Bears took a big stride towards Vitality Blast qualification with a comfortable 23-run win over neighbours Worcestershire Rapids at the broiling Visit Worcestershire New Road.
The Bears’ 176 all out was solid rather than spectacularly compiled. It lacked a major contribution, but Sam Hain (44, 35 balls) and George Garton (36 not out, 22) ensured a competitive total against an attack led by Ben Dwarshuis (three for 30).
The Rapids’ reply started ponderously - 15 for one after five overs – and faded away to 153 all out. Adam Hose defied against his former team-mates with 51 (39) but Danny Briggs took three for 37 to sentence the home side to a seventh group defeat, which extinguishes their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
Put in, the Bears lost openers Alex Davies and Tom Latham cheaply but rallied through a stand of 63 in 34 balls between Hain and Dan Mousley. The latter clubbed 31 from 17 balls before edging a pull at Adam Finch to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick.
Jacob Bethell, back from England duty, lifted his fourth ball, from spinner Fateh Singh, to long off, but Hain found another perky partner in Ed Barnard. The former Rapids all-rounder hit 23 from 13 balls before sending up a colossal skier, well-claimed by Roderick, off Dwarshuis.
Kurram Shahzad followed up with two wickets in an over when Hain pulled to deep mid-wicket and Hasan Ali offered a simple return catch. Briggs edged Dwarshuis behind, and when Craig Miles was beaten by Ethan Brookes’ throw, five wickets had fallen for 26 runs in 21 balls.
That was 156 for nine, but the last wicket proved elusive for the Rapids as Garton farmed the strike cleverly to add a vital 20.
The Rapids’ reply started slowly with just 12 on the board from 20 balls when Brett D’Oliveira thrashed Ali to extra cover. Seventeen-year-old Isaac Mohammed (25, 23) lifted the Pakistan international for successive sixes but then skewed an attempted lap high to short third man.
At 64 for two from ten overs, the Rapids needed 11 per over through the second half, and that pressure told. Briggs began and ended his second over with wickets - Roderick (30, 22) caught at backward point and Brookes lbw, sweeping - and also ousted the dangerous Dwarshuis, caught at short third man.
Hose collected his 22nd T20 half-century but, supported by fine boundary fielding, with some exceptional diving stops, the Bears bowlers maintained the pressure to close out a comfortable victory.
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