FRIENDS LIFE t20 County Competition 2011

Neil Whitaker reports

YORKSHIRE Carnegie won their first Friends Life T20 match of the season by beating Worcestershire Royals by two runs at Headingley Carnegie.

The Royals looked out contention when they were 67 for five with seven overs remaining but they were given hope by an unbeaten sixty from Gareth Andrew and 28 from James Cameron in a sixth wicket partnership  59 in five overs.  In his sixty Andrew hit five fours and four sixes which came from 26 balls.

Andrew hit the first six of the match when he deposited spinner  David Wainwright into the West Stand in the 14^th over of the Royals innings, next ball he hit him for a straight a four and then he pulled Wainwright over fine leg for another six just out of the reach of Adil Rashid.  In the next over he hit Steve Patterson for a huge six into the North East stand.  The next ball he straight drove Patterson for a fierce four.

With five overs left they needed 47.  Ryan Sidebottom bowled the 16^th over and conceded only four runs.  The Royals got 14 off the 17^th over which was bowled by Anthony McGrath.  In the 18^th over Cameron hoisted Richard Pyrah to Rashid on the square leg boundary for 28.  With Andrew they had taken the Royals within victory.   Andrew hit the next ball into the West Stand to bring up his fifty.

Wicket keeper Ben Scott gave Pyrah a return catch who finished with four for 21 from his four overs.  With 20 required from 12 balls Andrew hit the first ball for a straight four and it was only just short of a six.  Off the last over the Royals needed 12 to win.  From the first ball Shaaiq Choudhry got a three.  Andrew pierced outfield for a two.  But from the next ball Andrew only managed  a single. From two balls they needed five.  The next two balls went for byes.

After the match Andrew said: “It was definitely theirs to lose.  I thought that we lost the game at the start of our innings when they bowled well and we found it hard to score. We were disappointed at the end  after we got ourselves in a position to win the game.”

He added: “We’ve got things to address.  Our bowling is not as good as it should be.  We didn’t field as well as they did, but we’ve got some positives to take out of this game.”

FULL SCORECARD