Leicestershire rewrote their record books by beating Warwickshire by 103 runs in the Royal London One-Day Cup match at the Fischer County Ground.
Batting first after winning the toss, the Foxes smashed 363-7 off their 50 overs, a List A record against another first-class county. The foundation of the score was a superb List A personal best of 159 from opener Mark Pettini, hit off just 135 balls and including 18 fours.
With the game being played on a pitch which had yielded 680 runs in less than 100 overs in the Royal London Cup match against Worcestershire two days earlier, Leicestershire openers Pettini and Cameron Delport knew they had to get their side off to a fast start, and they did exactly that, hitting 76 off the first eight overs before Delport swept a Josh Poysden leg-spinner powerfully to backward square leg, where Sam Hain took a fine catch two-handed to his left.
Picture by Tony Marsh sportinpix@yahoo.co.uk
It was the first of four catches for Hain, but the next was a long time coming, as Pettini and Aadil Ali added 104 for the second wicket. Ali, making his second first-team appearance of the season, looked as impressive as he had in scoring 88 against Worcestershire Rapids, before his attempt to loft a Jeetan Patel off-spinner over long-on failed to clear Hain.
With Pettini busy and productive, spicing a series of wristy flicks through the leg-side with perfectly placed cover drives to the off-side boundary, the rest of the Leicestershire batsmen had licence to hit. Mark Cosgrove middled a couple before holing out, but young Tom Wells hit four straight sixes in going to his half-century off just 36 balls, and though Pettini became the third to be dismissed by the safe hands of Hain, trying to lift Keith Barker over long-off, the late clatter of wickets did little to slow the scoring rate.
Warwickshire’s reply began badly when William Porterfield was adjudged leg before Dieter Klein’s full, fast first delivery. Jonathan Trott also fell to Klein, edging an attempted drive behind the wicket, but Sam Hain and Ian Bell ensured the visitors’ run rate did not fall too far behind that required. Their partnership had reached 68 when Bell mistimed a drive at Wells and was caught low down by Ali at extra cover.
With Hain ticking over at a run a ball, Tim Ambrose hit consecutive boundaries off both Wells and Jamie Sykes before Hain’s reverse sweep off Delport brought up the 200 at the end of the 33rd over. Hain went on to bring up his hundred off 102 balls, and Warwickshire still had hope, but an outstanding catch by Ali, running back from mid-on and holding a skier as it fell over his shoulder, began a collapse that saw Warwickshire lost their last seven wickets for just 31 runs.
Tickets
Warwickshire return to Edgbaston for our next Royal London One-Day Cup game against Notts Outlaws on Friday 5 May, 11am start.
Adult tickets are priced at £15 at all times, whilst Under 16s go completely FREE.
