WORCESTER (Worcestershire won toss): Worcestershire Royals (2pts) beat Warwickshire Bears by one run
THE beach was back to woo a sell-out crowd and so, too, were Gareth Batty and Kabir Ali (Sarah Potter writes). Both played their part in a thriller, which was won on the last ball. Graeme Hick was a destructive joy. Each boundary assault — and there were three sixes and six fours in his 43-ball 67 — was greeted with frenzied waves of giant red foam hands provided by the sponsors.
There was little dancing when Jim Troughton bowled Hick. The home supporters feared lost momentum as Troughton outwitted Zander de Bruyn and Nick Warren took three for 25. Ben Smith, though, with a feisty 47, and Batty, with 21, made certain that the Bears would be tested.
It was crisis time within nine balls. Kabir bowled Neil Carter off a bottom edge with his sixth ball, while Nadeem Malik found the edge of Nick Knight’s bat with his third.
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Two run-outs rocked the middle order but Jonathan Trott and Michael Powell rejuvenated the effort with a series of inventive strikes and when Trott holed out to Kabir at long-off the cheers were raucous. Dewald Pretorius silenced the gloaters. Big and brash, he thumped 20 off one Batty over before being caught at third man. The Bears needed nine off six balls. David Leatherdale bowled, Stuart Eustace was stumped. Six were required off the final ball. Powell got four and the Royals were home.
SHOW-STOPPER: Hick’s three effortless sixes.
SHOW-DOWNER: The steward who confiscated a spectator’s beach ball.