Royal London One Day Cup 7th June

Middlesex 295/8 (50.0 ov)
Hampshire 204/5 (25.3/26 ov, target 202)
Hampshire won by 5 wickets (with 3 balls remaining) (D/L method)

There was something rather contradictory, yet ever so appropriate, about Brendon McCullum's first meaningful act as a Middlesex player taking place at Radlett.

Beyond the fact that Radlett is not actually in Middlesex (it is in Hertfordshire), it is a funny little place. So little, in fact, that T20 cricket - the game from which McCullum now makes his living - cannot be played here. The boundaries are just too diddy, as the New Zealander showed in this Royal London Cup fixture with four simply-struck sixes in his 74. One easily cleared the sightscreen, another - towards cow - hit a tree 15 metres up.

But Radlett is also the ground that proves that Middlesex, like the All Blacks, and like McCullum's Black Caps, as he so eloquently explained when giving the Cowdrey Lecture on Monday evening, have a no-dickheads policy.

It has a different name in these parts - Angus Fraser speaks of the 'Middlesex DNA' - but the comparison rings true. When the county played at Radlett in previous years, it had been felt that one end, which leads down to a clear field, meant that plenty of time was being wasted chasing the ball. So, this off-season, Middlesex's squad were brought up here, and they built a fence. This was not just a practical benefit for Radlett and Middlesex, but a neat team-building exercise too.

The game, however, was less impressive for Middlesex and went a long way to explaining why they were so keen to bring a white-ball cricketer of McCullum's pedigree and calibre to the club.

His innings had got them off to a flyer on a slow pitch yet, having been 190 for 2 in the 30th over, they contrived to limp to just 295, with Mason Crane's legspin claiming four vital wickets, including McCullum himself, a ball after he had plonked him down the ground for six.

Then, after a two-hour rain delay spat out a DLS equation that seemed to favour Middlesex (the visitors needed 202 from 26 overs), Hampshire cruised home with greater ease than the scorecard - three balls remaining - suggested. Middlesex, as McCullum's T20 debut v Gloucestershire proved last Thursday, still do not know how to close out white-ball games.

That they did not was largely down to Liam Dawson, who shared 89 in nine overs to turn the game with Sean Ervine, and finished unbeaten on 68 from 40. Dawson, such a canny cricketer, pulled beautifully and knew exactly where the gaps in the deep lay, with the six twos he found proving vital.

Middlesex managed to feed the strengths of both he and Ervine, who was rather more belligerent in his approach, with only Toby Roland-Jones, who earlier claimed the vital wicket of Jimmy Adams, caught at deep cover, able to limit scoring.

Shortly after Adams fell, Paul Stirling, who, with damp ball in hand, would be relentlessly attacked by Ervine and Dawson, had Adam Wheater stumped outside off and Middlesex were back in control. Dawson, even after James Fuller yorked Ervine, always looked to have a tricky chase in hand. His non-playing role in the England squad at the World T20 is unlikely to be his last involvement with the national side.

Middlesex's innings had seen a progression of batsmen get settled, and then, emboldened by McCullum's gung-hoism, depart. The top three breezed to 190 but Crane bowled Dawid Malan and McCullum's knock - not always fluent but with those brilliant wrists and powerful forearms to the fore - came to end when he tamely edged a turner to slip. Nick Gubbins, as strong on the cut as ever, was pinned in front trying to flick to leg.

And that is when the stuttering started. Eoin Morgan looked ready to explode, a beautiful late cut followed by a fine cover drive and a six down the ground, but then - with 19-year-old Crane bowling the first ball of a new spell - he slapped straight to deep midwicket.


Crane had seemed unperturbed by being given some tap - his ten overs did cost 80 compared to Dawson's 32 - but he returned to bowl the 46th over, dismissed a fourth set batsman, James Franklin, and ended Middlesex's hopes of the score their start had demanded: all but one of the top seven passed 20 but none reached 75. All of which, as Dawson calmly negotiated the target Hampshire's spin pairing had set up, seemed very important indeed.


Yorkshire 170 (45.2 ov)
Worcestershire 171/3 (25.3 ov)
Worcestershire won by 7 wickets (with 147 balls remaining)

Yorkshire Vikings opened their Royal London One-Day Cup programme with a severe thrashing at the hands of Worcestershire Rapids at Headingley.

Batting first after winning the toss, Yorkshire were bowled out for a listless 170 and Worcestershire charged to their target for the loss of three wickets with 24.3 overs remaining after openers Joe Leach and Tom Kohler-Cadmore hasd blasted 107 together off a mere 12.4 overs.

Yorkshire's director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, said: "We have just got to bat better, that is the bottom line. Our batsmen have not got that confidence at the moment. They are hoping rather than expecting and are not in their best form. There is a bit of fear of getting out as opposed to scoring runs.

Moxon also confirmed that Jack Brooks could be out for up to a month. He sustained a leg injury while bowling in the T20 Roses match at Old Trafford.

It was a doubly satisfying result for Royals' Bradford-born director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, whose 23-year-old son, George, made his first team debut for the county and pegged Yorkshire back with ten overs of well-controlled off-spin that brought him two wickets.

George's grandfather, Billy, was a wicketkeeper-batsman with Nottinghamshire from 1961-64 which meant that George and his team-mate, Brett D'Oliveira, were each the third generation of county cricketers.

Concerned about a nearby storm, Worcestershire sent in Leach to partner Kohler-Cadmore and, although it never materialised, there was no shortage of thunderous strokes on the field.

Kohler-Cadmore took three boundaries in David Willey's first over but Leach was immediately more severe on Tim Bresnan, following up a towering six with four consecutive boundaries.

The 50 was reached in 4.5 overs and when Steve Patterson joined the attack Leach picked him up for six over square leg and cover drove his next ball for four.

Leach dashed to his half-century from 25 balls with seven fours and three sixes, bringing up his 50 by driving Liam Plunkett over the rope at long on, but the carnage was halted when Kohler-Cadmore was lbw to Plunkett for a run-a-ball 42 with seven fours and a six.

In the next over from Rashid, Leach was caught at long off for 63 from 35 deliveries with eight fours and three sixes and Daryl Mitchell and Joe Clarke added a further 37 before gave Rashid a return catch, Mitchell and Alexei Kervezee finishing the job for their side.

Yorkshire had never got to grips with a pitch on which the ball tended to stick and although seven of their batsmen made it into the teens none of them managed to move beyond the 30 mark.

Several got out to hesitant shots and Yorkshire remained pegged back in the middle overs by the accurate spin of Rhodes and D'Oliveira.

Jack Shantry, bowled a mean opening spell of seven overs for ten runs and the wicket of Adam Lyth and he returned to end the innings with his second ball by getting Bresnan caught at short fine leg.

Jack Leaning helped Alex Lees bring up the 50 in the 17th over but Yorkshire were unable to capitalise on their slow but solid start, Leaning then edging Ed Barnard to Ben Cox and Lees being trapped lbw to become Rhodes' first scalp for his county.

Worcestershire never relaxed their stranglehold and just when Gary Ballance was threatening to break loose he was lbw sweeping at D'Oliveira for 30 from 32 balls with three fours.

D'Oliveira also accounted for Rashid who miscued to short extra cover and in the following over it became 109 for 6 when Will Rhodes drove his namesake to Daryl Mitchell who was stood almost next to the bowler at mid-off.

Yorkshire's situation would have been more critical had Mitchell not dropped Bresnan at short cover when he had made only a single and Bresnan and David Willey briefly cheered up the crowd with a six apiece off D'Oliveira and Mitchell respectively.


A couple of balls after his big hit, however, Willey chipped back a catch to Mitchell and shortly afterwards Plunkett dragged Leach into his stumps, the last three wickets toppling for four runs.


Leicestershire 237 (49.0 ov)
Warwickshire 243/1 (41.0 ov)
Warwickshire won by 9 wickets (with 54 balls remaining)


Warwickshire recorded their first Royal London One-Day Cup win of the season in emphatic style with a nine-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes at Edgbaston.

After restricting the visitors to 237 for 9 on a good batting pitch with a very short boundary on one side, the Bears cruised to victory with 54 balls to spare.

It was game over after openers Sam Hain (105 not out) and Will Porterfield (75) added 169 in 29.2 overs.

Hain completed his maiden List A century in only his third game, vindicating Warwickshire's decision to give the 20-year-old an opening batsman role in limited-overs cricket this season.

For the Foxes, the misery in 50-over cricket goes on. Having failed to win a single game in the format last season they have now started with two defeat this time round and sustained an additional blow at Edgbaston with a serious injury to Niall O'Brien.

The Ireland international was just three balls into his innings when he was carried off in great pain after suffering a calf injury in mid-run.

Put in, the Foxes lost Neil Dexter, lbw to Oliver Hannon-Dalby, to the third ball of the innings but a third-wicket stand of 92 in 17 overs between Kevin O'Brien and Mark Cosgrove (34) laid a sound foundation.

The former struck 77 from 70 balls before becoming part of a 23-ball implosion which brought four wickets and the injury to his brother.

Boyd Rankin began the clatter by yorking Cosgrove. Kevin O'Brien, his concentration perhaps affected by having just seen his brother carried off in distress, paddled Jeetan Patel to short fine leg. Lewis Hill and Tom Wells edged to slip.

Rob Taylor's aggressive 62 ensured his team something to bowl at but the total was soon looking woefully inadequate as Hain and Porterfield put 100 on the board in 20 overs.

Porterfield was more assertive at first before Hain, after a slow start, began to match him stroke for stroke.

Thoughts of a 10-wicket victory vanished when Taylor trapped Porterfield lbw but Laurie Evans (45) hit his first ball for four and was soon peppering the boundary.


It was just a question of whether Hain would have time to reach his ton, which he did with the winning runs when he hit a six off Jamie Sykes.


Durham 216 (46.3 ov)
Derbyshire 218/3 (41.4 ov)
Derbyshire won by 7 wickets (with 50 balls remaining)


Ryan Pringle's brilliant maiden century for Durham was in vain as Ben Slater's first limited-overs hundred powered Derbyshire to a seven wicket Royal London One-Day Cup victory at Derby.

Pringle's superb 125 from 101 balls was the highest score by a Durham No. 8 in List A matches and saved his side from humiliation after they had collapsed to 75 for 7.

Usman Arshad helped Pringle add 62, a Durham eighth wicket record in List A cricket, as the visitors recovered to 216 with Shiv Thakor and Andy Carter both taking three wickets for the Falcons. "Still 100 runs short," Pringle later estimated.

But Pringle's heroics were countered by Slater who marked his first 50 overs game for Derbyshire with119 from 137 balls as the Falcons eased home with 8.2 overs to spare.

Durham had started strongly with Mark Stoneman taking four fours from Carter's second over but the innings disintegrated in the face of some disciplined bowling on a two-paced pitch.

Phil Mustard was bowled playing no shot at Ben Cotton whose opening seven over spell cost only 10 runs and exerted pressure which forced some poor shot selection.

Carter had the last word when Stoneman sliced to backward point and Graham Clark miscued a pull to midwicket as Durham limped to 38 for 3 from the opening powerplay.

The slide continued when Scott Borthwick was superbly caught by Neil Broom at second slip as he tried to run Thakor to third man and Paul Collingwood played across the line in the next over.

Calum MacLeod chopped Thakor into his stumps and Keaton Jennings reverse swept Matt Critchley to gully to leave Durham in disarray after 25 overs but Pringle and Arshad began a fightback that started slowly and then moved into overdrive as Pringle launched a thrilling assault.

After Pringle completed his maiden List A 50 from 59 balls, Arshad was lbw to Thakor but Pringle was now playing some inspired cricket and tore into the bowling with a salvo of powerful strokes.

Cotton was driven for four and lifted over long on for six before Carter was dispatched over the long off boundary in the next over.

Pringle drove Critchley down the ground for another four and two balls later, lifted the leg-spinner high over long on to reach an outstanding hundred which had transformed the contest.

He pulled Alex Hughes for his fourth six before he drove over a full length ball from Carter but his stand of 62 from 37 balls with Chris Rushworth had set a Durham 10th wicket record against Derbyshire and given his team a chance.

But any momentum Pringle had established was quickly removed as Godleman and Slater took 62 from 10 overs and the opening pair continued to cruise with Godleman hoisting Borthwick over long on for six.

Although Godleman edged a drive at Arshad who also pulled off a stunning catch at mid on to remove Hamish Rutherford, Slater accelerated towards his century with two fours and a six from a Borthwick over before holing out two balls short of Derbyshire's second win in the North Group.


Slater said: "Probably over the last year or so I've not kicked on when I should have done so it's been a long time since I last got a hundred for Derbyshire in the first team so it's good to get over the line again, a weight off my shoulders really."