Report & Reaction: Worcestershire Rapids v Hampshire Men, Metro Bank One Day Cup

Metro Bank One-Day Cup: Worcestershire (307/8) beat Hampshire (303 all out) by four runs.

By Brian Halford, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Worcestershire Rapids continued their strong start to their defence of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a thrilling four-run victory over Hampshire at Worcester.

In a clash between last year’s finalists, the Rapids amassed 307 for eight thanks to Henry Cullen (72 from 56 balls), Kashif Ali (65 off 63) and Dan Lategan (64 off 75). Harry Petrie and James Fuller took two wickets apiece.

Hampshire fell just short on 303 all out from 49.4 overs despite Tom Prest’s 70 (55), Nick Gubbins’ 57 (69) and a thunderous late 22-ball 48 from Andrew Neal.

All five Rapids bowlers took wickets to maintain their side’s 100 per cent record in the group and leave Hampshire nursing successive defeats to follow their opening-game win at Scarborough.

Put in, The Rapids started strongly as openers Lategan and Brett D’Oliveira added 56 from 67 balls before Hampshire hit back with two wickets in seven balls. D’Oliveira skied a pull at Petrie and Gareth Roderick flicked Fuller to deep fine leg.

Lategan reached his third List A half-century (63 balls) and looked set fair to turn it into his maiden List A ton when he was called for a quixotic single by Jake Libby and beaten by Fletcha Middleton’s throw.

When Libby followed back to the pavilion four overs later, caught and bowled by Prest, the Rapids were 126 for four and needed rebooting.

Ali and Cullen did the necessary with a stand of 132 in 17 overs before both fell in three balls. Ali skied a slog at Fuller and Cullen, his maiden List A half-century banked, steered Petrie to short third, but some clean hitting from the lower order took the total over 300.

Hampshire’s innings also began solidly as Gubbins and Ali Orr added 61 in 15 overs but was then pegged back by three wickets in eight overs.

Orr played on to Ben Allison, Middleton leading-edged Harry Darley to extra cover and skipper Gubbins, having completed a compact half-century, lifted Tom Taylor to cover.

Ashutosh swung Matthew Waite for six but lofted the next ball to mid off. From 116 for four, Lehmann and Prest rebuilt carefully but, though Prest hit Fateh Singh for three successive fours, it was an isolated flurry of acceleration as the Rapids’ bowlers applied mid-innings pressure. Hampshire entered the last ten overs needing 115.

A straight six off Allison took Prest to a 44-ball fifty but, as that pressure increased, Lehmann (48 off 65) sent up a skier off Taylor to end the fifth-wicket stand at 105 from 14 overs. When Prest chopped Singh to backward point, Hampshire needed two new batters and the lower order to find 82 from 40 balls.

The furious assault from Neal left 11 needed from the last over to be bowled by Singh.

A huge six into the pavilion from the second ball had Worcestershire’s nerves jangling, but an edge to the keeper from the fourth sealed the home side’s victory.

Hampshire Men's head coach Russell Domingo said:

“It was a great game. We probably didn’t bowl as well as we could have. I don’t think it was a 307 wicket, more like a 270/280, so we were short in the field, but we made a decent chase of it.

“Worcestershire batted really well and rotated the strike well. It was a really good partnership between Cullen and Kashif. Then we started well but got a little bit stuck after the 12^th over. Tom Prest played beautifully, but we lost momentum again until Andrew Neal got us close. He is a clean striker of the ball and works really hard on his batting, so it was great to see him get his rewards and get us so close.

“We need to get going again after two defeats. Hopefully we will have Kyle Abbott back for the rest of the campaign, which will bring some experience into the bowling. We need to get back on the right side of results. It was a bad performance in the last game and a better one here, but just not good enough to get over the line.”

Worcestershire Rapids batter Henry Cullen said

“Credit to our openers, Dolly [Brett D’Oliveira] and Dan [Lategan], for setting us a good platform and setting the tone. Then when Kash [Kashif Ali] and I got together, we knew if we could keep wickets in hand near the end we would have a chance of posting a good total.

“It’s always nice to contribute to a win. It was pleasing to get the maiden fifty, but the most important thing was we got the win, even though it was tight in the end.

“I was on the other side of the ground when those late sixes arrived, so I was out of the way, but the lads stayed calm, and everyone knew their role, which is always important. Fateh showed his quality and closed out another game for us, and it was good to get the win. 

“Two wins from two is a good start, but we know there are a lot of games to go. They come thick and fast in this comp, but it’s good to get some momentum behind us.”