Leics Vs Lancs CB40

Prince returns to form as Lancashire dominate hosts Leicestershire.

Lancashire eased to their fifth CB40 victory of the season as the visitors cruised to a six wicket win and double over the unusually poor Leicestershire. Leicestershire are arguably the most prolific one day team in the country, but they have experienced a frustrating limited overs campaign, now 6th in Group A after finishing bottom of the Twenty20 North group. Leicestershire's squad had no real flair and when Lancashire won the toss, there was a sense of resignation from the Foxes from an early stage.

The home team were invited to bat first and after two wides and a four Leicestershire were affectively 6-0 after 1 ball. But Lancashire struck an  early blow when Tom Smith trapped Will Jones LBW for 4 after just three legal deliveries had been bowled. 

                                 

                     

Glen Chapple claimed the first of four wickets when he bowled Greg Smith for 20 and at 29-2 Leicestershire were struggling. West-Indies opener, Ramnaresh Sarwan had played a more controlled innings but he soon edged to Horton at first slip, also for 20, to give Ajmal Shahzad his first breakthrough. Michael Thornely had struggled to time the ball since he came to the crease and Shahzad made him pay when he was cleanly bowled for 11 to put the home side on a dismal 68-4.

A partnership worth 96, between Matthew Boyce (53) and Shiv Thakor's career best (83*) was certainly appropriate, giving the desperate circumstance the Foxes found themselves in. Both batsmen had very different approaches to the situation, with Boyce playing calm and calculated strokes and Thakor taking calculated risks. Both styles combined nicely to give Leicestershire some momentum after a slow start and the regular loss of wickets. Boyce reached his 50 from 60 balls and Thakor took 56, to frustrate Lancashire through the middle overs. Four runs short of the 100 partnership Boyce was disappointingly stumped by Gareth Cross to reward the patience of slow left armer Gary Keedy. At 164-5 Leicestershire had a chance of posting a competitive total, but seemed to be running out of batsmen as Thakor provided the only resistance, in this comfortable victory for the Lightning.

Rob Taylor was Chapple's second victim of four, caught chipping to Steven Croft for a run- a-ball score of 16, with the score 191-6. Thakor continued to successfully resist Lancashire's bowling, but in the closing stages of the Foxes innings, stand in wicket-keeper, Paul Dixey was caught by Tom Smith off Chapple for 2. In the final over Chapple took his fourth and final wicket when Robbie Joseph (1) edged to Ashwell prince, who still had much more to give in this game, as the Foxes finished on 218-8

Stephen Moore (60) and Ashwell Prince (85) got Lancashire most of the required runs in a partnership worth 108. The visitors were looking comfortable at 63-0 after 10 overs, well ahead of the required run rate. Moore decided to take  his usual flamboyant approach and as a result was the first to bring up his 50 from 46 balls. This was his fifth 50 out of Lancashire's seven games, as he continues to be the key man with the bat. Moore was soon caught at short cover for 60 by Greg Smith off Michael Thornely, but the general feeling at Grace Road was that Lancashire had done most of the work already.

Prince brought up his 62-ball 50 in the twenty-third over and started he started to play more aggressive shots as Lancashire closed in on their mediocre target of 219. Sarwan dropped Prince at mid-wicket on 82 and with that any chance Leicestershire had of victory disappeared. Croft contributed nicely with a 49-ball 50, in a second-wicket partnership worth 97, but Prince was finally caught at deep mid-wicket by Jones off Alex Wyatt for an impressive score of 85.

A rare period of fortune for Leicestershire came when Karl Brown was trapped LBW off Taylor for 0 and then Horton was caught by Greg Smith once again off Taylor for no score. Lancashire lost two wickets on 208, but Steven Croft (57*) and Tom Smith (8*) were able to see the Lightning home by 6 wickets with 4.2 overs left to bowl.

This win put Lancashire in a very strong position with three games in hand over group leaders Middlesex, who are just two points ahead of the Lightning. Whilst Lancashire have recorded their fifth win of the campaign, hosts Leicester have now lost five games and may well finish bottom of both limited overs groups this year.