Monday, April 29th, 2019

SECONDS BEATEN IN TROPHY AFTER ORIGINAL GAME ABANDONED DUE TO UNFIT PITCH

Worcestershire Seconds went down by 54 runs in a Second Eleven Trophy encounter against their Lancashire counterparts at Southport after the original game was abandoned after just 10 balls because of an unfit pitch.

Worcestershire won the toss and Lancashire were 2-2 from 1.4 overs before the umpires halted the game on a surface which was damper than expected after the heavy rain of recent days.

It was agreed to start a new match of 42 overs a side on a different wicket which had been used for a club game on Saturday.

Worcestershire had to chase a 210 target and seemed on course for victory at 132-2 in the 29th over thanks to a half century from George Rhodes.

But the wickets then tumbled – the last eight for 23 runs – and they were bowled out for 155 in 37.1 overs.

Rhodes made 63 off 75 balls and put on 48 in 11 overs for the first wicket with Ollie Westbury (20).

The all-rounder added a further 45 with Josh Dell (17) and then skipper Joe Leach made a breezy 27 off 31 balls with one six and three fours but no-one else reached double figures.

Earlier Lancashire had totalled 209-6 with Jamie Crawley (50) and Brooke Guest (19) putting on 67 for the second wicket before they both fell in successive balls from Pat Brown.

Rhodes picked up two wickets – both as a result of stumpings by Alex Milton – but Stephen Parry (39 off 37 balls) and Tom Hartley (31 not out off 21 balls) guided Lancashire past the 200 mark.

Brown finished with 2-51 from nine overs, Rhodes 2-36 from eight overs, Adam Finch 1-37 from nine overs and Reicko Parker-Cole 1-20 from four overs.

*The two sides will meet tomorrow in a three-day Championship match – Worcestershire’s first of the season – at Northern CC.