Clarke Eases Warwickshire To Victory

• 23/04/2010
• Match Reports

Rikki Clarke and the rest of the Warwickshire team turned in an impressive allround performance to see off the MCC Young Cricketers in the Second XI Trophy match at High Wycombe.

Second XI Trophy

Warwickshire Second XI v MCC Young Cricketers, High Wycombe CC, April 22 2010

Warwickshire (2 points) beat MCC YC (0 points) by 69 runs

Hoping to get some practice before playing Kent later in the week, Warwickshire fielded a strong team for this opening match in the Second XI Trophy, with all eleven players considered first team regulars and only Maddy retained from the side that had earlier won the Championship match.

Winning the toss and batting, Trott was out to the third delivery of the morning, caught by Omar Ali at fine-leg off the bowling of Clarke without scoring.

Neil Carter and Darren Maddy followed quickly as the Bears slipped to 30-3 but Troughton 59 and Chopra 47 steadied the innings, and a sixth-wicket partnership of 123 between Clarke 81 and Westwood 55* kept the pressure on the home side.

A late flurry by Ambrose 31* helped Warwickshire to close their fifty overs on 308-6.

In reply Blacktopp 61, Balbirnie 50 and Eckersley 48 all kept the MCC up with the rate and for a time they looked as if they may spring a surprise result.

But Imran’s introduction into the attack brought a clatter of wickets, as the Bears ran out winners by sixty nine runs with Woakes and Imran claiming three wickets apiece while Botha and Clarke each picked up one wicket.