Warwickshire knocked out Lancashire 78 on the first day of the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s before outscoring opponents without losing a wicket to close 120-0, a 42 lead; Craig Miles claimed 5-28, rookie Manraj Johal won 3-29 and Rob Yates hit 69th for the Bears
Craig Miles won 5-28 when Warwickshire defeated Lancashire 78 at Lord’s
Warwickshire took a big step to win the Bob Willis Trophy by knocking out Lancashire for 78 on the first day of the Lord’s final.
Seamer Craig Miles won 5-28 as Lancashire slipped within 28 overs, falling to 12-6 in the first hour before Luke Wood (46th) led a sort of recovery on either side of lunch only to be stranded.
Lancashire would have expected to make strides on their own given the cloudy conditions and while the course was perhaps not as bowler friendly as it had been earlier in the day, the Red Rose players were unable to replicate the accuracy and consistency of his Warwickshire counterparts Rob Yates (69th) and Dom Sibley (49th) posted a continuous 120 for the Bears’ first wicket.
Umpires pulled the players out for bad light shortly after 5 p.m. and when the rain that interrupted play for the day returned shortly after, they were called stumps with the newly crowned county champions leading by 42 runs.
Bowling one morning in late September at Lord’s was the obvious choice for Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes, but even he couldn’t have predicted how good it was going to turn out.
Liam Norwell (2-9) got the ball rolling on George Balderson’s wicket, caught on the first slip after trying to remove his bat a fraction too late, on the third and when the closer claimed his second wicket at the end. By the ninth change, Lancashire was 12-6.
Between those Norwell attacks, Miles had claimed four wickets: Edgbaston-bound Lancashire starter Alex Davies caught and threw superbly after approaching his platform, Luke Wells (0) threw the pins and Dane Vilas (0) threw. lbw to a swinger yorker in the same before Steven Croft (0) was pinned up front in the eighth.
Wood came in to join Josh Bohannon and the pair were able to provide respite for the county championship runners-up with a 35-run stoppage before the latter threw a short ball from Warwickshire rookie Manraj Johal to the midwicket shortly before the match. first rain delay of the day.
Johal struck again when play resumed, Tom Bailey freed a duck to leave Lancashire 57-8 at lunch.
The restart was delayed by another downpour, but Johal had his third wicket in the first backward, Jack Blatherwick approached the second slip.
Matt Parkinson came in at No. 11 and came off the mark with a glorious cover march but, after Wood added a few more quick runs, the one who spun his leg was the last man out, punching behind to give Miles his fifth.
With conditions still in favor of the bowlers, Yates and Sibley came out with a positive approach, not wanting to just sit back and wait for a ball with their name on it, and were helped by some loose Lancashire bowling.
The races came quickly and they were a run less than a half-century away from opening when another shower hit the cricket house and prompted an early tea.
The pattern continued after the restart and it wasn’t until Wood’s introduction, with Warwickshire a matter of runs from parity, that Lancashire created the first real innings opportunity.
In fact, the left arm closer could have hit twice on his first three balls. Yates ‘first shot up, grabbed the outer edge, and flew into the second, only to have it burst through Jones’ hands.
Two balls later, he angled through Sibley, who was tempted on the drive, got a lead and this time it was wicketkeeper Davies who bombarded the catch while spinning with one hand to his right to leave Wood in disbelief.
Lancashire’s frustration only increased when Bailey had a very good lbw scream against Yates he turned down the over before the opener reached its 73-ball half-century.
Yates looked largely solid and had 13 caps to his name as gloom forced players off the field and will have his eyes on five hundred of the season on day two, while Sibley will resume one under fifty as Warwickshire. He tries to further strengthen his most dominant position in the party.
Watch the second day of the Bob Willis Trophy final between Warwickshire and Lancashire from 10.20am. M., Wednesday at Sky Sports Mix and Main Event.
