Cricket Update: http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hampshire-c789 to the semi-finals
Hampshire’s 5-wicket win over Warwickshire at Edgbaston took it to the semi-final of the Friends Provident T20. Remarkable bowling performance from Danny Briggs followed by an unbeaten 66 from James Vince took the side home on the penultimate ball of the match.
Hampshire had a grip on the match from the beginning and never let it slip. The ultimate winners remained ahead of the required run rate throughout the game. Earlier the Warwickshire clinched a competitive total of 153 for 5 in the allotted 20 overs. Opener Darren Maddy – with 44 off 31 - was the leading run scorer from Warwickshire. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dominic-Cork-c1390’s men led by the pugnacious James Vince reached the total in 19.5 overs with 5 wickets intact.
Dominic Cork, Hampshire skipper, after winning the toss decided to field first. Despite losing, the opening partner Neil Carter in the first over, Maddy continued his opening job and took his team to 50-up in the Powerplay period. Both Maddy and Keith Barker played a flurry of beautiful boundaries that calmed the nerves of Jim Troughten.
The second wicket stand was worth 49, when Briggs earned his side a breakthrough as he bowled http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Barker-c47300 on the first ball of the seventh over. Barker’s 22-ball innings added 28 runs to the team’s total. His 21 minutes stay entertained the county lovers with four boundaries and a six. The next man to lose the wicket was the fluent opener Darren Maddy, who departed in the 11th over giving an edge to Vince off Briggs. Maddy’s whirlwind 44 off 31 deliveries included four boundaries and 2 sixes.
After Maddy’s dismissal Warwickshire lost two quick wickets and was soon struggling at 95 for 5. That’s when the wicketkeeper batsman Tim Ambrose and Rikki Clarke took the initiative and played a responsible partnership of 58 runs, taking the side to an imposing 20-overs total of 153 for 5.
Hampshire featuring a pretty young squad got off to a steady run chase with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Imran-c64193 Tahir for six. Adams departed in the fifth over slashing Carter to Woakes. He scored 18 off 12 balls that contained four boundaries.
Adams departure brought bludgeoning James Vince to the crease, who with his aggressive 66 of just 52 balls took the side home with a ball to spare. His unbeaten stay at the crease entertained the audience with a flurry of boundaries and 2 sixes.
In the last seven years, it was Warwickshire’s sixth ouster from the quarter-final stage of the Friends Provident T20 and consecutively the third one. Though the Warwickshire is shinning in the Clydesdale Bank 40, the quarter-final defeat can prove to be a damaging loss for a side that has already been struggling in the limited-overs cricket.
Ashley Giles has shown his disappointment on the knock out of his side from the championship. Giles said that it is very disappointing that a team that was leading this season’s county after group stages got an ouster from the tournament. He said that the side was pretty hopeful of making the final this season but once again failed to give some unusual result in the end.
The Hampshire skipper on the other hand was jubilant and admired his young talent. He also appreciated the hard work of Tony Middleton, the Academy coach and the manager of county cricket Giles White. Cork praising the efforts of his youngsters said that the efforts of the fresh blood took the side to the semi-finals stage and a lot of youngsters are yet to join the side. Cork further added that the victory would be a morale booster for the side in the rest of the games of this season.
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