Royal London One Day Cup 2022: Tuesday 30th August - Latest News, Scores, Match Reports and Reactions from the Semi-Finals
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Royal London One Day Cup 2022: Tuesday 30th August - Latest News, Scores, Match Reports and Reactions from the Semi-Finals
Here is all the latest news, scores, match reports and reactions for the Royal London One Day Cup 2022 Semi-Finals: Tuesday 30th August.
Royal London One Day Cup 2022 - Top Tournament Stats
Royal London Cup, Hove. Lancashire 318-8 (Vilas 121, Lamb 57, Lavelle 50). Sussex 254 (Orr 71). Lancashire won by 65 runs.
Lancashire staged two remarkable comebacks at the 1st Central County Ground at Hove to beat Sussex by 65 runs and reach the final of the Royal London Cup, their first 50-over final since 2006.
Lancashire’s first recovery was with the bat. Their innings was in disarray at 67 for five in the 15th over before it was transformed by a sixth wicket stand of 132 in 20 overs by club captain Dane Vilas and George Lavelle (50). Danny Lamb completed the repair work with 57 from 48 deliveries, with four fours and two sixes, as they reached a competitive 319 for eight.
Their second recuperation was in the field. Sussex, with the clean-hitting Ali Orr once again leading the way, were powerfully placed at 126 for one in the 22nd over. But Lancashire squeezed the run-rate and prised out the Sussex batsmen to win a deserved victory.
The Sussex innings lost some momentum when Orr’s 65-ball 71 came to an end, the second of three wickets for Liam Hurt. But the home side were still favourites to win. The turning point came when captain Chet Pujara, with three centuries in the competition, was third out at 157 in the 30th over. Pujara had spent 31 deliveries compiling ten runs and at the time of his dismissal the required run rate had escalated to over eight an over.
There was a solid 49 off 59 by the returning Tom Haines and another frustrating cameo from Delray Rawlins, who hit a vast straight six and two fours in a 14-ball 23 as he attempted to promote the strike rate. But Sussex finished a long way short in the 47th over of their innings.
Lancashire had chosen to bat first but had cause to regret their decision when their top order was blown away by the Sussex seam attack. Luke Wells, returning to his original county, lost his off stump to Bradley Currie as he moved away to leg, Josh Bohannon was caught in front of his stumps by Ari Karvelas and Lancashire were 62 for three in the 12th over when Keaton Jennings, who had hit a couple of gorgeous drives down the ground, tried to pull a short one from Henry Crocombe and played on for a 24-ball 23.
Lancashire supporters, who know all about the unusual depth of their side’s batting, looked unperturbed. But when Steven Croft played a loose stroke against Fynn Hudson-Prentice and was caught at first slip, and then George Balderson wafted at the same bowler two overs later and was caught behind the side were deep in the mire. But Vilas led the counter-attack, reaching a fine century from 89 deliveries, although he was almost caught in the covers by Pujara at 92. His eventual 121 beat the previous best List A score by a Lancashire batsman at Hove, John Crawley’s 113 in 1997. There were eight fours and six sixes in his 99-ball stay.
Reactions
Sussex coach James Kirtley: “It’s disappointing, obviously. We got ourselves in a good position earlier in the day. Then Dane Vilas showed his real class and that was an outstanding one-day innings. When you get over 300 you can exert some pressure. And we didn’t play as well as we have done in some of the games this season.
“It will be a hard defeat to accept over the next few days but it will harden them up for future semi-finals because there’s a hell of a lot of talent in that dressing room.”
Dane Vilas (Lancashire club captain): “George [Lavelle] and I managed to take it deep and then Lamby came in and showed his class to give us a decent total.
“We weren’t short of runs but we weren’t over the moon either. We had to bowl well and we did. Sussex put up some big totals in recent games and we knew they were going to be tough. But all our bowlers and fielders were fantastic. It’s always nice to get into another final.”
Hampshire vs Kent Spitfires at the Ageas Bowl
Hampshire 310/9 lost to Kent Spitfires 313/7 by three wickets
Darren Stevens continued his farewell tour with an outrageous 84 off 65 balls to send Kent Spitfires to the Royal London Cup final.
Veteran all-rounder Stevens is leaving Kent at the end of this season after they decided not to renew his contract. He will round off his List A career with the county with potential for silverware after striking a six off his legs and then a driven four to take his side over the line.
Ollie Robinson’s 95 and Harry Finch’s 63 had set up Kent chasing down 310 before the 46-year-old marshalled his side to a three-wicket victory.
Kent, who lost to Hampshire in the 2018 final, will face [ADD LANCASHIRE OR SUSSEX LATER] in the Trent Bridge showpiece on September 17.
Kent openers Joey Evison and Ben Compton were both dismissed inside the first six overs of the reply, both edging to Scott Currie at second slip.
At the other end, Robinson was playing with a sublime touch, with all 12 of his fours coming on the offside to go with a beautifully flicked six.
Joe Denly put on 48 with Robinson before edging behind before Harry Finch arrived to substantially chip away at their task. A quick outfield paired with well-placed shots made scoring seem easy, with the duo’s 100 stand coming in 101 balls.
But the momentum swung back towards Hampshire as Robinson spooned to midwicket for 95 and Finch chopped on.
Enter Stevens, on the back of 41 off 24 in the quarter-final.
He bossed a 60-run stand with Grant Stewart, and when he had gone dominated a 45 partnership with Harry Podmore.
Power was the name of his game, whether it was down the ground or through point, everything other ball had the kitchen sink thrown at it. His 50 came at a run-a-ball, before an extraordinary slapped four over extra cover, off a no-ball bouncer, and a checked straight six combo silenced the Ageas Bowl.
He even had time to hug umpire David Millns after smashing back at him.
Seventy-two were needed from the last 10 overs, which Stevens expertly systematically knocked off to win with an over to spare.
Earlier, Nick Gubbins and Ben Brown had set the platform with 106 for the first wicket – Hampshire's highest opening stand of the tournament – with Gubbins clipping the second ball of the innings off his hip to the boundary to set the tone after they had been put in.
He was dropped on 33 at first slip but moved past 50 for the third time in the competition in 54 balls – brought up with a sweetly timed cut for four.
The impressive start was halted by a classic bang-bang from Hamidullah Qadri.
Brown was adjudged to have been caught at short fine leg, giving a sarcastic thumbs up and applause to the away side on his way off – with club captain James Vince also tweeting his disbelief at the decision. The next delivery Hampshire’s leading run scorer Tom Prest edged behind.
Aneurin Donald skewed the hat-trick ball away before forging stands of 40 and 42 with Gubbins and when he had been bowled on 75, Fletcha Middleton.
The Welshman didn’t show the same uber-aggressive style as his half-century against Yorkshire Vikings, instead using control and guile to find gaps in his 52 ball fifty.
Another pair of wickets – Donald lbw while attempting a one-handed reverse sweep and Middleton tamely caught at cover – dragged the Spitfires back into things. Only for Toby Albert and Felix Organ to thrash 88 runs in 57 balls – headlined by three sixes from the latter.
It was a brutal period of play which teed up 92 runs to come in the final 10 overs to take Hampshire to 310 for nine – after a flurry of late wickets.
Reactions
Hampshire captain Nick Gubbins:
"Things didn't quite go our way today. We posted what we thought was a good score on that wicket and they just got some momentum at the end.
"Credit has to go with Darren, he was destructive and it is great to see a guy like that still doing it. He took the game deep and took us off our lengths. Sometimes you have to doff your caps to the opposition.
"Naturally we are disappointed. I've just said to the lads up there that this is what every successful sports team feels like because if you are going to make knockout games then you are going to feel like this because you can't win them all.
"Sometimes it will fall your way and sometimes it won't but it is a great experience for the guys."
Kent Spitfires coach Simon Cook:
"Darren Stevens was the difference between us and Hampshire, that's the easiest answer. It was an extraordinary innings from him.
"You can't buy experience. It is understanding the game and the match situation. They came out with a plan against him - going short to take out his bigger shots - but he worked out a way of getting through it.
"I don't think I have seen many better one day innings from him. He writes his own scripts and he continues to write his own scripts. He's got two 40s and an 80, we just don;t know what he'll do in the final...it could be anything!
"It is above my pay grade [his contract situation].
"We were quite unhappy with 310, I think we gave them 20 runs in the field and we didn't maintain our lengths on a tricky pitch. To chase down 310 in that manner on a tricky pitch is outstanding."
©Cricket World 2022
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09 February 2023
