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NCL Division 1 - 1st Sept

Wednesday, September 3 2003

Gloucestershire v Warwickshire

Gloucestershire needed to win this day/night affair in order to keep alive their fading chances of claiming the National League title. Defeat would have meant Surrey could wrap up the title on Wednesday when they travel to Canterbury.

Warwickshire won the toss and inserted the C&G champions, picking up the vital wicket of Craig Spearman early on for 8. Ian Harvey came in at 3, but it was Alex Gidman, a rising star in Gloucestershire, who made 73 off 77 balls batting at 4 which allowed the visitors to post a competitive total.

With wickets in hand, Gloucestershire were able to amass 62 runs from the last 5 overs, giving them 246-6. For 22 year old batting allrounder Gidman, his highest score in List-A cricket to date.

For Warks, Neil Carter and Mark Wagh were very economical, conceding 28 and 30 runs respectively form their 9 over spells, and taking one wicket each, but overseas stars Corey Collymore and Waqar Younis conceded nearly 7 an over between them.

Carter then got the Warks reply off to a flying start, smashing 14 (two fours and a six) off 5 balls before being caught by Gidman off Jon Lewis. Nick Knight perished immediately afterwards, and Wagh followed to make it 44-3.

After Ian Bell and the captain Michael Powell got out having made starts, Warks were 98-5 and Jim Troughton was unable to bat due to injury.

Gloucestershire had a stranglehold on the game by now, but Warks weren't going to give in. Trevor Penney dropped anchor and Dougie Brown offered able support. The pair added 99 for the sixth wicket in decent time and it was game one.

But Gloucestershire again gained the initiative, a breakthrough came in the form of captain Mark Alleyne who dismissed Brown for 48, and Keith Piper soon followed, bowled by Harvey for 3.

Waqar came to the crease, and Warwickshire needed an impossible 39 from two overs. Penney finally cut loose. He smashed four fours off Harvey to leave 20 required from 6. Then he took another 16 runs form the first five deliveries of Mark Alleyne's final over. One more boundary and Warks would achieve the impossible.

But the batsman could only manage a single, and a brilliant innings of 88* was to go unrewarded. Warwickshire are fourth and should look forward to another season of division one cricket in the national league.

Gloucestershire meanwhile are four points behind leaders Surrey and have two games left. But Surrey have three games left, and due to their superior NRR, victory over Kent tomorrow will still all but ensure another title.

It would appear Surrey's victory over Yorkshire on Sunday (by two runs) was the killer blow to Gloucestershire's hopes, ironically coming while they celebrated their 6th Lord's victory in 5 seasons. Even the England captain wasn't good enough to halt their march towards another double.

Posted by Barrie