Bears Blitz The Steelbacks

Darren Maddy produced a vintage performance as the Bears overwhelmed Northants Steelbacks to claim victory in their opening match in the Friends Provident t20.

With the opposition 65-0 in the eighth over of the new Friends Provident t20, things were not going entirely to plan for the Bears. To win a 20-over match with more than five overs to spare from that position takes some doing but that is exactly what the Bears, playing the brand of cut-throat cricket they hope to replicate throughout the competition, managed to do.

That eighth over, bowled by Imran Tahir, saw the downfall of Niall O’Brien and with him went the Steelbacks’ momentum. The Bears fielded tidily, Tahir bowled brilliantly and was backed up by tidy stuff from Ant Botha and Rikki Clarke, meaning the Steelbacks scored just 80 further runs from more than 12 overs. But it was Tahir who really shone, reeling off his four overs without conceding a single boundary, a fantastic effort.

The sun-drenched and enthusiastic crowd wanted to see action and action they got. Neil Cater went down all guns blazing as ever, and that brought in Jim Troughton to partner Darren Maddy. Maddy, once hailed as the king of Twenty20, has had a miserable time of it with injuries over the last two years and he will see his brilliant innings off 88 from 42 balls as redemption of sorts. His swashbuckling partnership of 116 in under nine overs with Troughton, which saw the Bears almost all the way home, will have other teams in the North Division taking note.

All in all, a great start to the tournament and two points at what the Bears hope will become Fortress Edgbaston. Bring on the next match!

Warwickshire’s next home game is against Durham Dynamos on Fri 11th June. Tickets are still available at £20 for adults and £5 for under 16s, click here to purchase tickets.