Worcestershire Royals pulled off a thrilling tie against the Middlesex Panthers in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Uxbridge.

Following a 45-minute delay due to rain play got underway at 2:30pm, with the match reduced to 36 overs per side, with the Royals winning the toss and putting the Panthers into bat.  

The visitors made the breakthrough in the 6th over when Dawid Malan (3) edged behind to Ben Scott off Nick Harrison (1-47 off 7 overs), with the score on 7, and the Panthers soon found themselves on 47-3 in the 12th over when Chris Rogers (13) top-edged a sweep off Moeen Ali (1-34 off 4 overs) to Gareth Andrew at short fine leg and Joe Denly (27) was caught by Vikram Solanki in the slips off Andrew (1-42 off 7 overs).

Then Neil Dexter (6) was run out by a throw at backward point by Solanki, with the score on 67-4 in the 16th over, but then Eoin Morgan and Josh Davey dominated the rest of the Panthers innings as they put on an unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 162.  Morgan brought up his half-century off 45 balls and Davey got to his 50 off 53 balls and then, whilst the pair added 73 runs off the last six overs, Morgan got to his hundred off just 73 balls as the Panthers completed their 36 overs on 229-4, with Morgan unbeaten on 120 off 80 balls, with 11 fours and 6 sixes, and Davey unbeaten on 53 off 56 balls, with 3 fours.

In reply, the Royals lost two early wickets when Steven Crook dismissed both Solanki (3) and Moeen Ali (12), with the score on 19-2 after 5 overs.  Phil Hughes and Daryl Mitchell then put on a third wicket stand of 96 in 18 overs, as Hughes went to his 50 off 50 balls, until Mitchell was bowled by Toby Roland-Jones for 35.

Hughes had got to 69 off 64 balls, with 5 fours and 3 sixes, until he was bowled by Davey and when Andrew skied a catch to Morgan at mid-on off Roland-Jones for 42 off 33 balls, with 4 fours and 2 sixes, the Royals had reached 173-5 in the 31st over. 

Neil Pinner (14) and Matt Pardoe (16) were the next two wickets to fall and it seemed as though the Royals were going to fall short when they needed an unlikely 24 runs from the last over but Scott had other ideas as he hit a four and three sixes off Crook to leave the Royals needing two runs from the final ball.  Scott then hit the final ball to mid-on, where Dexter spurned a difficult catch, and the Royals could only get 1 run, with the match tied, as they ended on 229-7 off 36 overs.