic Cork
and James Anderson
were taken for runs, but Benning, Scott Newman, Brown and Rikki Clarke
fell in quick succession to see Surrey struggle at 104 for 4. Mark Ramprakash
and Azhar Mahmood
upped the ante again, but when Flintoff and Anderson broke through with one wicket each, and Surrey crumbled to 195 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Defending champions Leicestershire Foxes
failed to take care of an excellent position against Somerset Sabres
, as the second semi-final became a low-scoring, yet thrilling affair. After Dinesh Mongia
had taken three for 30 to set Somerset back to 139 for 7 after Graeme Smith
(with 29), Matthew Wood (38) and Marcus Trescothick
(25) had lifted them to 89 for 1 at one point during the innings. Carl Gazzard
, Somerset's young wicketkeeper, made 26 to lift them to a final total of 157 for 9.
In reply, Darren Maddy
and HD Ackerman lifted Leicestershire to 74 for no loss after eight overs, requiring "only" 83 from the last twelve. However, Ian Blackwell
took three quick wickets to send Leicestershire to 90 for 3, Richard Johnson (figures
of 3-0-21-3), Keith Parsons
(3-0-15-0) and Wes Durston
(3-0-18-1) bowled tightly to frustrate the Leicestershire batsmen, and despite a last-ball six from Paul Nixon
, Somerset won by four runs and qualified for the final, where they would be facing Lancashire Lightning.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Somerset Sabres
completed their run by springing the final upset to beat Lancashire Lightning
in the Twenty20 Cup final. It should perhaps have been renamed Sixteen16, because rain earlier in the day delayed the schedule and meant that the final had been shortened to 16 overs a side, while the semi-finals had both been 20 overs. However, Somerset did not mind - their strongest batsmen were their numbers one and two, Graeme Smith
and Marcus Trescothick
, and the more relative impact these two would have, the better for the Sabres. Their task was made easier, though, as Somerset fast bowler Andrew Caddick
dug out a couple of early Lancashire wickets, which was followed a run-out and two wickets in two balls from Richard Johnson, as Lancashire crawled to 41 for 5.
Australian-born Stuart Law
stood tall at the crease, defying the Somerset bowlers to make 59 before being run out on the very last ball, but Somerset only needed 115 from 16 overs - a run rate of 7.19. Smith and Trescothick started positively, before Trescothick's England
team-mate Andrew Flintoff
had him edge behind to Warren Hegg
for 10. With two more wickets falling, Lancashire would perhaps have fancied their chances with the Somerset score on 65 for 3, but Smith defied them with an unbeaten 64, adding 53 in a fourth-wicket stand with young James Hildreth
to guide Somerset to the target with seven wickets and eleven balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket is played over 20 overs according to normal limited-over rules, the one exception being the rule for "timed out
Timed out
Timed out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It occurs when an incoming batsman is not ready to play within three minutes of the previous batsman being out...
", where the time by which an incoming batsman must be at the crease ready to receive his first ball is reduced to 90 seconds after the outgoing batsman has been dismissed. This amendment to the rules helps speed up the game. Additionally, boundary ropes tend to be shorter in Twenty20 cricket than for normal limited over games.
2005 marks the third running of the Twenty20 Cup, which was won by Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
when they beat Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
on 30 July. It also saw England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
play their first Twenty20 International against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
at the Rose Bowl
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, and winning by 100 runs (see below).
There was also a further development, as Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
won approval from the England and Wales Cricket Board
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
to host an International Twenty20 competition at the end of the season, although they are having to call it 20:20 to get round trademark issues. It will be competed over 15, 16 and 17 September between Leicestershire Foxes, Somerset Sabres, Nashua Titans, a Lashings World XI, the PCA Masters and the Asian XI.
PCA Masters XI v Australians (9 June)
The Australians beat the PCA Masters XI by 8 wicketsThe 2005 Ashes tour started with the Australians
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
taking on a Professional Cricketers Association eleven at the picturesque ground at Arundel
Arundel
Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
in a Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
game. A crowd of 11,000 turned up to see the tourists win with one ball to spare, although in practice the result was always clear after an opening partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 131 between Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
and Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
. The Aussies got an ideal start as Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
edged Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
's first delivery to the slips
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
and the Masters XI were 0 for 1, having been put in to bat by Australia. Darren Maddy
Darren Maddy
Darren Lee Maddy is an English cricketer who plays first class cricket for Warwickshire. He played three Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England, making one international fifty in his ten innings between 1998 and 2000 before he was finally dropped following the tour of Zimbabwe in 2000,...
made 70 in 57 balls and Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
(38) and Mark Ealham
Mark Ealham
Mark Alan Ealham is a retired English cricketer, who played domestic cricket for Kent C.C.C. and Nottinghamshire C.C.C.. He is an all-rounder and is a former England international at both Test and one-day cricket....
(39) also scored runs, but the rest of the team made little impression as the PCA Masters XI made 167 for 6. The Aussies lost only two wickets in making their target. (Cricinfo scorecard)
England v Australia (13 June)
 EnglandEnglish cricket team The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end... |
179/8 (20 overs) | England won by 100 runs |
PD Collingwood Paul Collingwood Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting... 46 (26) GD McGrath Glenn McGrath Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century... 3-31 [4] |
Rose Bowl, Southampton Southampton Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... Umpires: NJ Llong Nigel Llong Nigel James Llong was a cricketer with Kent. He made his debut in 1990 and won his county cap in 1993. He was a left hand bat and off spin bowler. Llong has since become an umpire, officiating his maiden first class match in June 2000.-Umpiring career:Llong was appointed to the ECB's panel of... (Eng England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... ) and JW Lloyds Jeremy Lloyds Jeremy William Lloyds is an English cricket umpire.-Early life:Lloyds was educated at Blundell's School.Lloyds in the late 1970s, while playing county cricket in Somerset, played rugby union for Taunton R.F.C... (Eng England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... ) Man of the Match: KP Pietersen Kevin Pietersen Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey... (Eng England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... ) |
|
 AustraliaAustralian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
79 (14.3 overs) | |
JN Gillespie Jason Gillespie Jason Neil Gillespie is an Australian cricketer who formerly represented Australia at international level, in both Tests and One Day Internationals, and South Australia, Yorkshire and Glamorgan at first-class level. His primary role is as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also a competent... 24 (18) J Lewis Jon Lewis Jonathan "Jon" Lewis is an English cricketer. He was brought up in Swindon where he went to Churchfields School and Swindon College. He played for Swindon CC and, in Minor Counties cricket, for Wiltshire County Cricket Club in 1993. He joined Northamptonshire in 1994 and played for its Second XI... 4-24 [4] |
England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
started cautiously in the only Twenty20 International against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
at the Rose Bowl, only hitting six runs off the first two overs as they saw off the bowlers, but Geraint Jones
Geraint Jones
Geraint Owen Jones MBE is an England cricketer of Welsh extraction but raised in Australia. Until August 2006 he was the first-choice wicketkeeper for England in both Test and One-day cricket, but fell behind Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose...
then decided to have fun with Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
. Hitting two boundaries off the next over, Lee was hit for 14, and England moved rapidly to 28 for no loss before Jones cut McGrath to deep third man, where Kasprowicz took a catch on the boundary - out for 19 with four fours. Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
hit a single to end the over, but England were happy enough with 29 for 1 after four overs. Lee's next over was, again, hit for 14, as Lee served up one wide and a no-ball to end with three overs for 31 as singles were taken off every ball. That prompted a bowling change, with Michael Kasprowicz
Michael Kasprowicz
Michael Scott Kasprowicz is a former Australian Test cricketer. He is a right arm fast bowler, effective outfielder and useful lower order batsman, and has enjoyed a successful career both in Australia and in the English county scene since making his debut for Queensland as a seventeen year old in...
coming on for Australia, and with good reward, as the penultimate ball of his over was caught by Symonds at midwicket - Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
out for 6. Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
managed to scamper a single, and after six overs, England were 50 for 2.
With Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie
Jason Neil Gillespie is an Australian cricketer who formerly represented Australia at international level, in both Tests and One Day Internationals, and South Australia, Yorkshire and Glamorgan at first-class level. His primary role is as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also a competent...
coming on, England continued to take the singles, although the fielding restrictions were off and Australia could stop more of those. However, Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (cricketer)
Michael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler...
at deep backward point handed England three runs in the seventh over with a misfield. Pietersen continued to dominate the Australian bowling, smashing a four and a two off Gillespie, as England took ten runs off the eighth over. Australia looked clueless - a rare sight - as they continued to give runs away through misfields, and Kevin Pietersen smashed his way to 33 not out off 16 balls - after ten overs, England were 93 for 2, and looking to set a massive target.
The Australian captain Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
brought on part-time spinner Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (cricketer)
Michael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler...
to bowl the eleventh over, and got immediate success, when Pietersen launched him to Matthew Hayden on the fifth ball, but England were still 101 for 3 after eleven overs. In the next over, the new batsman Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan OBE is a retired cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England. A classically elegant right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner, Vaughan was ranked one of the best batsmen in the world following the 2002/3 Ashes, in which he scored 633 runs, including three centuries...
edged Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
' ball to midwicket, and the pressure was suddenly on the English. With Trescothick out for 41 a bit later to an attempted sweep off Symonds, England were suddenly looking down a hole after a fine start, and Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
and Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
slowed the scoring, to see England 111 for 5 with six overs to play. However, a slog sweep from Collingwood to end the fifteenth over turned the match again, as it went away for six and England moved to 124 for 5. With Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie
Jason Neil Gillespie is an Australian cricketer who formerly represented Australia at international level, in both Tests and One Day Internationals, and South Australia, Yorkshire and Glamorgan at first-class level. His primary role is as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also a competent...
being brought back, Collingwood led the charge, as England stole seventeen runs off the seventeenth over and wrought control of the game again. Despite Andrew Strauss being bowled by Gillespie for 18, Collingwood hit another two boundaries towards the end of the over, to move onto 42 not out and the team score to 167 for 6. Vikram Solanki
Vikram Solanki
Vikram Singh Solanki is an Indian-born English cricketer, who plays county cricket for Worcestershire. In 2007, he became the 24th Worcestershire batsman to pass 10,000 career runs for the county. He also captained Worcestershire from 2005 to 2010, before resigning mid-season...
was out in the next over for 9, caught by Hussey off McGrath, and on the last ball, Collingwood was caught by for 46. Still, England would be pleased with 179 for 8, the highest score on the Rose Bowl in Twenty20 matches.
Australia started shakily, with Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
playing-and-missing and edging one shot over Andrew Strauss at third man, who miscued the path of the ball, as the Australians got eight off the first over bowled by Darren Gough
Darren Gough
Darren Gough is a retired English cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The spearhead of England's bowling attack through much of the 1990s, he is England's highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals with 234, and took 229 wickets in his 58 Test matches, making him...
. With Gilchrist finally taking one liberty too many, an easy catch was given, and Kevin Pietersen took it to remove arguably the most dangerous batsman in this format. On the next ball, Hayden was out, caught by Pietersen for 6. Symonds survived the next ball, but odds had improved for England, as the visitors were now 23 for 2. What followed was an Australian collapse - Michael Clarke went for a golden duck to Lewis, a slightly dubious decision, but that gave the English the needed momentum. Within the next four overs, Australia had lost four more wickets for eight runs, Symonds for 0, Hussey for 1, Ponting for 0, Martyn for 4, and despite a recovery from Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee, the required run rate ran away to 12 an over from the last eleven overs. Jon Lewis
Jon Lewis
Jonathan "Jon" Lewis is an English cricketer. He was brought up in Swindon where he went to Churchfields School and Swindon College. He played for Swindon CC and, in Minor Counties cricket, for Wiltshire County Cricket Club in 1993. He joined Northamptonshire in 1994 and played for its Second XI...
finished his spell with four wickets for 24 - a special international debut, even though it was only in a Twenty20 game. Despite a good recovery and a partnership of 36, Gillespie eventually holed out a catch to Marcus Trescothick off the hero of the match, Paul Collingwood, and England headed even further towards a victory. Eventually, McGrath was bowled by Harmison, ending the innings for 79 all out - exactly the same score that England succumbed to in the fourth innings chase against the Australians in the first Test of the last Ashes.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Asian XI v International XI (20 June)
International XI won by six wicketsDespite South African
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
international Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
only bowling two of a possible four overs, Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
again using plenty of bowlers as captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
of the International XI, the Asia XI were bowled out for 157 thanks to patient bowling from the retired Adam Hollioake
Adam Hollioake
Adam John Hollioake is a cricketing all-rounder who played for Surrey and England. He captained Surrey from 1997 until 2003, winning three County Championships, and led the England cricket team in One Day Internationals...
, who took three for 16 - the three wickets being a hat-trick of Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
, Chaminda Vaas
Chaminda Vaas
Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas , usually known as Chaminda Vaas, is a Sri Lankan cricketer is regarded as the best fast bowler to have come out of the country - he has been described as the 'most penetrative and successful new-ball bowler Sri Lanka have had'...
and Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
. Former Australian batsman Greg Blewett
Greg Blewett
Gregory Scott Blewett is a former Australian right handed batsman and a right arm medium fast bowler in cricket who represented the Australian national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International matches from 1995 to 2000....
then smashed five sixes in a massive 91 not out, and with good help from Scott Styris
Scott Styris
Scott Bernardo Styris is an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. An allrounder, Styris is an aggressive right-handed middle order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler....
who made 39 not out from number six, the International XI won by six wickets.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Sussex v Essex (22 June)
Sussex (2pts) beat Essex (0pts) by nine wicketsEssex Eagles
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
collapsed to lose their first match of the 2005 Twenty20 Cup to Sussex Sharks
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. Winning the toss and batting, Essex quickly made their way to 55 for 1, with Ronnie Irani
Ronnie Irani
Ronald Charles "Ronnie" Irani is a former England cricketer who spent most of his career at Essex County Cricket Club, latterly as captain. He is of Irani descent, the Iranis being a community of Persian Zoroastrians who immigrated to India during the British Raj...
hitting 34 off 18 balls. But two quick wickets set them back, Andy Flower
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
was then run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
, and Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq Ahmed is a retired Pakistani cricketer who specialised as a leg spin bowler. He was known for his hard-to-pick googly. He memorably trapped Graeme Hick in front with one during the 1992 World Cup final. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997...
ended their innings with five for 11 from 21 deliveries - as Essex ended all out for 109. In a stately reply, Sussex did not hurry too much, as Matt Prior scored 66 off 50 balls, and 14 extras
Extra (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball.Other than runs scored off the bat from a no ball, a batsman is not given credit for extras and the extras are tallied separately on the scorecard and count only towards the team's score...
helped the Sharks past the target after 14.4 overs.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Kent v Surrey (22 June)
Surrey (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by seven wicketsIn front of a full house at Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
, Mohammad Akram
Mohammad Akram
Mohammad Akram is a Pakistani right arm fast-medium bowler in cricket, he plays for Surrey County Cricket Club. He played in 9 Test matches and 23 One Day International matches for Pakistan between 1995–1996 and 2000-2001.He is 6'2 tall and Akram is nicknamed Haji...
of the visiting Surrey Lions
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
served up a rare maiden in Twenty20 cricket as Kent Spitfires
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
were tied down to 140 for 8 off their twenty overs, despite Martin van Jaarsveld
Martin van Jaarsveld
Martin van Jaarsveld is a South African cricketer who played nine Tests and eleven One Day Internationals for South Africa between 2002 and 2004...
scoring a fifty. James Benning
James Benning (cricketer)
James Benning is an English cricketer who currently plays for Leicestershire County Cricket Club having previously represented Surrey. He is a right-hand bat and right-arm medium pace bowler...
then made batting easy for Surrey, scoring ten fours and two sixes in a crackling 66. Surrey eventually won comparatively easily, having four overs left when they reached 141 for 3.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Hampshire v Middlesex (22 June)
Middlesex (2pts) beat Hampshire (0pts) by 18 runsOwais Shah
Owais Shah
Owais Alam Shah is an English cricketer. A middle-order batsman, he played for Middlesex between 1996-2010, before joining Essex CCC in the winter of 2010. He has represented England in all forms of the games.Between 2001 and 2009, he played 71 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 Internationals...
made a good attempt at getting the highest strike-rate of the opening day of Twenty20 cricket, recording 72 runs off only 30 balls to lift Middlesex Crusaders
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
to an unassailable 210 for 6. For Hampshire Hawks
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
, Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
showed somewhat poor captaincy when Zimbabwean all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
Sean Ervine
Sean Ervine
Sean Michael Ervine is a Zimbabwean cricketer. Ervine is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace.-Domestic career:Ervine originally played for the Midlands cricket team in Zimbabwe....
was the eighth man to come on to bowl - and then took two for 13 from two overs. New Zealander Craig McMillan
Craig McMillan
Craig Douglas McMillan is a former New Zealand international cricketer at Test, One Day International and Twenty20 level. He was a right-handed batsman and useful right-arm medium pace bowler and played for Canterbury in New Zealand first-class cricket...
, meanwhile, conceded twenty-eight runs from his only over. Despite Nic Pothas
Nic Pothas
Nic Pothas is a South African cricketer who plays as a right-handed batsman and who fields as a wicket-keeper. In a total of over 200 first-class matches, he has taken over 500 catches...
scoring 59 off 39 balls, the Hawks were nowhere near keeping up with the required pace, and Middlesex bowler Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan is an Indian cricketer who made his debut for India in late-2003 and was a core member of the national team until a decline in form set in during 2006, forcing him out of the team...
was a main cause of that - he took three for 16 from four overs, as Hampshire finished on 192 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Glamorgan v Somerset (22 June)
Glamorgan (2pts) beat Somerset (0pts) on losing fewer wicketsJames Hildreth
James Hildreth
James Charles Hildreth is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. He attended Millfield School, Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. Hildreth represented England at all youth levels including the 2003-04 Under-19 World cup...
scored a quick 46 off 26 deliveries at Sophia Gardens as Somerset Sabres
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
set a challenging target of 183 to Glamorgan Dragons
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
. No Glamorgan bowler really had control over the Somerset batsmen, and yet they lost their wickets. A highlight of the innings was the effort of Somerset's No. 9 Gareth Andrew
Gareth Andrew
Gareth Mark Andrew is an English cricketer who plays for Worcestershire. He is a fast medium bowler and left-handed batsman. He toured Australia with the England Under-17 team in 1997, made his debut for the Somerset 2nd XI in 1999 and played for the Somerset Cricket Board in the Nat West Bank...
, who smashed three fours in his first three balls and then was bowled with the fourth. In reply, Glamorgan got to 126 for 2 before part-timers Keith Parsons
Keith Parsons
Keith Alan Parsons is an English cricketer who played first-class for Somerset between 1992 and 2008. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler....
and Hildreth got the better of them and took wickets at a leisure - however, Alex Wharf
Alex Wharf
Alex Wharf is an English former first-class cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed medium-fast bowler, who ended his career with the Welsh side, Glamorgan County Cricket Club....
hung in there with Michael Powell and carried the Dragons to 183 for 8 after the 20 overs were up. The crowd seemed content with the one point and a tie, but the speaker informed the crowd of the actual result, which of course was pleasing to the home side.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Worcestershire v Warwickshire (22 June)
Worcestershire (2pts) beat Warwickshire (0pts) by one runIn the local battle at New Road
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
, Worcestershire Royals
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
eked out a victory over rivals Warwickshire Bears
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
. Graeme Hick
Graeme Hick
Graeme Ashley Hick MBE is a Zimbabwean-born cricketer who played 65 Test matches and 120 One Day Internationals for England. He played county cricket for Worcestershire for his entire English domestic career, a period of well over twenty years, and in 2008 he surpassed Graham Gooch's record for...
and Ben Smith both made big scores, with 67 and 47, and skipper Gareth Batty
Gareth Batty
Gareth Jon Batty is an English cricketer, more specifically a spin-bowler. He is the younger brother of the former Yorkshire and Somerset off-spinner, Jeremy Batty.-Life and career:...
also made 21 to send Worcestershire to 177 for 7. Warwickshire then collapsed to accurate bowling, losing their entire top order except Jonathan Trott
Jonathan Trott
Ian Jonathan Leonard Trott is a South African-born England Test cricketer. Domestically, he plays for Warwickshire and he has also played in South Africa and New Zealand...
to end up on 68 for 5 - but Michael Powell made 40 not out batting at seven, turning the innings almost back to Warwickshire's favour. In the end, however, they were two runs short, their No. 11 Nick Warren
Nick Warren
Nick Warren is an English house DJ and producer. He is well-known for his eight albums released in the Global Underground series and as a member of the duo Way Out West...
only managing to hit one off the two balls he faced.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire (22 June)
Northamptonshire (2pts) beat Gloucestershire (0pts) by 81 runsThe Gloucestershire Gladiators took a massive beating by the Northamptonshire Steelbacks in their match at Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
. Despite Gloucestershire's Martyn Ball
Martyn Ball
Martyn Charles John Ball is an English former cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. He spent his 19 year career at Gloucestershire....
taking two for 18 from four overs, positively economical, five no-balls and the fact that 16 overs had to be found from bowlers other than Ball allowed Northamptonshire to run away to 224 for 5 - a Twenty20 Cup record http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/4114470.stm. David Sales
David Sales
David John Grimwood Sales is an English cricket player who has played for the cricket teams of Northamptonshire, England A and Wellington.-Domestic career:...
top-scored for the hosts with 78 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
, while Australian Damien Wright
Damien Wright
Damien Geoffrey Wright is an Australian cricketer, who plays for the Victorian Bushrangers and Worcestershire County Cricket Club. Wright made his first-class debut for Tasmania in 1997. In 2002 he played in the Scottish cricket team as their one permitted overseas player—he also had...
paired up with him for 84 for the sixth wicket, scoring an unbeaten 38 of his own. Gloucestershire were in trouble from the start, as opening batsman Craig Spearman
Craig Spearman
Craig Murray Spearman played 19 Tests and 51 One Day Internationals for New Zealand from 1995 - 2001.A right-handed opening batsman, Spearman made his international debut for New Zealand in a Test Match in December 1995 against Pakistan at Christchurch...
was run out for a duck, and when Wright ripped out two more wickets, the Gladiators were 10 for three. Four wickets from Ben Phillips
Ben Phillips (cricketer)
Ben James Phillips is an English cricketer who plays for Nottinghamshire. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium pace bowler.-Career:...
resulted in a serious collapse, as Gloucestershire were all out for 143.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire (22 June)
Leicestershire (2pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by five wicketsA disciplined bowling and fielding effort, conceding only five extras
Extra (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball.Other than runs scored off the bat from a no ball, a batsman is not given credit for extras and the extras are tallied separately on the scorecard and count only towards the team's score...
, was the key to Leicestershire Foxes'
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
win at Grace Road
Grace Road
Grace Road is a cricket ground, in Leicester, England, home to Leicestershire County Cricket Club.-History:The land which Grace Road is built on was bought by Leicestershire County Cricket Club in 1877 from the then Duke of Rutland and spent the massive sum of £40,000 on developing a cricket club,...
. Nottinghamshire Outlaws
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
won the toss and batted first, but after Nottinghamshire skipper Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
found four boundaries in his twelve-ball 24, Jeremy Snape
Jeremy Snape
Jeremy Nicholas Snape is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm offbreak. Outside of cricket, he has a Masters in Sports Psychology and has worked with a variety of national cricket teams....
and Dinesh Mongia
Dinesh Mongia
Dinesh Mongia is an Indian cricketer who has appeared in ODIs for India. Mongia is a heavy run-scorer in domestic cricket with just under 6850 runs at an average of just under 50 and his highest score being an unbeaten 308...
tied down the Nottinghamshire batsmen. Only Leicestershire seamer Darren Maddy
Darren Maddy
Darren Lee Maddy is an English cricketer who plays first class cricket for Warwickshire. He played three Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England, making one international fifty in his ten innings between 1998 and 2000 before he was finally dropped following the tour of Zimbabwe in 2000,...
, who bowled two overs for 33, gave the visitors' total score of 143 for 8 a glimmer of respect. The chase was close and exciting, however, as Leicestershire lost HD Ackerman and Maddy in succession to go to 16 for 2. At 103 for 5, things looked grim, but a crucial partnership between Paul Nixon
Paul Nixon
Paul Andrew Nixon is an English cricket player who has played for Leicestershire, England, England A, MCC and Kent. He is a wicket-keeper and left-handed batsman...
and Ottis Gibson
Ottis Gibson
Ottis Delroy Gibson is a cricket coach and former player from Barbados. A pace bowler and exploiter of the older cricket ball for the West Indies, Gibson is now head coach for the West Indies. He previously worked as bowling coach for England.- International career :Gibson made two Test...
won them the game with four balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Derbyshire v Durham (22 June)
Derbyshire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by six wicketsDurham Dynamos were the team to beat in 2005, and up to this game they had only lost two of 17 League and Championship games. Meanwhile, Derbyshire Phantoms had only won two from 14. Nevertheless, the Phantoms recorded a comparatively easy victory, as Durham's weak batting line-up was exposed. Batting first, they only made 130 for 7, Kevin Dean
Kevin Dean (cricketer)
Kevin James Dean is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm medium-fast bowler.The imposing, 6'5" tall Dean made his club debut for the Derbyshire Phantoms in 1996 and received the Denis Compton Award in 1998...
taking two for 20 and Andre Botha
Andre Botha (cricketer)
Andre Cornelius Botha is a former South African-born Irish cricketer. He played 55 times in all for Ireland, including the 2005 ICC Trophy and the European Championship in 2004 and 2006...
two for 16, both from a full quota of four overs. Gordon Muchall
Gordon Muchall
Gordon Muchall is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right arm medium pace bowler. He has played for Durham for the entire duration of his career....
was the only batsman to pass 20 for the Dynamos. In reply, James Bryant
James Bryant (cricketer)
James Douglas Campbell Bryant is a former South African cricketer. He played first-class cricket for nine years, for Eastern Province, Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Derbyshire, retiring from major cricket in 2005....
top-scored with a calm 53 not out off 46 balls, Jonathan Moss
Jonathan Moss (cricketer)
Jonathan Moss is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who played for the Victorian Bushrangers from season 2000/01 to 2006/07.-Biography:...
slashed boundaries at will in his 46, and two fours and a two from Botha sent them to 134 for 4 with 14 balls to spare with only Nathan Astle
Nathan Astle
Nathan John Astle is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was an attacking batsman who liked to play batting shots such as the cover drive and the pull shot. He also scored the world's fastest Test double century in terms of balls faced. This remarkable innings of 222 was scored in just 168 balls...
in some control for Durham, taking two for 14.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Yorkshire v Lancashire (22 June)
Lancashire (2pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by five wicketsPhil Jaques
Phil Jaques
Philip Anthony Jaques is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who has played first-class cricket for New South Wales, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Worcestershire, as well as international cricket for Australia...
, an Australian, was the dominant figure for the Yorkshire Phoenix
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
in the Roses battle, scoring 72 from number three before being out to countryman Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
. That lifted the hosts to 165 for 7, but that was not enough to defend. Matthew Hoggard
Matthew Hoggard
Matthew James Hoggard MBE is an English cricketer. The 6' 2" Hoggard is a right arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman. He played international cricket for England cricket team from 2000-2008, playing both Test cricket and One Day International cricket. He is currently the captain of...
, the England Test bowler, showed an uncanny knack of being uneconomical, conceding 65 runs in his four overs, and despite two wickets he lost the game for the Phoenix. Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
ended with 64 not out for the visiting Lancashire Lightning
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
as they won with seventeen balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Surrey v Middlesex (23 June)
Surrey (2pts) beat Middlesex (0pts) by 23 runsSurrey Lions
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
recorded their second win from two matches in Twenty20 Cup cricket this season, ironic given their position at the very bottom of the 45-over National League. Ali Brown
Ali Brown
Alistair Duncan Brown , more commonly known as Ali Brown, is an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club, before moving to Nottinghamshire for the 2009 season. He is nicknamed "Lordy", in allusion to Ted Dexter because of his big-hitting, confident batting style...
made 64 and David Thornely 67 not out as Middlesex Crusaders
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
conceded too many runs at the fine batting track at Lord's, Surrey making 200 for 3. Owais Shah
Owais Shah
Owais Alam Shah is an English cricketer. A middle-order batsman, he played for Middlesex between 1996-2010, before joining Essex CCC in the winter of 2010. He has represented England in all forms of the games.Between 2001 and 2009, he played 71 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 Internationals...
notched up his second score in the 70s in two days, taking 78 from 44 balls, and things looked good despite Shah leaving at 148 for 2. But Tim Murtagh
Tim Murtagh
Tim Murtagh is an English professional cricketer.Murtagh is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He first shone in the 2000 Under-19s World Cup. Though he is first and foremost a seam bowler, Murtagh has progressed with his batting, and has stepped in on many occasions to...
changed all that. In four overs, he took six for 24, and with the help of David Thornely (three for 22) he ensured that Middlesex had seven batsmen out in single figures. They were bowled out for 177, with three balls remaining in the innings.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Essex v Kent (24 June)
Essex (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by 29 runsThe match at Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
was made into even more of a slog-effort by the English rain, as both sides were limited to 12 overs. Andy Flower
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
made 46 off 29 balls, and 17 extras made the Essex Eagles
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
run-rate exactly eleven an over. Defending 133, Essex got off to a good start as Antonio Palladino took two wickets, which stopped the visitors from massive smashing, and Kent Spitfires
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
finished on 103 for 4 - thirty runs short of their winning target.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Hampshire v Sussex (24 June)
No result; Hampshire (1pt), Sussex (1pt)Rain caused the match between Hampshire Hawks
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
and Sussex Sharks
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
to be abandoned. Despite the fact that a ball was not bowled, the match was declared a no-result since a toss was made.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Somerset v Worcestershire (23 June)
Somerset (2pts) beat Worcestershire (0pts) by 15 runsDespite captain Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
becoming victim of Zander de Bruyn
Zander de Bruyn
Zander de Bruyn is a South African cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He has played three Test matches for South Africa, and currently plays domestic cricket for the Highveld Lions and Surrey County Cricket Club...
's bowling for just two runs, Somerset Sabres still posted a big target, thanks to Matthew Wood, who made 94 off only 35 balls before falling to Nadeem Malik
Nadeem Malik
Nadeem Malik , known by his last two names, is an English cricketer, a right-arm fast-medium seam bowler and right-handed lower-order batsman....
six short of a century. Wood's smashing helped the Sabres to 210 for 6, although no other batsman passed 30. Graeme Hick
Graeme Hick
Graeme Ashley Hick MBE is a Zimbabwean-born cricketer who played 65 Test matches and 120 One Day Internationals for England. He played county cricket for Worcestershire for his entire English domestic career, a period of well over twenty years, and in 2008 he surpassed Graham Gooch's record for...
tried to emulate Wood, but could only make 87 before Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
got the better of him, and from then on Worcestershire never really had a chance. Blackwell finished with two for 20 in his four overs, and could take his share of the honour for Somerset's surprising win.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Gloucestershire v Glamorgan (24 June)
Gloucestershire (2pts) beat Glamorgan (0pts) by seven wicketsGlamorgan Dragons
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
were out of luck at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, as their top order collapsed to the bowling of Carl Greenidge
Carl Greenidge
Carl Greenidge is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He is the son of Gordon Greenidge....
. Only a last-wicket partnership between Robert Croft
Robert Croft
Robert Damien Bale Croft is a Welsh cricketer who has played international cricket for both England and Wales. He is an off-spin bowler who plays for Glamorgan and captained the county from 2003 to 2006...
and Dean Cosker
Dean Cosker
Dean Andrew Cosker is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a left-arm slow bowler who plays for Glamorgan. He has played in first-class, List A and Twenty20 cricket. He attended Millfield School in Somerset between 1991 and 1996....
ensured that Glamorgan batted out 20 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
, as they were 70 for 8 at one point but finished on 128 for 9. However, it was never enough. Croft took two wickets with his off-spin
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
, but Craig Spearman
Craig Spearman
Craig Murray Spearman played 19 Tests and 51 One Day Internationals for New Zealand from 1995 - 2001.A right-handed opening batsman, Spearman made his international debut for New Zealand in a Test Match in December 1995 against Pakistan at Christchurch...
's 39 built the platform as Gloucestershire Steelbacks
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
eased to victory with 17 balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Northamptonshire v Warwickshire (24 June)
Northamptonshire (2pts) beat Warwickshire (0pts) by 38 runsNorthamptonshire Steelbacks
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
took their second victory from two Twenty20 Cup matches thus far, as they accumulated 143 for 5 in 14 overs, despite no batsman hitting more than 40 in a rain-shortened match at Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
. Scotsman Dougie Brown
Dougie Brown
Douglas Robert Brown is a former Scottish cricketer, currently employed as a coach for Warwickshire C.C.C.. He is an all-rounder who has represented both England and Scotland at One Day International level...
took one for nine off three overs for Warwickshire Bears
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
, but the target was too large for the visitors, as Northamptonshire bowler Ben Phillips
Ben Phillips (cricketer)
Ben James Phillips is an English cricketer who plays for Nottinghamshire. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium pace bowler.-Career:...
removed four Warwickshire lower-order batsmen - his second four-wicket-haul in three days - as the Bears crumbled to 105 for 9.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Nottinghamshire v Lancashire (24 June)
Nottinghamshire (2pts) beat Lancashire (0pts) by 92 runsNottinghamshire Outlaws
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
plundered runs off the Lancashire Lightning
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
fast bowlers at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, to recover from their first-game loss to Leicestershire. Both James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
and Glen Chapple
Glen Chapple
Glen Chapple is an English cricketer. He is an all-rounder, and represented the national team in a One Day International, as well as performing well for Lancashire over many years. He bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is a right-handed batsman...
were taken for 53 in four overs each, as the Outlaws made 198 for 5. In reply, only Steven Crook
Steven Crook
Steven Paul Crook is an Australian cricketer who plays for Middlesex in English county cricket. He is an all-rounder, bowling right-arm fast medium pace.-Cricket career:...
passed 20 for Lancashire, Graeme Swann
Graeme Swann
Graeme Peter Swann is an English international cricketer. He is primarily a right-arm offspinner, and also bats right-handed. After initially playing for his home county Northamptonshire, for whom he made his debut in 1997, he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2005. He often fields at slip...
took three for 32 and Mark Ealham
Mark Ealham
Mark Alan Ealham is a retired English cricketer, who played domestic cricket for Kent C.C.C. and Nottinghamshire C.C.C.. He is an all-rounder and is a former England international at both Test and one-day cricket....
two for 22, and Lancashire ended up with an inadequate 106 all out.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Derbyshire v Leicestershire (24 June)
Derbyshire (2pts) beat Leicestershire (0pts) by seven wickets (D/L method)Derbyshire Phantoms
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
beat last year's champions Leicestershire Foxes
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
at The County Ground, Derby to be the only side with two victories in the North Division of the Twenty20 Cup. Bowling first turned out to be a stroke of genius, as the Leicestershire batsmen were tied down by Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (cricketer)
Ian David Hunter is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
(three for 32) and Andre Botha
Andre Botha (cricketer)
Andre Cornelius Botha is a former South African-born Irish cricketer. He played 55 times in all for Ireland, including the 2005 ICC Trophy and the European Championship in 2004 and 2006...
(two for 19), and wickets were spread out as Leicestershire's last man, Claude Henderson
Claude Henderson
Claude William Henderson is a South African cricketer who bowls left-arm spin and played in seven Tests and four ODIs from 2001 to 2002...
, was caught
Caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Being caught out is the most common method of dismissal at higher levels of competition...
on the last ball - all out for 137. Derbyshire's reply was shortened by rain, and they only got 14 overs to hit 103, and two wickets from David Masters
David Masters
David Masters is an English cricketer who has played for the cricket teams of Kent, Leicestershire and Essex.David is a very accurate seam bowler who bowls at speeds around 75–80 miles per hour...
set them back to 44 for 3. However, 42 from Luke Sutton
Luke Sutton
Luke David Sutton is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. He won the NBC Denis Compton Award in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and has also played List A and Twenty20 cricket....
ensured that Derbyshire made it to the target with seven balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Kent v Middlesex (25 June)
Middlesex (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by 20 runsEd Smith
Ed Smith (cricketer)
Edward Thomas Smith is an English author and journalist, and former professional cricketer.-Background:He is the son of the novelist Jonathan Smith...
took over the mantle from Owais Shah
Owais Shah
Owais Alam Shah is an English cricketer. A middle-order batsman, he played for Middlesex between 1996-2010, before joining Essex CCC in the winter of 2010. He has represented England in all forms of the games.Between 2001 and 2009, he played 71 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 Internationals...
as Middlesex Crusaders'
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
most useful batsman in the Twenty20 Cup, as he recorded three sixes in a 59-ball 85 and lifted Middlesex to 189 for 8 against Kent Spitfires
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
at Beckenham. In reply, Kent lost wickets regularly, and Justin Kemp
Justin Kemp
Justin Miles Kemp is a South African cricketer who has played Test and ODI cricket for South Africa since the 2000–01 season. Kemp is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler. His batting is noted for the high frequency of sixes, particularly those which are hit out of the stadium...
- normally a quick scorer - couldn't find his footing and only made 23 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
off 19 balls, as Kent could only scamper 169 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs, 21 runs short of the target.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Surrey v Hampshire (25 June)
Hampshire (2pts) beat Surrey (0pts) by three wicketsJames Bruce and Richard Logan
Richard Logan (cricketer)
Richard James Logan is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
, Hampshire Hawks'
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
new-ball bowlers, reduced Surrey Lions
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
to pieces at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. Only Rikki Clarke
Rikki Clarke
Rikki Clarke is an English cricketer, currently playing for Warwickshire. He was educated at Broadwater School and then Godalming College.-Surrey:...
passed 12 runs for Surrey, and he did so in style, making 52 with six fours and a six, while Logan and Bruce shared seven wickets btetween them. Hampshire had reason to be happy with bowling Surrey out for 118, although they did concede 17 wides, as extras were the second highest scorer for Surrey. Hampshire then attempted to collapse of their own, crashing to 6 for 2 and 66 for 7, but 34 from off-spinner and captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
Shaun Udal
Shaun Udal
Shaun David Udal is an English cricketer. An off spin bowler and lower-middle order batsman, he was a member of England's Test team for their tours to Pakistan and India in 2005/06.-International career:...
saw them home without any further loss of wickets.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Essex v Sussex (26 June)
Essex (2pts) beat Sussex (0pts) by 43 runsAfter Johannes van der Wath
Johannes van der Wath
-Playing style:Johan is a very attacking and aggressive Right Handed Batsman who usually bats in the lower middle order coming in and increasing the strike rate. He is also a very aggressive Right Arm Medium-Fast Bowler who regularly takes wickets with the new ball....
had given Sussex Sharks
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
the edge with two early wickets against Essex Eagles
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, Andy Flower
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
and Ryan ten Doeschate
Ryan ten Doeschate
Ryan Neil ten Doeschate is a South African-born cricketer who plays internationally for the Netherlands due to his Dutch ancestry. He has played cricket for Essex since 2003....
rebuilt to send the hosts to 151 for 5 after their 20 overs. Sussex, however, imploded following the departure of Chris Adams for 44, as Grant Flower
Grant Flower
Grant William Flower is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is rated among the best Zimbabwean cricketers in history for his handy left arm spin and fine batting skills. He was a fitness fanatic who spends hours in the gym, and was also regarded as a brilliant fielder who was usually seen in the gully...
took three quick wickets, and James Middlebrook
James Middlebrook
James Middlebrook is an English first-class cricketer, currently playing for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. He is an all-rounder, who bats right-handed and bowls off spin.-Career:...
and Andre Adams
Andre Adams
Andre Ryan Adams is a New Zealand cricketer of Caribbean descent who has played one Test and 42 One Day International, taking 53 wickets at a bowling average of 31. He has also scored over 400 ODI runs with a batting strike rate above 100...
mopped up the tail for just 108.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Glamorgan v Warwickshire (25 June)
Warwickshire (2pts) beat Glamorgan (0pts) by 54 runsWarwickshire Bears
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
won their first Twenty20 match of the season in style, the deep batting line-up finally paying off. Almost every batsman contributed in their massive 205 for 7, Jamie Troughton top-scoring with 42, and no Glamorgan Dragons
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
bowler escaped their wrath. When the Dragons batted, only Matthew Elliott and Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Born into an affluent family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. He started his...
gave them any hope of winning, and Ganguly's 36 off 35 balls was verging on the point of being useless when the required rate was 10 an over. A disciplined Warwickshire fielding effort - the Bears only conceded one extra - and Alex Loudon
Alex Loudon
Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon is an English former cricketer. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he was considered a promising future international player....
taking five for 33, resulted in Glamorgan falling to 151 all out in 18.2 overs.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Gloucestershire v Worcestershire (26 June)
Gloucestershire (2pts) beat Worcestershire (0pts) by five wicketsThis was a game of two batsmen. After Steve Kirby had ripped out two Worcestershire Royals
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
wickets early on, to finish with figures of two for 15 from four overs, the Royals had been 24 for 3. Zander de Bruyn
Zander de Bruyn
Zander de Bruyn is a South African cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He has played three Test matches for South Africa, and currently plays domestic cricket for the Highveld Lions and Surrey County Cricket Club...
then hit eight fours and three sixes in his 76 not out, lifting the Royals to 162 for 6 and setting a potentially tricky target. However, Phil Weston
Phil Weston
Phil Weston was an English cricketer. He was a left-handed opening batsman whose brother, Robin was the youngest player for Durham in the club's history. His father, Mike, played for Durham between 1956 and 1973.Weston played for Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Derbyshire during a career which...
replied with 73 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
of his own, and despite only Craig Spearman
Craig Spearman
Craig Murray Spearman played 19 Tests and 51 One Day Internationals for New Zealand from 1995 - 2001.A right-handed opening batsman, Spearman made his international debut for New Zealand in a Test Match in December 1995 against Pakistan at Christchurch...
passing 20 of the other batsmen, Weston secured a win for Gloucestershire with two balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire (26 June)
Yorkshire (2pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by two wicketsTim Bresnan
Tim Bresnan
Timothy 'Tim' Thomas Bresnan is an English cricketer. He is a fast-medium bowler, as well as being respected for his ability with the bat for Yorkshire. He normally fields in the deep. He won the NBC Denis Compton Award in 2002 and 2003. In June 2006 he was called up to the England One Day...
's onslaught of fast bowling resulted in three quick wickets for Yorkshire Phoenix
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, yet he was only called upon to bowl three overs - for 22 runs - and Nottinghamshire Outlaws
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
were let off the hook. Chris Read
Chris Read
Christopher Mark Wells Read is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper who is the captain of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club...
top-scored with 43 off 35, propelling the hosts to 170 for 8. An excellent start by Ian Harvey
Ian Harvey
Ian Joseph Harvey is an Australian cricketer. He is an all-rounder. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2004.-Australian career:...
and Michael Lumb
Michael John Lumb
Michael John Lumb is a South African-born English cricketer who currently plays for Nottinghamshire and England in Twenty20 International cricket...
sent Yorkshire to 60 for 1, as Harvey found boundaries seemingly at will - when he was out for 74 (with 64 of them in boundaries), however, Yorkshire imploded from 121 for 2 to 135 for 6. Craig White
Craig White
Craig White is an English former first-class cricketer, and latterly cricket coach.-Life and career:...
and Ismail Dawood
Ismail Dawood
Ismail Dawood is a former professional first-class cricketer, currently playing with Cheshire County Cricket Club. He has previously played first-class cricket for Northamptonshire, Worcestershire, Glamorgan and Yorkshire.Dawood is a lower-middle order batsman and wicket-keeper...
fought back, and number 10 Richard Dawson
Richard Dawson (cricketer)
Richard Kevin James Dawson is an English first-class cricketer, who plays primarily as an off-spinner....
won them the match with a two and a four, as Yorkshire needed four runs from the last three deliveries of the game.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Leicestershire v Durham (26 June)
Leicestershire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by three runsDurham Dynamos
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
contrived to lose this one, having first had Leicestershire Foxes
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
on the rack after limiting them to a total of 150 for 9. Economical bowling from Dale Benkenstein
Dale Benkenstein
-External links:****...
, who took two for 17, made that possible, but he was later to be the main culprit as Charl Willoughby
Charl Willoughby
Charl Myles Willoughby is a South African cricketer who played two Tests and three ODIs for South Africa between 2000 and 2003. He played for Boland and Western Province before spending two seasons with the Cape Cobras. He has also played English county cricket, and after a season with...
and Jeremy Snape
Jeremy Snape
Jeremy Nicholas Snape is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm offbreak. Outside of cricket, he has a Masters in Sports Psychology and has worked with a variety of national cricket teams....
took wickets and refused to give him runs. He eventually finished on 18 from 17 balls, making the task of Gareth Breese
Gareth Breese
Gareth Rohan Breese is a West Indian cricketer who played one Test match in 2002, as the main spin bowler at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium against India. Breese scored five runs in two innings, and took two wickets, but conceded 135 runs in 31 overs and was the most expensive bowler...
and Gordon Muchall
Gordon Muchall
Gordon Muchall is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right arm medium pace bowler. He has played for Durham for the entire duration of his career....
impossible - and Durham finished an agonising three runs short.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Hampshire v Kent (27 June)
Hampshire (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by five wicketsZimbabwean Greg Lamb
Greg Lamb
Gregory Arthur Lamb is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman who can bowl both off spin and right arm medium pace....
, playing for the Hampshire Hawks as a home qualified player due to owning an English passport, took four wickets, including three former Test players, for 28 - which helped peg Kent Spitfires back to 154 for 9. Hampshire's reply was very well timed, and even a good bowling spell from Kent's James Tredwell
James Tredwell
James Cullum Tredwell is an English cricketer. A left-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, he plays his domestic cricket for Kent County Cricket Club...
- who only conceded sixteen runs off the bat in four overs - could not stop the Hawks. Lawrence Prittipaul
Lawrence Prittipaul
Lawrence Prittipaul is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler.A former England under 15, 17 and 19 international, he graduated to the Hampshire first team as a batsman and seam-bowler...
made 35 before being out on the penultimate ball with the scores tied, but off-spinner and stand-in captain Shaun Udal
Shaun Udal
Shaun David Udal is an English cricketer. An off spin bowler and lower-middle order batsman, he was a member of England's Test team for their tours to Pakistan and India in 2005/06.-International career:...
, however, made a single on the last ball, as Hampshire reached 155 for 5 in their 20 overs - Nic Pothas
Nic Pothas
Nic Pothas is a South African cricketer who plays as a right-handed batsman and who fields as a wicket-keeper. In a total of over 200 first-class matches, he has taken over 500 catches...
top-scoring with 58.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Surrey v Middlesex (28 June)
Surrey (2pts) beat Middlesex (0pts) by 22 runs (D/L method)Rikki Clarke
Rikki Clarke
Rikki Clarke is an English cricketer, currently playing for Warwickshire. He was educated at Broadwater School and then Godalming College.-Surrey:...
top-scored with 46 and top-bowled with three for 11 for the Surrey Lions as they moved closer to a quarter-final spot in the Twenty20 Cup with a Duckworth/Lewis method win over Middlesex Crusaders. Batting first, Surrey made 180 for 7, Tim Murtagh
Tim Murtagh
Tim Murtagh is an English professional cricketer.Murtagh is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He first shone in the 2000 Under-19s World Cup. Though he is first and foremost a seam bowler, Murtagh has progressed with his batting, and has stepped in on many occasions to...
hitting 24 off the last eight balls as Melvyn Betts
Melvyn Betts
Melvyn Morris Betts is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler.Born in Sacriston, County Durham, Betts participated in Under-19s cricket and Under-20s cricket with Durham, but left in September 2000 upon the refusal of an improvement in his contract...
of Middlesex was smashed around. In reply, only Ed Smith
Ed Smith (cricketer)
Edward Thomas Smith is an English author and journalist, and former professional cricketer.-Background:He is the son of the novelist Jonathan Smith...
could do anything serious against the Surrey bowlers, with 33 off 22 balls. When Clarke dug out him, Scott Styris
Scott Styris
Scott Bernardo Styris is an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. An allrounder, Styris is an aggressive right-handed middle order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler....
and Ed Joyce
Ed Joyce
Edmund Christopher Joyce is an Irish cricketer who has played for both the Irish and English national cricket teams. After beginning his career with Middlesex, he moved to Sussex in 2009. A left-handed batsman and occasional right-arm bowler of medium pace, Joyce is widely regarded as one of the...
in quick succession, however, things looked bright for Surrey, and then rain intervened after 11 overs of the Middlesex innings. They were never allowed to come back, and as they were 22 runs behind the par score with their 78 for 4, Surrey took the victory.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Hampshire v Essex (28 June)
Match abandoned; Hampshire (1pt), Essex (1pt)Hampshire Hawks and Essex Eagles shared the spoils as the match at The Rose Bowl, Southampton never got underway.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Somerset v Glamorgan (27 June)
Somerset (2pts) beat Glamorgan (0pts) by 89 runsJames Hildreth
James Hildreth
James Charles Hildreth is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. He attended Millfield School, Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. Hildreth represented England at all youth levels including the 2003-04 Under-19 World cup...
smashed 71 runs off 37 balls to lift Somerset Sabres to a convincing victory at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
. Along with Keith Parsons
Keith Parsons
Keith Alan Parsons is an English cricketer who played first-class for Somerset between 1992 and 2008. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler....
making 57 off 28, they made a dent in the theory that spinners
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
are useful in Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket, as experienced off-spinner
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
Robert Croft
Robert Croft
Robert Damien Bale Croft is a Welsh cricketer who has played international cricket for both England and Wales. He is an off-spin bowler who plays for Glamorgan and captained the county from 2003 to 2006...
was dispatched for 50 runs in four overs. The slow left arm bowler Dean Cosker
Dean Cosker
Dean Andrew Cosker is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a left-arm slow bowler who plays for Glamorgan. He has played in first-class, List A and Twenty20 cricket. He attended Millfield School in Somerset between 1991 and 1996....
was also taken for 45 in his four. The visitors' reply never really got going, Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
taking four Glamorgan Dragons wickets for 26 runs as the Welshmen crumbled to 123 all out, Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Born into an affluent family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. He started his...
top-scoring with 35.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Worcestershire v Northamptonshire (27 June)
Northamptonshire (2pts) beat Worcestershire (0pts) by 37 runsDavid Sales
David Sales
David John Grimwood Sales is an English cricket player who has played for the cricket teams of Northamptonshire, England A and Wellington.-Domestic career:...
(59 runs) and Usman Afzaal
Usman Afzaal
Usman Afzaal is a Pakistani-born cricketer who has played three Test matches for England, all against Australia in 2001. He is a left-handed middle order batsman and occasional left arm slow bowler....
(46) lifted Northamptonshire Steelbacks
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
to a very competitive total of 180 for 6 at New Road
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
, where Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
bowled a maiden over but was smashed for thirty-three runs in the other three overs he bowled. The hosts' innings saw Worcestershire Royals
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
lose Graeme Hick
Graeme Hick
Graeme Ashley Hick MBE is a Zimbabwean-born cricketer who played 65 Test matches and 120 One Day Internationals for England. He played county cricket for Worcestershire for his entire English domestic career, a period of well over twenty years, and in 2008 he surpassed Graham Gooch's record for...
early on, and despite 53 from Stephen Moore
Stephen Moore (cricketer)
Stephen Colin Moore is an English cricketer. Moore is a right-handed opening batsman who plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club. He previously played for Worcestershire from 2003 until 2009...
, Northamptonshire's bowlers had a good grip on the Worcestershire players - Johann Louw
Johann Louw
Johann Louw is a South African cricketer.Louw was born in Cape Town, Cape Province. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler who has represented Griqualand West, Eastern Province, Northamptonshire, Dolphins, Eagles and Middlesex...
got the best figures for the Steelbacks with three for 25 - and Worcestershire finished on 143 for 8.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Gloucestershire v Warwickshire (28 June)
No result; Gloucestershire (1pt), Warwickshire (1pt)37 balls were delivered before Gloucestershire Steelbacks and Warwickshire Bears were forced to abandon the game at The County Ground, Bristol due to rain. Warwickshire were 44 for 1 after 10 leg-byes and 16 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
from Nick Knight
Nick Knight
Nicholas Verity Knight is a former England cricketer. Knight's middle name was in honour of the 1930s English Test bowler Hedley Verity who was killed in World War II and is a distant family relation...
when the game was stopped.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Lancashire v Leicestershire (27 June)
Lancashire (2pts) beat Leicestershire (0pts) by eight wicketsHD Ackerman was the only one who resisted a patient bowling display from Lancashire Lightning
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
at their home ground, Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
. Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
, the Sri Lankan off-spinner, took four for 19 in four overs, yet Ackerman made 79 not out amid the carnage, lifting Leicestershire Foxes to 146 for 7. However, Stuart Law
Stuart Law
Stuart Grant Law OAM is an Australian-born cricketer. He is also the head coach of Bangladesh national cricket team, as from July, he succeeded fellow Aussie Jamie Siddons, who left shortly after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
took matters into his own hands, bludgeoning twelve fours and four sixes on his way to 92 not out - the highest score of the season so far - and Lancashire won with four wickets and 23 deliveries to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Yorkshire v Derbyshire (28 June)
Yorkshire (2pts) beat Derbyshire (0pts) by six wicketsA high-scoring game at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
saw both sides score at run-rates in excess of 9. Derbyshire Phantoms batted first, with Jonathan Moss
Jonathan Moss (cricketer)
Jonathan Moss is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who played for the Victorian Bushrangers from season 2000/01 to 2006/07.-Biography:...
notching up 83 off just 44 balls - that's nearly two runs from every ball - and England Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
bowler Matthew Hoggard
Matthew Hoggard
Matthew James Hoggard MBE is an English cricketer. The 6' 2" Hoggard is a right arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman. He played international cricket for England cricket team from 2000-2008, playing both Test cricket and One Day International cricket. He is currently the captain of...
was hit for 45 runs in three overs. Tim Bresnan
Tim Bresnan
Timothy 'Tim' Thomas Bresnan is an English cricketer. He is a fast-medium bowler, as well as being respected for his ability with the bat for Yorkshire. He normally fields in the deep. He won the NBC Denis Compton Award in 2002 and 2003. In June 2006 he was called up to the England One Day...
, however, continued to like the short format, as he took three for 26 in four overs. In reply, Yorkshire Phoenix reaped the benefits of a massive partnership between Australians Ian Harvey
Ian Harvey
Ian Joseph Harvey is an Australian cricketer. He is an all-rounder. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2004.-Australian career:...
(who made 109, the first Twenty20 century of the season) and Phil Jaques
Phil Jaques
Philip Anthony Jaques is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who has played first-class cricket for New South Wales, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Worcestershire, as well as international cricket for Australia...
who shared a 124-run stand for the second wicket. Michael Lumb
Michael John Lumb
Michael John Lumb is a South African-born English cricketer who currently plays for Nottinghamshire and England in Twenty20 International cricket...
and Bresnan then kept the run rate up, and Yorkshire reached 198 for 4 with an over left in the game to clinch victory.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Durham v Nottinghamshire (28 June)
Durham (2pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by six wicketsDurham Dynamos
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
got back on track with a closely fought six-wicket win at Riverside
Riverside Ground
The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
. Mark Ealham
Mark Ealham
Mark Alan Ealham is a retired English cricketer, who played domestic cricket for Kent C.C.C. and Nottinghamshire C.C.C.. He is an all-rounder and is a former England international at both Test and one-day cricket....
had some fun with Durham bowler Neil Killeen
Neil Killeen
Neil Killeen is a former English cricketer who has played for the cricket teams of Durham CCC, Marylebone Cricket Club and Combined Universities....
as he thumped six sixes in a 17-ball 45, and his partnership with Chris Read
Chris Read
Christopher Mark Wells Read is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper who is the captain of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club...
threatened to lift Nottinghamshire Outlaws to a much bigger score than their final 179. However, four wickets from Jamaican-born Gareth Breese
Gareth Breese
Gareth Rohan Breese is a West Indian cricketer who played one Test match in 2002, as the main spin bowler at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium against India. Breese scored five runs in two innings, and took two wickets, but conceded 135 runs in 31 overs and was the most expensive bowler...
helped stem the tide. In reply, Nathan Astle
Nathan Astle
Nathan John Astle is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was an attacking batsman who liked to play batting shots such as the cover drive and the pull shot. He also scored the world's fastest Test double century in terms of balls faced. This remarkable innings of 222 was scored in just 168 balls...
and Gordon Muchall
Gordon Muchall
Gordon Muchall is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right arm medium pace bowler. He has played for Durham for the entire duration of his career....
both made 64 - the latter a not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
- and Ealham was smashed about, conceding 51 runs in four overs. It was almost as bad for Andrew Harris, who conceded 38 off 15 legitimate deliveries as Durham won with three balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Essex v Hampshire (29 June)
No result; Essex (1pt), Hampshire (1pt)Hampshire Hawks endured their second no-result in two days against Essex Eagles, having batted to a competitive total of 151 for 9 in their 20 overs, with Greg Lamb
Greg Lamb
Gregory Arthur Lamb is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman who can bowl both off spin and right arm medium pace....
making 67. However, the Essex innings never got off, due to rain.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Middlesex v Kent (29 June)
Middlesex (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by six wicketsAt Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
, Middlesex Crusaders proved the worth of wicket-taking bowling. Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan is an Indian cricketer who made his debut for India in late-2003 and was a core member of the national team until a decline in form set in during 2006, forcing him out of the team...
dug out Matthew Walker
Matthew Walker (English cricketer)
Matthew Jonathan Walker is an English cricketer, who played for Kent County Cricket Club until 2008. He now plays for Essex County Cricket Club.-Early career:...
with the second ball of the game, and that set the tone of the innings. Left-arm spinner Chris Peploe
Chris Peploe
Christopher Thomas Peploe is an English cricketer. A left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm bowler, he currently plays List A cricket for the Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank 40....
took three wickets, but conceded 35 runs, yet Kent's final total of 144 for 8 did not look too threatening. Owais Shah
Owais Shah
Owais Alam Shah is an English cricketer. A middle-order batsman, he played for Middlesex between 1996-2010, before joining Essex CCC in the winter of 2010. He has represented England in all forms of the games.Between 2001 and 2009, he played 71 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 Internationals...
kept ploughing on his hard-hitting form, taking James Tredwell
James Tredwell
James Cullum Tredwell is an English cricketer. A left-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, he plays his domestic cricket for Kent County Cricket Club...
to the cleaners in his 59 not out, and Middlesex made it to 145 for 4 with 16 balls remaining in the innings, as none of the opposition bowlers took more than one wicket.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Sussex v Surrey (29 June)
Surrey (2pts) beat Sussex (0pts) by 5 wickets (D/L method)A close, rain-damaged match at The County Ground, Hove eventually ended in Surrey Lions
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
snaring a last-ball victory over Sussex Sharks. Batting first, the hosts made 139 for 6 in 17 overs, spinner Nayan Doshi
Nayan Doshi
Nayan Dilip Doshi is an English cricketer, who was released by Derbyshire. He is the son of Dilip Doshi, who is a former Indian Test bowler...
taking three wickets despite being the most expensive of the bowlers, while Matthew Prior
Matthew Prior (cricketer)
Matthew James Prior is an English One Day International and Test cricketer who plays domestic cricket for Sussex. He is a wicket-keeper, and his aggressive right-handed batting enables him to open the innings in ODI matches...
top-scored with 51. A 28-ball fifty from Ali Brown
Ali Brown
Alistair Duncan Brown , more commonly known as Ali Brown, is an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club, before moving to Nottinghamshire for the 2009 season. He is nicknamed "Lordy", in allusion to Ted Dexter because of his big-hitting, confident batting style...
then lifted Surrey to 74 for 1, but two run outs saw them lose their next four wickets for eight runs. Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood Sagar is a Pakistani cricketer, . Originally his father objected to his interest in cricket, but later started to appreciate it seeing his accomplishments. As a teenager, Azhar was mentored by Irfan Bhatti who played a One Day International for Pakistan in the early 90’s...
and Ian Salisbury
Ian Salisbury
Ian David Kenneth Salisbury is an English former cricketer, one of the few leg-spinners to play Test cricket for England in recent years. Salisbury played in fifteen Tests and four One Day Internationals betwwen 1992 and 2000...
, however, shared a 36-run partnership and saw them pass the revised target of 114 by two runs on the very last ball of the game.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Northamptonshire v Somerset (29 June)
Somerset (2pts) beat Northamptonshire (0pts) by five wicketsAt Northampton, Andy Caddick served up an unusually economical spell, taking two for 12 in three overs despite two wides. That helped tie the hosts Northamptonshire Steelbacks down to 95 for 6 in 12 overs in the rain-shortened game, and with Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
and Keith Parsons
Keith Parsons
Keith Alan Parsons is an English cricketer who played first-class for Somerset between 1992 and 2008. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler....
at the crease and the score 55 for 1, things looked bright for Somerset Sabres. Two wickets from Jason Brown
Jason Brown (cricketer)
Jason Fred Brown is a cricketer who has previously played for Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, England A and Staffordshire.-Career:...
helped put the odds for a Northamptonshire win down, but Somerset prevailed, Parsons hitting the winning runs on the last ball as Somerset finished on 97 for 5.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Warwickshire v Glamorgan (30 June)
Warwickshire (2pts) beat Glamorgan (0pts) by four runsGlamorgan Dragons continued their poor form in an eventful game at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
. Jamie Troughton's 51 rescued Warwickshire Bears from a potentially tricky situation at 56 for 4, and quick hitting from Dougie Brown
Dougie Brown
Douglas Robert Brown is a former Scottish cricketer, currently employed as a coach for Warwickshire C.C.C.. He is an all-rounder who has represented both England and Scotland at One Day International level...
along with eleven extras gave the hosts a total of 169 for 9. Glamorgan started well, with Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Born into an affluent family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. He started his...
and Matthew Elliott lifting them to 88 for 1 before leaving in quick succession to Neil Carter and Jonathan Trott
Jonathan Trott
Ian Jonathan Leonard Trott is a South African-born England Test cricketer. Domestically, he plays for Warwickshire and he has also played in South Africa and New Zealand...
respectively. Michael Powell and David Hemp
David Hemp
David Lloyd Hemp is a Bermudian cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler, he has domestic cricket for Glamorgan, Free State and Warwickshire. David has a younger brother, Tim, who has previously played for Glamorgan's second eleven. He has also played List A and...
then built another big partnership of 59 to see Glamorgan 147 for 3, but Carter and Brown then shared five wickets as Glamorgan's lower middle order fell apart. Powell tried to pair up with Dean Cosker
Dean Cosker
Dean Andrew Cosker is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a left-arm slow bowler who plays for Glamorgan. He has played in first-class, List A and Twenty20 cricket. He attended Millfield School in Somerset between 1991 and 1996....
, but the damage was already done, and Powell was run out on the penultimate ball as they needed six runs from two balls.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Lancashire v Derbyshire (29 June)
Lancashire (2pts) beat Derbyshire (0pts) by 66 runsBrad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
and 23 wides gave Lancashire Lightning
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
a competitive total against Derbyshire Phantoms, making 164 for 8 despite Kevin Dean
Kevin Dean (cricketer)
Kevin James Dean is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm medium-fast bowler.The imposing, 6'5" tall Dean made his club debut for the Derbyshire Phantoms in 1996 and received the Denis Compton Award in 1998...
's spell of one for 16 from four overs. Hodge made 44 off 34 balls, and Dominic Cork
Dominic Cork
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
- promoted to five - made 28, the only ones to pass 20. Hodge, who came on as fourth change bowler, fuelled the Derbyshire implosion with wickets, as they couldn't hit the ball off the square and were all out for 98 - Hodge ending with figures of four for 17.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Nottinghamshire v Leicestershire (30 June)
Leicestershire (2pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by 21 runsLeicestershire Foxes took the win at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
in a low-scoring match. Nottinghamshire Outlaws had won the toss and bowled first, and ought to have been pretty pleased with restricting the Foxes to 150 for 4, even though they conceded 15 extras. The opening partnership of HD Ackerman and Darren Maddy
Darren Maddy
Darren Lee Maddy is an English cricketer who plays first class cricket for Warwickshire. He played three Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England, making one international fifty in his ten innings between 1998 and 2000 before he was finally dropped following the tour of Zimbabwe in 2000,...
for 67 runs had promised more for Leicestershire. However, West Indian
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
Ottis Gibson
Ottis Gibson
Ottis Delroy Gibson is a cricket coach and former player from Barbados. A pace bowler and exploiter of the older cricket ball for the West Indies, Gibson is now head coach for the West Indies. He previously worked as bowling coach for England.- International career :Gibson made two Test...
dug out two early wickets in Graeme Swann
Graeme Swann
Graeme Peter Swann is an English international cricketer. He is primarily a right-arm offspinner, and also bats right-handed. After initially playing for his home county Northamptonshire, for whom he made his debut in 1997, he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2005. He often fields at slip...
and Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
- Darren Maddy
Darren Maddy
Darren Lee Maddy is an English cricketer who plays first class cricket for Warwickshire. He played three Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England, making one international fifty in his ten innings between 1998 and 2000 before he was finally dropped following the tour of Zimbabwe in 2000,...
and David Masters
David Masters
David Masters is an English cricketer who has played for the cricket teams of Kent, Leicestershire and Essex.David is a very accurate seam bowler who bowls at speeds around 75–80 miles per hour...
then took wickets at leisure, and Nottinghamshire were 96 for 7. Despite a rescue mission from Gareth Clough
Gareth Clough
Gareth Clough is an English first-class cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler...
who hit 30 off 16 balls, there was no hitting power from the other players, and Nottinghamshire finished on 129 for 8.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Yorkshire v Durham (30 June)
Durham (2pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by two wicketsDurham Dynamos won a low-scoring game at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
as both these sides looked to wave goodbye to a quarter-final spot. Yorkshire Phoenix were sent in to bat, but struggled to score runs, falling to 12 for three early on. Durham captain Dale Benkenstein
Dale Benkenstein
-External links:****...
bowled himself for two overs to take three wickets for 10, and that spell set Yorkshire back sufficiently to limit them to 123 for 7 - despite a total of 10 extras
Extra (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball.Other than runs scored off the bat from a no ball, a batsman is not given credit for extras and the extras are tallied separately on the scorecard and count only towards the team's score...
. Matthew Hoggard
Matthew Hoggard
Matthew James Hoggard MBE is an English cricketer. The 6' 2" Hoggard is a right arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman. He played international cricket for England cricket team from 2000-2008, playing both Test cricket and One Day International cricket. He is currently the captain of...
and Tim Bresnan
Tim Bresnan
Timothy 'Tim' Thomas Bresnan is an English cricketer. He is a fast-medium bowler, as well as being respected for his ability with the bat for Yorkshire. He normally fields in the deep. He won the NBC Denis Compton Award in 2002 and 2003. In June 2006 he was called up to the England One Day...
then took three quick wickets between them to reduce Durham to 15 for 3, but despite eight wickets falling in the Durham innings, Phil Mustard's 31 and an identical score from No. 8 Gary Scott was enough to lift them to 124 for 8 with an over remaining.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Middlesex v Essex (1 July)
Middlesex (2pts) beat Essex (0pts) by 31 runsMiddlesex Crusaders defeated Essex Eagles despite missing Irish batsman Ed Joyce
Ed Joyce
Edmund Christopher Joyce is an Irish cricketer who has played for both the Irish and English national cricket teams. After beginning his career with Middlesex, he moved to Sussex in 2009. A left-handed batsman and occasional right-arm bowler of medium pace, Joyce is widely regarded as one of the...
, who had gone off to play in the 2005 ICC Trophy
2005 ICC Trophy
Ireland beat Bermuda easily as Ed Joyce made 103 for the hosts in Stormont.----Denmark beat Uganda by 28 runs as Thomas Munkholt Hansen took 6 for 30 to carry Denmark to a 28-run win over Uganda in Muckamore. Denmark made 197 with Henrik Saxe Hansen making 71...
. An opening partnership between Owais Shah
Owais Shah
Owais Alam Shah is an English cricketer. A middle-order batsman, he played for Middlesex between 1996-2010, before joining Essex CCC in the winter of 2010. He has represented England in all forms of the games.Between 2001 and 2009, he played 71 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 Internationals...
and Ed Smith
Ed Smith (cricketer)
Edward Thomas Smith is an English author and journalist, and former professional cricketer.-Background:He is the son of the novelist Jonathan Smith...
for 100 built the platform, Shah eventually making 79, and despite three wickets from Essex off-spinner
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
James Middlebrook
James Middlebrook
James Middlebrook is an English first-class cricketer, currently playing for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. He is an all-rounder, who bats right-handed and bowls off spin.-Career:...
, Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan is an Indian cricketer who made his debut for India in late-2003 and was a core member of the national team until a decline in form set in during 2006, forcing him out of the team...
smashed two sixes in his 21 to lift Middlesex to 185 for 6. Then Pathan took three quick wickets, those of Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook
Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England, where he is their ODI captain. Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003...
, Ronnie Irani
Ronnie Irani
Ronald Charles "Ronnie" Irani is a former England cricketer who spent most of his career at Essex County Cricket Club, latterly as captain. He is of Irani descent, the Iranis being a community of Persian Zoroastrians who immigrated to India during the British Raj...
and Ravinder Bopara
Ravinder Bopara
Ravinder Singh Bopara is an English cricketer who plays for Essex and England. He is the second Sikh to play cricket for England, after Monty Panesar. Originally a top-order batsman, but with his developing medium pace bowling, he is becoming a vital all-rounder...
, as Essex crashed to 45 for 5. James Foster
James Foster (cricketer)
James Savin Foster is an English cricketer: a wicket-keeper who played seven Tests and 11 One Day Internationals in 2001/02 and 2002/03. Foster played his club cricket at Ilford Cricket Club and then Wanstead & Snaresbrook Cricket Club...
made 62 not out to rescue Essex' honour somewhat, but the final score - 154 for 7 - was well short. Pathan got another wicket near the end to finish with four for 27.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Surrey v Kent (1 July)
Surrey (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by 23 runs (D/L methodDuckworth-Lewis method
In the sport of cricket, the Duckworth–Lewis method is a mathematical formulation designed to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstance...
)
Kent Spitfires suffered another loss, this time at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
against Surrey Lions. In a rain-hit game shortened by five overs, Surrey scored freely, hitting at nearly 11 runs an over - Ali Brown
Ali Brown
Alistair Duncan Brown , more commonly known as Ali Brown, is an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club, before moving to Nottinghamshire for the 2009 season. He is nicknamed "Lordy", in allusion to Ted Dexter because of his big-hitting, confident batting style...
with 29 and Scott Newman with 52 not out off 27 balls doing the brunt of the damage. Kent made an attempt at chasing 168, with Michael Carberry
Michael Carberry
Michael Alexander Carberry is an English cricketer. Carberry is a left-handed opening batsman who bowls right-arm off break. He was born in Croydon, Surrey....
taking 23 runs off nine balls in his innings from number three, but Surrey spinner Nayan Doshi
Nayan Doshi
Nayan Dilip Doshi is an English cricketer, who was released by Derbyshire. He is the son of Dilip Doshi, who is a former Indian Test bowler...
took four wickets for 27 to set them back to 123 for 6. With economical bowling from Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood Sagar is a Pakistani cricketer, . Originally his father objected to his interest in cricket, but later started to appreciate it seeing his accomplishments. As a teenager, Azhar was mentored by Irfan Bhatti who played a One Day International for Pakistan in the early 90’s...
as well, Kent only managed 144 for 8.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Sussex v Hampshire (1 July)
Sussex (2pts) beat Hampshire (0pts) by 10 runsA twelve-over game at Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
was won by Sussex Sharks, though the rain threatened to destroy it all. IanWard and Matt Prior opened the batting for Sussex, who had been sent in to bat by Hampshire Hawks' captain Shaun Udal
Shaun Udal
Shaun David Udal is an English cricketer. An off spin bowler and lower-middle order batsman, he was a member of England's Test team for their tours to Pakistan and India in 2005/06.-International career:...
, and they made good use of it, sending Sussex to 53 for 0. Two quick wickets from Sean Ervine
Sean Ervine
Sean Michael Ervine is a Zimbabwean cricketer. Ervine is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace.-Domestic career:Ervine originally played for the Midlands cricket team in Zimbabwe....
slowed the Sharks' progression, as they slumped to 88 for 5, but Michael Yardy
Michael Yardy
Michael Howard Yardy is an English cricketer. He captains Sussex County Cricket Club and is a left-handed batsman whose unusual technique has attracted a great deal of attention due to a pronounced shuffle from leg to off immediately prior to the bowler releasing the ball...
hit 10 in four balls in an unbeaten 11-run sixth-wicket stand with Carl Hopkinson
Carl Hopkinson
Carl Hopkinson is a former English cricketer and current coach. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler. He was also a talented fielder.Born in Sussex, he attended Brighton College...
. Chasing, Hampshire never quite kept up with the required run rate, as Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq Ahmed is a retired Pakistani cricketer who specialised as a leg spin bowler. He was known for his hard-to-pick googly. He memorably trapped Graeme Hick in front with one during the 1992 World Cup final. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997...
took three for 19 in his three overs to be the main cause of the Hawks' demise, and Hampshire finished on 89 for 6.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Glamorgan v Northamptonshire (1 July)
Match abandoned without a ball bowled; Glamorgan (1pt), Northamptonshire (1pt)The weather at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
prevented a match from getting underway between Glamorgan Dragons and Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Gloucestershire v Somerset (1 July)
No result; Gloucestershire (1pt), Somerset (1pt)Only thirteen overs of play was possible at The County Ground, Bristol. By that time, two Somerset Sabres batsmen had departed for golden ducks - Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
and James Hildreth
James Hildreth
James Charles Hildreth is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. He attended Millfield School, Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. Hildreth represented England at all youth levels including the 2003-04 Under-19 World cup...
- and Somerset were 61 for 7. Gloucestershire Gladiators would have fancied their chances, but rain intervened to spoil the party.
(Cricinfo scorecard
Warwickshire v Worcestershire (1 July)
Worcestershire (2pts) beat Warwickshire (0pts) by one runWorcestershire Royals took their second successive one-run victory over Warwickshire Bears, to the agony of home fans at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
. After Heath Streak
Heath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
took two early wickets, Neil Carter entered the scene as the sixth bowler to be used. He took five wickets inside four overs, for 19 runs, as Worcestershire were all out for 141 with seven balls to spare. In reply, two run-outs and wickets from Gareth Batty
Gareth Batty
Gareth Jon Batty is an English cricketer, more specifically a spin-bowler. He is the younger brother of the former Yorkshire and Somerset off-spinner, Jeremy Batty.-Life and career:...
and Zander de Bruyn
Zander de Bruyn
Zander de Bruyn is a South African cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He has played three Test matches for South Africa, and currently plays domestic cricket for the Highveld Lions and Surrey County Cricket Club...
left Warwickshire trailing by 60 with one wicket in hand, with Heath Streak
Heath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
and James Anyon
James Anyon
James Edward Anyon is a cricketer who currently plays for Sussex.He was educated in Lancashire before going to Loughborough University where Warwickshire spotted him playing for the University...
at the crease. Streak rotated the strike well, facing most of the balls and hitting most of the runs, and brought the score to 140 for 9 with a ball to spare. Then - setting off for the last run that would tie the scores (and win the match for Warwickshire on fewer wickets lost) - Streak was run out for 59, off 32 balls, and Warwickshire's quarter-final hopes were dented, but not wiped out.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Durham v Leicestershire (1 July)
Leicestershire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by 32 runsLast year's champions Leicestershire Foxes were back on track for the quarter-finals thanks to 73 from John Sadler at the Riverside Ground
Riverside Ground
The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
. Sadler's 72-run second-wicket partnership with skipper HD Ackerman lifted the visitors to 154 for 7. Durham Dynamos yet again showed their inability to hit at anything significantly above 6 an over, Nicky Peng
Nicky Peng
Nicky Peng is a former English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and off-spin bowler....
's top-score of 37 being off 41 balls. Despite captain Dale Benkenstein
Dale Benkenstein
-External links:****...
hitting 33 not out off 16 deliveries, it did not help, as Leicestershire smothered them to 122 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Lancashire v Yorkshire (1 July)
Lancashire (2pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by 110 runsLancashire Lightning recorded the most emphatic victory by runs in the 2005 Twenty20 season, as they had fun with the Yorkshire Phoenix bowlers. After being put in to bat, Mal Loye
Mal Loye
Malachy Bernard Loye , most commonly known as Mal Loye, is an English cricketer who has played first class cricket for Northamptonshire, Lancashire, and England A. Loye is a right-handed batsman, particularly well known for his slog sweep shot against fast bowlers...
and Stuart Law
Stuart Law
Stuart Grant Law OAM is an Australian-born cricketer. He is also the head coach of Bangladesh national cricket team, as from July, he succeeded fellow Aussie Jamie Siddons, who left shortly after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
put on 106 for the first wicket, and when Loye departed for 47 Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
followed up with a 17-ball 33, a partnership of 77 with Law. Despite Ian Harvey
Ian Harvey
Ian Joseph Harvey is an Australian cricketer. He is an all-rounder. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2004.-Australian career:...
digging into them with two wickets, the early run-rate ensured that Lancashire set a target of 208, Law recording the second Twenty20 century this season - in 56 balls. Ian Harvey
Ian Harvey
Ian Joseph Harvey is an Australian cricketer. He is an all-rounder. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2004.-Australian career:...
, the man responsible for the first of those centuries, was out early for 1, and wickets fell to everyone as Yorkshire were out for 97 - Dominic Cork
Dominic Cork
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
taking three for 10, Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
three for 17, and James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
two for 26. Matthew Hoggard
Matthew Hoggard
Matthew James Hoggard MBE is an English cricketer. The 6' 2" Hoggard is a right arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman. He played international cricket for England cricket team from 2000-2008, playing both Test cricket and One Day International cricket. He is currently the captain of...
and Tim Bresnan
Tim Bresnan
Timothy 'Tim' Thomas Bresnan is an English cricketer. He is a fast-medium bowler, as well as being respected for his ability with the bat for Yorkshire. He normally fields in the deep. He won the NBC Denis Compton Award in 2002 and 2003. In June 2006 he was called up to the England One Day...
recorded the highest partnership for Yorkshire, with 22 for the tenth wicket.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire (1 July)
Derbyshire (2pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by four wicketsDerbyshire Phantoms needed to win to have a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals - and did it, in a thriller finish. Nottinghamshire Outlaws batted first, and Will Smith
Will Smith (cricketer)
Will Smith is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-spin bowler.Smith originally played for Harrold CC and Bedford School . He played minor county cricket for Bedfordshire as a schoolboy, until he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2002...
and Chris Read
Chris Read
Christopher Mark Wells Read is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper who is the captain of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club...
made 51 and 44 not out respectively. The pair where the only two Nottinghamshire batsmen to pass 20, their contributions lifted the hosts to 147 for 8. Michael di Venuto
Michael Di Venuto
Michael James Di Venuto is a former Australian cricketer of Italian descent who played first-class cricket for Tasmanian Tigers and One Day Internationals for Australia. Although he has retired from representative cricket in Australia, he currently continues to play for Durham CCC. He has also...
and Luke Sutton
Luke Sutton
Luke David Sutton is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. He won the NBC Denis Compton Award in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and has also played List A and Twenty20 cricket....
took Derbyshire to 92 for 1 before economical bowling chipped away at Derbyshire's batting. However, captain Sutton kept a cool head, anchoring the chase with 61 not out in 54 balls as Derbyshire won with two balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Somerset v Northamptonshire (2 July)
Northamptonshire (2pts) beat Somerset (0pts) by five wicketsDespite Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
making a 53-ball century, and pairing up with Matthew Wood for 129 for the first wicket, Somerset Sabres still lost the match at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
. Smith's 105 helped Somerset set a target of 190, but none of the bowlers conceded less than seven an over to Northamptonshire Steelbacks' batting. Simon Francis
Simon Francis (cricketer)
Simon Francis is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. Since 2002, he has played first-class cricket for Somerset, having transferred from Hampshire....
was the worst, ending with 57 conceded runs in four overs, while Riki Wessels
Riki Wessels
Mattheus Hendrik Wessels, also known as Riki Wessels, is an Australian cricketer who has played for the cricket teams of Marylebone Cricket Club and Northamptonshire...
hit 49 not out with four sixes off 22 balls, and the Sabres had to see that Northamptonshire won with an over to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Worcestershire v Gloucestershire (2 July)
Gloucestershire (2pts) beat Worcestershire (0pts) by nine wicketsThe visitors Gloucestershire Gladiators recorded an easy victory at New Road
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
as Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
scored only 100 all out in their innings, Stephen Moore
Stephen Moore (cricketer)
Stephen Colin Moore is an English cricketer. Moore is a right-handed opening batsman who plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club. He previously played for Worcestershire from 2003 until 2009...
top-scoring with only 23. Martyn Ball
Martyn Ball
Martyn Charles John Ball is an English former cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. He spent his 19 year career at Gloucestershire....
took three for 24, but all the bowlers got wickets, and Mark Alleyne
Mark Alleyne
Mark Wayne Alleyne MBE is an English all-round cricketer who made ten One Day International appearances for England between 1998/99 and 2000/01...
conceded only six runs in four overs. Although they lost Craig Spearman
Craig Spearman
Craig Murray Spearman played 19 Tests and 51 One Day Internationals for New Zealand from 1995 - 2001.A right-handed opening batsman, Spearman made his international debut for New Zealand in a Test Match in December 1995 against Pakistan at Christchurch...
with the score on 22, the Gladiators knocked off their target easily, with nine wickets and five overs to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Lancashire v Durham (3 July)
Lancashire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by 37 runsMal Loye
Mal Loye
Malachy Bernard Loye , most commonly known as Mal Loye, is an English cricketer who has played first class cricket for Northamptonshire, Lancashire, and England A. Loye is a right-handed batsman, particularly well known for his slog sweep shot against fast bowlers...
and Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
helped Lancashire Lightning
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
to recover after Stuart Law
Stuart Law
Stuart Grant Law OAM is an Australian-born cricketer. He is also the head coach of Bangladesh national cricket team, as from July, he succeeded fellow Aussie Jamie Siddons, who left shortly after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
was stumped in the second over off Durham Dynamos medium-pacer Neil Killeen
Neil Killeen
Neil Killeen is a former English cricketer who has played for the cricket teams of Durham CCC, Marylebone Cricket Club and Combined Universities....
. Loye and Hodge paired up for 169 for the second wicket, as Loye became the second Lancastrian to score a Twenty20 century this season before he was eventually caught
Caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Being caught out is the most common method of dismissal at higher levels of competition...
off Nathan Astle
Nathan Astle
Nathan John Astle is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was an attacking batsman who liked to play batting shots such as the cover drive and the pull shot. He also scored the world's fastest Test double century in terms of balls faced. This remarkable innings of 222 was scored in just 168 balls...
's bowling for 100. Lancashire closed on 208 for 4, and only Killeen conceded less than 30 runs of Durham's six bowlers. Astle got the best bowling figures, with two for 37, but his batting helped little - 55 for 37 was never enough to keep up with the asking rate of 10.5. When Durham realised that, they tried to lash out, and a result, wickets tumbled to Glen Chapple
Glen Chapple
Glen Chapple is an English cricketer. He is an all-rounder, and represented the national team in a One Day International, as well as performing well for Lancashire over many years. He bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is a right-handed batsman...
and Dominic Cork
Dominic Cork
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
and Durham finished their 20 overs with the score on 171 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire (3 July)
Nottinghamshire (2pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by six wicketsNottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
won the toss at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
and put Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
into bat. The hosts suffered an immediate setback when Ian Harvey
Ian Harvey
Ian Joseph Harvey is an Australian cricketer. He is an all-rounder. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2004.-Australian career:...
was out from the first ball to Andrew Harris, but Craig White
Craig White
Craig White is an English former first-class cricketer, and latterly cricket coach.-Life and career:...
and Phil Jaques
Phil Jaques
Philip Anthony Jaques is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who has played first-class cricket for New South Wales, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Worcestershire, as well as international cricket for Australia...
settled the ship, with Jaques going on to score 55 off 33 balls. Richard Pyrah
Richard Pyrah
Richard Michael Pyrah , known as 'Rich', is an English first-class cricketer, who currently plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club....
finished the innings with 31 off 17 as Yorkshire set their guests a target of 181 to win. The start of Nottinghamshire's innings was the opposite to Yorkshire's: openers Will Smith
Will Smith (cricketer)
Will Smith is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-spin bowler.Smith originally played for Harrold CC and Bedford School . He played minor county cricket for Bedfordshire as a schoolboy, until he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2002...
(55) and Graeme Swann
Graeme Swann
Graeme Peter Swann is an English international cricketer. He is primarily a right-arm offspinner, and also bats right-handed. After initially playing for his home county Northamptonshire, for whom he made his debut in 1997, he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2005. He often fields at slip...
(62) put on 101 before they were parted, as Swann slashed nine fours, three sixes, and also had time to run eight times across the pitch in a 25-ball frenzy. Yorkshire took the next four wickets for 50 runs, with leg spinner
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
Mark Lawson
Mark Lawson
Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author.-Life and career:Born in Hendon, London, Lawson was raised in Yorkshire and is a Leeds United fan. He was educated at St Columba's College in St Albans and took a degree in English at University College London, where his lecturers...
grabbing two, and with a high total to chase the game was in the balance. However, Chris Read
Chris Read
Christopher Mark Wells Read is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper who is the captain of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club...
's 28 off 18 balls saw Nottinghamshire home with just two balls to go. (Cricinfo scorecard)
Derbyshire v Lancashire (4 July)
Lancashire (2pts) beat Derbyshire (0pts) by 50 runs (D/L methodDuckworth-Lewis method
In the sport of cricket, the Duckworth–Lewis method is a mathematical formulation designed to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstance...
)
Big scores from Stuart Law
Stuart Law
Stuart Grant Law OAM is an Australian-born cricketer. He is also the head coach of Bangladesh national cricket team, as from July, he succeeded fellow Aussie Jamie Siddons, who left shortly after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
(67) and Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
(90 not out) helped Lancashire Lightning to a massive 205 for 2 at The County Ground, Derby, medium-pacer Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (cricketer)
Ian David Hunter is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
taking both wickets. Law and Hodge shared a 154-run stand for the second wicket. Two early wickets from former England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
ODI player James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
pegged Derbyshire Phantoms back, and Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
took four for 27 - his second Twenty20 four-wicket-haul of the season - to reduce Derbyshire to 106 for 7, before rain intervened with 5.3 overs left in the game. The rain never relented, and it was calculated that Derbyshire's par score was 156, thus Lancashire took a convincing 50-run victory. The victory meant that Lancashire qualified for the quarter-finals with one game to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Durham v Yorkshire (4 July)
Yorkshire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by 40 runsYorkshire Phoenix got their first win in three Twenty20 games, but the quarter-finals still looked out of sight, as they needed to win their last game and Derbyshire lose their last. Batting first, Ian Harvey
Ian Harvey
Ian Joseph Harvey is an Australian cricketer. He is an all-rounder. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2004.-Australian career:...
, Craig White
Craig White
Craig White is an English former first-class cricketer, and latterly cricket coach.-Life and career:...
and Paul Jaques all made scores between 40 and 60, to lift Yorkshire to 126 for 1 at one point. Off-spinner Gary Scott and medium-pacer Dale Benkenstein
Dale Benkenstein
-External links:****...
took three wickets between them, but Yorkshire still managed 171 for 7. Durham Dynamos looked in the game when Benkenstein and Gordon Muchall
Gordon Muchall
Gordon Muchall is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right arm medium pace bowler. He has played for Durham for the entire duration of his career....
were at the crease, pairing up for 79 for the fourth wicket, but a burst of wickets - thanks to Richard Dawson
Richard Dawson (cricketer)
Richard Kevin James Dawson is an English first-class cricketer, who plays primarily as an off-spinner....
and Anthony McGrath
Anthony McGrath
Anthony McGrath is an English first-class cricketer, who plays county cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls part-time right-arm medium pace and has twice captained Yorkshire, in the 2003 and 2009 seasons.-England:McGrath made his Test match debut for...
's bowling - sent Durham to the ropes at 111 for 8. Twelve minutes later, it was all over for 131, with 17 deliveries remaining. Yorkshire's 30-year-old seam bowler
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
Adam Warren
Adam Warren (cricketer)
Adam Craig Warren is an English first-class cricketer.Warren played one List A one day match and two Twenty20 matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2005. He also played for the Yorkshire Second XI, the Derbyshire Second XI in 2004, the Northamptonshire Second XI in 2005 and for Lancashire...
took two for 32 on Twenty20 debut.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Sussex v Middlesex (4 July)
No result; Sussex (1pt), Middlesex (1pt)Seven overs of play was possible at The County Ground, Hove, before rain intervened. Owais Shah
Owais Shah
Owais Alam Shah is an English cricketer. A middle-order batsman, he played for Middlesex between 1996-2010, before joining Essex CCC in the winter of 2010. He has represented England in all forms of the games.Between 2001 and 2009, he played 71 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 Internationals...
made 30 not out off 20 balls to see Middlesex Crusaders to a healthy 56 for 1, but Sussex Sharks never got the chance to chase as the game was abandoned.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Warwickshire v Somerset (4 July)
Warwickshire (2pts) beat Somerset (0pts) by 47 runsWarwickshire Bears jumped on the quarter-final train just as it seemed to be leaving the station, grabbing the ticket out of the hands of Somerset Sabres. Neil Carter and Ian Bell opened the batting and scored quickly, sending the score to 40 for 1, but part-timer William Durston got three wickets in quick succession to have three for four at one point. Trevor Penney
Trevor Penney
Trevor Lionel Penney is a former cricketer who played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club, noted particularly for his fielding...
then smashed three successive sixes off Durston to end with 35 not out off 13 balls. Thus, Warwickshire closed on 172 for 8, and patient bowling from Carter and Alex Loudon
Alex Loudon
Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon is an English former cricketer. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he was considered a promising future international player....
sent them crumbling to 89 for 6. Arul Suppiah
Arul Suppiah
Arul Vivasvan Suppiah is an English/Malaysian cricketer. A right-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler, he has played for the Malaysia national cricket team since 1999, and currently plays county cricket in England for Somerset....
and Durston paired up for 27 for the seventh wicket, but when Suppiah was bowled by Jonathan Trott
Jonathan Trott
Ian Jonathan Leonard Trott is a South African-born England Test cricketer. Domestically, he plays for Warwickshire and he has also played in South Africa and New Zealand...
it looked hopeless for Somerset. Jamie Anyon wrapped them up with a hat-trick to end Somerset's innings on 125.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Essex v Surrey (5 July)
Essex (2pts) beat Surrey (0pts) by one runRain ravaged The County Ground, Chelmsford and delayed the match between Essex Eagles and Surrey Lions to after ten o'clock. When it finally began, it had been shortened to five overs a side, and Essex made good use of it as they scored 71 for 3 - Ronnie Irani
Ronnie Irani
Ronald Charles "Ronnie" Irani is a former England cricketer who spent most of his career at Essex County Cricket Club, latterly as captain. He is of Irani descent, the Iranis being a community of Persian Zoroastrians who immigrated to India during the British Raj...
making 32, while Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood Sagar is a Pakistani cricketer, . Originally his father objected to his interest in cricket, but later started to appreciate it seeing his accomplishments. As a teenager, Azhar was mentored by Irfan Bhatti who played a One Day International for Pakistan in the early 90’s...
took two for three for Surrey. In reply, Antonio Palladino took two wickets for Essex, but it looked up for grabs when Surrey needed eight off five after James Middlebrook
James Middlebrook
James Middlebrook is an English first-class cricketer, currently playing for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. He is an all-rounder, who bats right-handed and bowls off spin.-Career:...
bowled a wide that went for four - however, he only conceded six runs from the remaining balls of the game, and Surrey finished on 70 for 2. Yet, they would have to be exceedingly unlucky in their last game to be eliminated, while Essex jumped into the top three and looked to qualify along with them.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Kent v Sussex (5 July)
No result; Kent (1pt), Sussex (1pt)In eleven overs of play, Kent Spitfires moved to 91 for 1, Andrew Hall
Andrew Hall
Andrew James Hall is a South African cricketer and a former member of the South African cricket team . He is an all-rounder who bowls fast-medium pace, and has been used as both an opening batsman and in the lower order. Prior to making it on the South African first class cricket scene he played...
making 43 not out as Sussex Sharks' new man, Pakistani Naved-ul-Hasan made his debut with nought for 10 in two overs. Then, rain made play impossible.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Glamorgan v Gloucestershire (5 July)
Glamorgan (2pts) beat Gloucestershire (0pts) by ten wicketsGlamorgan Dragons broke their streak of four successive losses with a comfortable victory at Sophia Gardins. The two brothers David Harrison
David Harrison (cricketer)
David Stuart Harrison is a Welsh-born cricketer who has played for the England A team. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler.David Harrison's father, Stuart and brother Adam also play cricket...
and Adam Harrison
Adam Harrison
Adam James Harrison is a cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler.Harrison has played for the England under-19 team, and started playing Twenty20 cricket for Glamorgan in 2005, going on to make first-class and List A appearances for the club.His father, Stuart,...
took two wickets each for Glamorgan, as Gloucestershire Gladiators crumbled to 57 for 7. Jon Lewis
Jon Lewis
Jonathan "Jon" Lewis is an English cricketer. He was brought up in Swindon where he went to Churchfields School and Swindon College. He played for Swindon CC and, in Minor Counties cricket, for Wiltshire County Cricket Club in 1993. He joined Northamptonshire in 1994 and played for its Second XI...
and Mark Alleyne
Mark Alleyne
Mark Wayne Alleyne MBE is an English all-round cricketer who made ten One Day International appearances for England between 1998/99 and 2000/01...
shared a 68-run stand, but a quick burst of wickets from Robert Croft
Robert Croft
Robert Damien Bale Croft is a Welsh cricketer who has played international cricket for both England and Wales. He is an off-spin bowler who plays for Glamorgan and captained the county from 2003 to 2006...
and Andrew Davies
Andrew Davies (cricketer)
Andrew Davies is a Welsh cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler.Davies made his Championship debut in 1995, and, despite having an early career full of injury, he continued to play through limited overs cricket...
had them all out for 128 at Sophia Gardens. Croft and Matthew Elliott both made fifties as Glamorgan Dragons knocked off the runs with ten wickets and 7.3 overs to spare, helped by five no-balls and four wides from the Gloucestershire bowlers.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Leicestershire v Derbyshire (5 July)
Match abandoned; Leicestershire (1pt), Derbyshire (1pt)No play was possible at Grace Road
Grace Road
Grace Road is a cricket ground, in Leicester, England, home to Leicestershire County Cricket Club.-History:The land which Grace Road is built on was bought by Leicestershire County Cricket Club in 1877 from the then Duke of Rutland and spent the massive sum of £40,000 on developing a cricket club,...
due to rain, but Leicestershire Foxes moved one step closer to the second place that guaranteed a quarter-final - the no-result meant that they were still two points ahead of Derbyshire Phantoms in third place, and dominating on net run-rate.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Northamptonshire v Worcestershire (5 July)
Match abandoned; Northamptonshire (1pt), Worcestershire (1pt)No play was possible at The County Ground, Northampton due to rain, and the hosts Northamptonshire Steelbacks qualified for the quarter-finals thanks to the no-result.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Kent v Essex (6 July)
Kent (2pts) beat Essex (0pts) by five runsDane Amjad Khan
Amjad Khan (cricketer)
Amjad Khan is an English Test cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He plays for Sussex.-Career:...
, who had missed the first part of the 2005 ICC Trophy
2005 ICC Trophy
Ireland beat Bermuda easily as Ed Joyce made 103 for the hosts in Stormont.----Denmark beat Uganda by 28 runs as Thomas Munkholt Hansen took 6 for 30 to carry Denmark to a 28-run win over Uganda in Muckamore. Denmark made 197 with Henrik Saxe Hansen making 71...
and most of the Twenty20 Cup due to injury, returned to cricket with a very decent bowling spell of three for 24 to set Essex Eagles back to 26 for 3. Khan's Kent Spitfires had batted first, however, and 59 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
from left-hander Michael Carberry
Michael Carberry
Michael Alexander Carberry is an English cricketer. Carberry is a left-handed opening batsman who bowls right-arm off break. He was born in Croydon, Surrey....
lifted them to a total of 154 for 4, while Andre Adams
Andre Adams
Andre Ryan Adams is a New Zealand cricketer of Caribbean descent who has played one Test and 42 One Day International, taking 53 wickets at a bowling average of 31. He has also scored over 400 ODI runs with a batting strike rate above 100...
shone on the bowling front for Essex with two for 12 off three overs. However, the Spitfires kept firing dangerous balls at the Eagles, and eventually shot them down to 149 for 7 - Mark Pettini
Mark Pettini
Mark Lewis Pettini is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman. He can also bowl right-arm medium-pace bowler and has also acted as Essex's wicket-keeper, but not for a number of years. Nicknamed "Swamps" by his Essex team mates.-Playing Style:Mark Pettini is an aggressive batsman who...
making 60 in vain before he was run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
, while Andrew Hall
Andrew Hall
Andrew James Hall is a South African cricketer and a former member of the South African cricket team . He is an all-rounder who bowls fast-medium pace, and has been used as both an opening batsman and in the lower order. Prior to making it on the South African first class cricket scene he played...
took two for 30 for Kent.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Middlesex v Hampshire (6 July)
Hampshire (2pts) beat Middlesex (0pts) by six wicketsIn a high-scoring match at Richmond, Middlesex Crusaders made 174 for 7 having opted to bat first. Owais Shah
Owais Shah
Owais Alam Shah is an English cricketer. A middle-order batsman, he played for Middlesex between 1996-2010, before joining Essex CCC in the winter of 2010. He has represented England in all forms of the games.Between 2001 and 2009, he played 71 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 Internationals...
made yet another fifty - his fifth in eight innings - while Scott Styris
Scott Styris
Scott Bernardo Styris is an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. An allrounder, Styris is an aggressive right-handed middle order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler....
and Paul Weekes
Paul Weekes
Paul Nicholas Weekes is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm offspin bowler.Born in Hackney, Weekes made his first-class debut for Middlesex in 1990. He is the only English cricketer to have scored more than 150 runs in both innings of a first class game. He has twice...
made quick scores to up the run-rate. Shaun Udal
Shaun Udal
Shaun David Udal is an English cricketer. An off spin bowler and lower-middle order batsman, he was a member of England's Test team for their tours to Pakistan and India in 2005/06.-International career:...
, Sean Ervine
Sean Ervine
Sean Michael Ervine is a Zimbabwean cricketer. Ervine is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace.-Domestic career:Ervine originally played for the Midlands cricket team in Zimbabwe....
and Craig McMillan
Craig McMillan
Craig Douglas McMillan is a former New Zealand international cricketer at Test, One Day International and Twenty20 level. He was a right-handed batsman and useful right-arm medium pace bowler and played for Canterbury in New Zealand first-class cricket...
all got two wickets. Hampshire Hawks started slowly, at about seven an over, but McMillan took a liking to Chris Peploe
Chris Peploe
Christopher Thomas Peploe is an English cricketer. A left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm bowler, he currently plays List A cricket for the Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank 40....
in particular as he smashed five sixes in his half-hour 65 not out, and thanks to McMillan's big hitting Hampshire won with sixteen balls and six wickets to spare. However, it was in vain - with only three wins, they finished fourth in the South Division tables, while Middlesex qualified despite having a poorer net run rate than Hampshire.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Surrey v Sussex (6 July)
Sussex (2pts) beat Surrey (0pts) by three wicketsSurrey Lions were consistently pegged back by the Sussex Sharks' bowling at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, having been put in to bat by Sussex captain Chris Adams. Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood Sagar is a Pakistani cricketer, . Originally his father objected to his interest in cricket, but later started to appreciate it seeing his accomplishments. As a teenager, Azhar was mentored by Irfan Bhatti who played a One Day International for Pakistan in the early 90’s...
stood firm and knocked off 40 unbeaten runs, but Naved-ul-Hasan, James Kirtley
James Kirtley
Robert James Kirtley is a former English Test cricketer, who was born on the 10 January 1975 in Eastbourne in the county of Sussex. He is a right arm fast to medium bowler and a right hand batsman. After prep school at St.Andrews School, Eastbourne, he was educated at Clifton College.-First ODI:His...
and Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq Ahmed is a retired Pakistani cricketer who specialised as a leg spin bowler. He was known for his hard-to-pick googly. He memorably trapped Graeme Hick in front with one during the 1992 World Cup final. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997...
all got two wickets for less than six runs an over as Surrey eventually had to settle for 144 for 8. In reply, IanWard made a quickfire 50, off 28 balls, before being bowled by Surrey off-spinner
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
Nayan Doshi
Nayan Doshi
Nayan Dilip Doshi is an English cricketer, who was released by Derbyshire. He is the son of Dilip Doshi, who is a former Indian Test bowler...
to send Sussex to 82 for 3. Adams and Murray Goodwin
Murray Goodwin
Murray William Goodwin is a cricketer who played 19 Tests and 71 One Day Internationals for Zimbabwe. He is a right-handed top order batsman strong on the back-foot and a good cutter and puller of the ball....
both made 28, while Azhar Mahmood took two for 21 from four overs. Eventually, a six from Naved-ul-Hasan won Sussex the game with three balls to spare to put them third in the table, but as they were the poorest third-placed side in the competition with only three wins, they were still knocked out.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Somerset v Gloucestershire (6 July)
Somerset (2pts) beat Gloucestershire (0pts) by 95 runsSomerset Sabres made it through to the quarter-finals after recording a massive score of 228 for 5 in twenty overs - the highest team total in Twenty20 Cup
Twenty20 Cup
The Twenty20 Cup was a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.In 2010, it has been replaced by Friends Provident t20 as the domestic Twenty20 competition.-History:...
history, eclipsing a record set a couple of weeks earlier. The most economical bowler was Steve Kirby, and he conceded 35 runs in four overs, while the other four where all taken for more than 40 runs. Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
top-scored with 53, Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
made 45, and James Hildreth
James Hildreth
James Charles Hildreth is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. He attended Millfield School, Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. Hildreth represented England at all youth levels including the 2003-04 Under-19 World cup...
recorded 32 off 10 balls - 28 from six shots to the boundary and four from the other four deliveries. Somerset's innings featured eight sixes and twenty extras
Extra (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball.Other than runs scored off the bat from a no ball, a batsman is not given credit for extras and the extras are tallied separately on the scorecard and count only towards the team's score...
. Gloucestershire Gladiators, who were second in the Midland/Wales/West group before this game at Taunton, had to go for expansive strokes, and were all out in sixteen overs, Gareth Andrew
Gareth Andrew
Gareth Mark Andrew is an English cricketer who plays for Worcestershire. He is a fast medium bowler and left-handed batsman. He toured Australia with the England Under-17 team in 1997, made his debut for the Somerset 2nd XI in 1999 and played for the Somerset Cricket Board in the Nat West Bank...
taking four for 22 while Craig Spearman
Craig Spearman
Craig Murray Spearman played 19 Tests and 51 One Day Internationals for New Zealand from 1995 - 2001.A right-handed opening batsman, Spearman made his international debut for New Zealand in a Test Match in December 1995 against Pakistan at Christchurch...
top scored with 35 off 17 balls. Keith Parsons
Keith Parsons
Keith Alan Parsons is an English cricketer who played first-class for Somerset between 1992 and 2008. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler....
also contributed bowling-wise, taking three for 12.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Warwickshire v Northamptonshire (6 July)
Warwickshire (2pts) beat Northamptonshire (0pts) by 41 runsWarwickshire Bears were lifted to a total of 205 for 2 by hitting eight sixes at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, Ian Bell carrying his side with 66 not out off just 38 balls. Nick Knight
Nick Knight
Nicholas Verity Knight is a former England cricketer. Knight's middle name was in honour of the 1930s English Test bowler Hedley Verity who was killed in World War II and is a distant family relation...
also made 61 as Northamptonshire Steelbacks failed to make any impact with the ball. The Northamptonshire reply was stifled by some reasonably economical bowling, with no regular bowler conceding more than eight an over, and good fielding which yielded one run out and stopped the boundaries. Warwickshire seamer Jamie Anyon took three for 34, for his second successive match with a three-wicket haul, while Usman Afzaal
Usman Afzaal
Usman Afzaal is a Pakistani-born cricketer who has played three Test matches for England, all against Australia in 2001. He is a left-handed middle order batsman and occasional left arm slow bowler....
became top scorer with a run-a-ball 43. Ben Phillips
Ben Phillips (cricketer)
Ben James Phillips is an English cricketer who plays for Nottinghamshire. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium pace bowler.-Career:...
hit 41 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
from number four to complement his bowling figures of two for 43. In the end, Northamptonshire made 164 for 6, but still went through - along with Warwickshire, who finished second in their group thanks to their win over Somerset two days earlier.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Worcestershire v Glamorgan (6 July)
Worcestershire (2pts) beat Glamorgan (0pts) by 37 runsBoth Worcestershire Royals and Glamorgan Dragons were knocked out before the last round of the Twenty20 Cup group stage, so the match at New Road
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
was fairly academic. It did not stop Worcestershire from amassing one of the highest scores in Twenty20 Cup history with 223 for 9 - Ben Smith only taking 45 balls to smack 105 off the Glamorgan bowlers, with twelve fours and six sixes, as he lifted his career Twenty20 average from 15 to 20.62. The partnership of 149 with Graeme Hick
Graeme Hick
Graeme Ashley Hick MBE is a Zimbabwean-born cricketer who played 65 Test matches and 120 One Day Internationals for England. He played county cricket for Worcestershire for his entire English domestic career, a period of well over twenty years, and in 2008 he surpassed Graham Gooch's record for...
was enough to win the match for Worcestershire, as Glamorgan never quite got the hang of Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
- who bowled two overs for 14 with a no-ball and a wide. Glamorgan ended up only losing five wickets, but 224 was always too much to ask, and they finished with a total 186 for 5.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire (6 July)
Derbyshire (2pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by nine wicketsNottinghamshire Outlaws were limited to 139 for 5 by economical Derbyshire Phantoms bowling - which allowed them to take singles and not much more at Derby. Only ten boundaries were hit during Nottinghamshire's innings, all in fours, and Chris Read
Chris Read
Christopher Mark Wells Read is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper who is the captain of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club...
- usually a man with a high strike-rate - was limited to 29 off 31 balls. The Derbyshire reply was spearheaded by Michael di Venuto
Michael Di Venuto
Michael James Di Venuto is a former Australian cricketer of Italian descent who played first-class cricket for Tasmanian Tigers and One Day Internationals for Australia. Although he has retired from representative cricket in Australia, he currently continues to play for Durham CCC. He has also...
who made an unbeaten 77 and added 92 with Jonathan Moss
Jonathan Moss (cricketer)
Jonathan Moss is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who played for the Victorian Bushrangers from season 2000/01 to 2006/07.-Biography:...
for the second wicket. Derbyshire passed their target with nine wickets and 20 balls in hand, and the victory gave them a quarter-final berth.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Durham v Lancashire (6 July)
Match abandoned; Durham (1pt), Lancashire (1pt)As Lancashire Lightning were already through and Durham Dynamos already knocked out of the Twenty20 Cup, the rain at the Riverside Ground
Riverside Ground
The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
mattered little. Both sides shared a point in the game.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Leicestershire v Yorkshire (6 July)
Leicestershire (2pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by seven wicketsWith a lot of luck with other results, Yorkshire Phoenix could have qualified for the quarter-finals with a win in this game against Leicestershire Foxes. However, as Ian Harvey
Ian Harvey
Ian Joseph Harvey is an Australian cricketer. He is an all-rounder. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2004.-Australian career:...
's support batsmen failed to score at more than three an over until Anthony McGrath
Anthony McGrath
Anthony McGrath is an English first-class cricketer, who plays county cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls part-time right-arm medium pace and has twice captained Yorkshire, in the 2003 and 2009 seasons.-England:McGrath made his Test match debut for...
came in at five with the scoreboard on 84 for 3, their innings was eventually worth just 177 for 5 - Harvey making 77 of those and McGrath 33. In reply, opening batsman Darren Maddy
Darren Maddy
Darren Lee Maddy is an English cricketer who plays first class cricket for Warwickshire. He played three Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England, making one international fifty in his ten innings between 1998 and 2000 before he was finally dropped following the tour of Zimbabwe in 2000,...
anchored the innings with 72 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
, and Jeremy Snape
Jeremy Snape
Jeremy Nicholas Snape is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm offbreak. Outside of cricket, he has a Masters in Sports Psychology and has worked with a variety of national cricket teams....
saw off the required runs as he hit 39 off 23 balls and the Foxes won with nine balls and seven wickets to spare. Leicestershire, who needed a tie or better to be completely assured of the quarter-final spot, thus went through.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
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Tie-breaker rules:
- Points (2 for a win, 1 for a no-result, 0 for a loss)
- Games won
- Head-to-head result(s) between teams
- Net run rate
Lancashire v Derbyshire (18 July)
Lancashire beat Derbyshire by 17 runs to progress to the Semi-Finals of the Twenty20 CupAfter Mal Loye
Mal Loye
Malachy Bernard Loye , most commonly known as Mal Loye, is an English cricketer who has played first class cricket for Northamptonshire, Lancashire, and England A. Loye is a right-handed batsman, particularly well known for his slog sweep shot against fast bowlers...
's boundary-filled 73, off just 32 balls, Derbyshire Phantoms were probably happy that they escaped with conceding 189 runs in their game with Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
. Lancashire tried to employ pinch hitters
Pinch hitter (cricket)
In cricket, pinch hitter is the usual term for a batsman promoted up the batting order in order to score quick runs. As attempting to score runs quickly involves playing more aggressive shots and thus an increased likelihood of being dismissed, it is generally considered unwise for a top-order...
such as Dominic Cork
Dominic Cork
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
and Glenn Chapple to get the runs flowing quickly, but they disappointed slightly, hitting at just over a run a ball. Derbyshire's chase looked possible despite Gary Keedy
Gary Keedy
Gary Keedy is a slow-left arm spin bowler for Lancashire. He played one match for Yorkshire in 1994, having graduate from their cricket academy, before moving to Lancashire. He has played for the club since 1995 and has, over 500 first-class wickets...
taking the wickets of Michael di Venuto
Michael Di Venuto
Michael James Di Venuto is a former Australian cricketer of Italian descent who played first-class cricket for Tasmanian Tigers and One Day Internationals for Australia. Although he has retired from representative cricket in Australia, he currently continues to play for Durham CCC. He has also...
and Jonathan Moss
Jonathan Moss (cricketer)
Jonathan Moss is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who played for the Victorian Bushrangers from season 2000/01 to 2006/07.-Biography:...
, two danger men, early on - as they were 121 for 3 - but Keedy dug out another wicket, and that spurred a collapse to 139 for 8, part-time off-spinner Andrew Crook
Andrew Crook
Andrew Richard Crook is an Australian cricketer who has played first-class cricket for South Australia, Lancashire and Northamptonshire. He is an all-rounder, bowling off spin. He is the brother of English county player Steven Crook.-References:...
joining in with two for 35. Derbyshire needed some big hits from the specialist bowlers in the end, and crumbled to 172 with three balls remaining, James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
getting the honour of taking the last wicket.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Leicestershire v Middlesex (18 July)
Leicestershire beat Middlesex by 19 runs to progress to the Semi-Finals of the Twenty20 CupDefending champions Leicestershire Foxes
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
reached their third successive appearances in the Twenty20 Cup semi-finals, after a fiery spell of bowling from South African Charl Willoughby
Charl Willoughby
Charl Myles Willoughby is a South African cricketer who played two Tests and three ODIs for South Africa between 2000 and 2003. He played for Boland and Western Province before spending two seasons with the Cape Cobras. He has also played English county cricket, and after a season with...
helped them defend a potentially low target. Batting first, all the Leicestershire batsmen made reasonable contributions, but no one exceeded 40. With the help of 17 extras
Extra (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball.Other than runs scored off the bat from a no ball, a batsman is not given credit for extras and the extras are tallied separately on the scorecard and count only towards the team's score...
, Leicestershire finished on 159 for 6. However, Willoughby snared out three early wickets - finishing his spell of four overs with three for 11, including a rare maiden over - as Middlesex Crusaders crumbled to 16 for 3. When Jamie Dalrymple
Jamie Dalrymple
James William Murray "Jamie" Dalrymple is a Kenyan-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and off-spin bowler....
and Scott Styris
Scott Styris
Scott Bernardo Styris is an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. An allrounder, Styris is an aggressive right-handed middle order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler....
threatened to win the game back with a partnership of 87, another South African, Claude Henderson
Claude Henderson
Claude William Henderson is a South African cricketer who bowls left-arm spin and played in seven Tests and four ODIs from 2001 to 2002...
rapped out two more wickets, and despite Styris being unbeaten on 73, Middlesex could only scamper 140 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Northamptonshire v Somerset (18 July)
Somerset beat Northamptonshire by four wickets to progress to the Semi-Finals of the Twenty20 CupNorthamptonshire Steelbacks failed to take full use of their home advantage, and Somerset Sabres escaped with a four-wicket win to reach their first semi-final of the Twenty20 Cup. Northamptonshire's batsmen made quick scores between 20 and 30, but Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
's spell mid-match of three for 16 pegged Northamptonshire back to 118 for 6. Ben Phillips
Ben Phillips (cricketer)
Ben James Phillips is an English cricketer who plays for Nottinghamshire. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium pace bowler.-Career:...
then made an unbeaten 27 to lift his team to 154 for 8, however, but he couldn't take a wicket while bowling. Despite three run-outs, Somerset made it through on the penultimate ball, as Matthew Wood recorded 58 and Blackwell a 16-ball 31 to lay the foundation before Keith Parsons
Keith Parsons
Keith Alan Parsons is an English cricketer who played first-class for Somerset between 1992 and 2008. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler....
set the pace late on with an unbeaten 38.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Surrey v Warwickshire (18 July)
Match tied (D/L MethodDuckworth-Lewis method
In the sport of cricket, the Duckworth–Lewis method is a mathematical formulation designed to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstance...
); Surrey won 4-3 in a bowl-out and progress to the Semi-Finals of the Twenty20 Cup
In an incredible finish to the knock-out quarter-final between Surrey Lions
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and Warwickshire Bears
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
, the match was tied, so the players had to resort to a bowl-off - cricket's version of a penalty shootout
Penalty shootout
The shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to penalty shots in that a single player takes one shot on goal...
, in which five players have two attempts at bowling at unguarded stumps, and if the stumps fall down, that was one point for their team. Surrey opened the batting in this match at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, having been put in to bat by the Bears' captain Nick Knight
Nick Knight
Nicholas Verity Knight is a former England cricketer. Knight's middle name was in honour of the 1930s English Test bowler Hedley Verity who was killed in World War II and is a distant family relation...
. It was a shaky effort, often interrupted by wickets, and part-timer Jonathan Trott
Jonathan Trott
Ian Jonathan Leonard Trott is a South African-born England Test cricketer. Domestically, he plays for Warwickshire and he has also played in South Africa and New Zealand...
snared two wickets for 19 - admittedly tail-enders Ian Salisbury
Ian Salisbury
Ian David Kenneth Salisbury is an English former cricketer, one of the few leg-spinners to play Test cricket for England in recent years. Salisbury played in fifteen Tests and four One Day Internationals betwwen 1992 and 2000...
and Tim Murtagh
Tim Murtagh
Tim Murtagh is an English professional cricketer.Murtagh is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He first shone in the 2000 Under-19s World Cup. Though he is first and foremost a seam bowler, Murtagh has progressed with his batting, and has stepped in on many occasions to...
. Mark Ramprakash
Mark Ramprakash
Mark Ravin Ramprakash is an English cricketer, playing for Surrey and England. A right-handed batsman, he initially made his name playing for Middlesex, and was selected for England aged 21...
, however, hit an unbeaten run-a-ball 34 to guide Surrey to 149 for 8, well below a par score. Warwickshire's innings then began under heavy cloud cover that assisted the Surrey swing bowlers. After Neil Carter went first ball, Warwickshire struggled in the rain, and the bad weather eventually stopped play just before five overs was played - so that, if the players couldn't return, the match would be declared a no-result. However, the rain gave way reasonably quickly, and quick hitting from Trevor Penney
Trevor Penney
Trevor Lionel Penney is a former cricketer who played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club, noted particularly for his fielding...
in particular - who made 20 off 12 balls before being caught off a ball from Rikki Clarke
Rikki Clarke
Rikki Clarke is an English cricketer, currently playing for Warwickshire. He was educated at Broadwater School and then Godalming College.-Surrey:...
closed down the deficit.
With five overs being cut off the Warwickshire chase, they needed 118 from 15 overs, and they had got to 115 for 8 with one ball remaining and Dewald Pretorius
Dewald Pretorius
Dewald Pretorius is a South African cricketer. He is a right-arm fast bowler who debuted for the South Africa national cricket team in the second Test against Australia during the 2001/2002 series. He has not featured regularly for his country and has played only four Tests, last appearing in the...
and an injured Heath Streak
Heath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
, who had not bowled, at the crease. The umpires consulted, and were uncertain about what would happen if Warwickshire scored two - which, in the event, happened. As the par scores under Duckworth-Lewis were level, the captains agreed to have a bowl-off (alternatively the umpires could have forced a bowl-off or decided the game on a toss of the coin). After five players had tried to get the stumps down, both teams had managed the feat twice, and now a sudden death style bowl-off followed. The next player from each side managed to get the stumps down once each, so the score was now 3-3, but Warwickshire's Heath Streak
Heath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
missed both his attempts and Tim Murtagh
Tim Murtagh
Tim Murtagh is an English professional cricketer.Murtagh is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He first shone in the 2000 Under-19s World Cup. Though he is first and foremost a seam bowler, Murtagh has progressed with his batting, and has stepped in on many occasions to...
got the stumps down and won the match for the hosts by 4-3.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Lancashire v Surrey (30 July)
Lancashire won by 20 runs and qualified for the Twenty20 Cup finalIn the first of two semi-finals at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
on the Twenty20 Cup finals day, Lancashire Lightning
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
lived up to expectations by smashing 217 for 4 in twenty overs against Surrey Lions
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
- well helped by eleven wides and six penalty runs, although Lancashire's top five all contributed. Only Nayan Doshi
Nayan Doshi
Nayan Dilip Doshi is an English cricketer, who was released by Derbyshire. He is the son of Dilip Doshi, who is a former Indian Test bowler...
came away with some face on the bowling side, taking two for 35, but with Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
making 49 and Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
an unbeaten 52 the target quickly reached dangerously high levels - from a Surrey perspective, anyway.
Ali Brown
Ali Brown
Alistair Duncan Brown , more commonly known as Ali Brown, is an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club, before moving to Nottinghamshire for the 2009 season. He is nicknamed "Lordy", in allusion to Ted Dexter because of his big-hitting, confident batting style...
and James Benning
James Benning (cricketer)
James Benning is an English cricketer who currently plays for Leicestershire County Cricket Club having previously represented Surrey. He is a right-hand bat and right-arm medium pace bowler...
started well with an opening partnership of 93, as Dominic Cork
Dominic Cork
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
and James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
were taken for runs, but Benning, Scott Newman, Brown and Rikki Clarke
Rikki Clarke
Rikki Clarke is an English cricketer, currently playing for Warwickshire. He was educated at Broadwater School and then Godalming College.-Surrey:...
fell in quick succession to see Surrey struggle at 104 for 4. Mark Ramprakash
Mark Ramprakash
Mark Ravin Ramprakash is an English cricketer, playing for Surrey and England. A right-handed batsman, he initially made his name playing for Middlesex, and was selected for England aged 21...
and Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood Sagar is a Pakistani cricketer, . Originally his father objected to his interest in cricket, but later started to appreciate it seeing his accomplishments. As a teenager, Azhar was mentored by Irfan Bhatti who played a One Day International for Pakistan in the early 90’s...
upped the ante again, but when Flintoff and Anderson broke through with one wicket each, and Surrey crumbled to 195 for 7.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Leicestershire v Somerset (30 July)
Somerset won by four runs and progress to the Twenty20 Cup finalDefending champions Leicestershire Foxes
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
failed to take care of an excellent position against Somerset Sabres
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
, as the second semi-final became a low-scoring, yet thrilling affair. After Dinesh Mongia
Dinesh Mongia
Dinesh Mongia is an Indian cricketer who has appeared in ODIs for India. Mongia is a heavy run-scorer in domestic cricket with just under 6850 runs at an average of just under 50 and his highest score being an unbeaten 308...
had taken three for 30 to set Somerset back to 139 for 7 after Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
(with 29), Matthew Wood (38) and Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
(25) had lifted them to 89 for 1 at one point during the innings. Carl Gazzard
Carl Gazzard
Carl Gazzard is a former English cricketer who played for Somerset. He was a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper.He made his debut for Cornwall in 1998 and was their regular wicket-keeper in 1998 and 1999...
, Somerset's young wicketkeeper, made 26 to lift them to a final total of 157 for 9.
In reply, Darren Maddy
Darren Maddy
Darren Lee Maddy is an English cricketer who plays first class cricket for Warwickshire. He played three Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England, making one international fifty in his ten innings between 1998 and 2000 before he was finally dropped following the tour of Zimbabwe in 2000,...
and HD Ackerman lifted Leicestershire to 74 for no loss after eight overs, requiring "only" 83 from the last twelve. However, Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
took three quick wickets to send Leicestershire to 90 for 3, Richard Johnson (figures
Bowling analysis
In the sport of cricket, a bowling analysis usually refers to a notation summarising a bowler's performance in terms of overs bowled, how many of those overs are maidens , total runs conceded and number of wickets taken...
of 3-0-21-3), Keith Parsons
Keith Parsons
Keith Alan Parsons is an English cricketer who played first-class for Somerset between 1992 and 2008. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler....
(3-0-15-0) and Wes Durston
Wes Durston
Wesley John Durston is an English cricketer who plays for Derbyshire, having previously played for Somerset between 1999 and 2009, and the Unicorns during the 2010 season...
(3-0-18-1) bowled tightly to frustrate the Leicestershire batsmen, and despite a last-ball six from Paul Nixon
Paul Nixon
Paul Andrew Nixon is an English cricket player who has played for Leicestershire, England, England A, MCC and Kent. He is a wicket-keeper and left-handed batsman...
, Somerset won by four runs and qualified for the final, where they would be facing Lancashire Lightning.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Lancashire v Somerset (30 July)
Somerset beat Lancashire by seven wickets and won the 2005 Twenty20 CupSomerset Sabres
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
completed their run by springing the final upset to beat Lancashire Lightning
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in the Twenty20 Cup final. It should perhaps have been renamed Sixteen16, because rain earlier in the day delayed the schedule and meant that the final had been shortened to 16 overs a side, while the semi-finals had both been 20 overs. However, Somerset did not mind - their strongest batsmen were their numbers one and two, Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
and Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
, and the more relative impact these two would have, the better for the Sabres. Their task was made easier, though, as Somerset fast bowler Andrew Caddick
Andrew Caddick
Andrew Richard Caddick is a retired cricketer who played for England as a fast-medium bowler. At 6 ft 5in, Caddick was a successful bowler for England for a decade, taking 13 five-wicket hauls in Test matches...
dug out a couple of early Lancashire wickets, which was followed a run-out and two wickets in two balls from Richard Johnson, as Lancashire crawled to 41 for 5.
Australian-born Stuart Law
Stuart Law
Stuart Grant Law OAM is an Australian-born cricketer. He is also the head coach of Bangladesh national cricket team, as from July, he succeeded fellow Aussie Jamie Siddons, who left shortly after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
stood tall at the crease, defying the Somerset bowlers to make 59 before being run out on the very last ball, but Somerset only needed 115 from 16 overs - a run rate of 7.19. Smith and Trescothick started positively, before Trescothick's England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
team-mate Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
had him edge behind to Warren Hegg
Warren Hegg
Warren Kevin Hegg is an English cricketer. He played County Cricket for Lancashire. Although primarily a wicket-keeper, Hegg was also a handy lower-order batsman, and made several first-class hundreds...
for 10. With two more wickets falling, Lancashire would perhaps have fancied their chances with the Somerset score on 65 for 3, but Smith defied them with an unbeaten 64, adding 53 in a fourth-wicket stand with young James Hildreth
James Hildreth
James Charles Hildreth is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. He attended Millfield School, Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. Hildreth represented England at all youth levels including the 2003-04 Under-19 World cup...
to guide Somerset to the target with seven wickets and eleven balls to spare.
(Cricinfo scorecard)