Lancashire CCC v Yorkshire CCC Royal London Cup June 5th 2018

Lancashire CCC v Yorkshire CCC Royal London Cup June 5th 2018 Old Trafford

Neil Whitaker reports

IN the 1990’s Yorkshire Vikings always came up short when they played Lancashire in a vital List A game at Emirates Old Trafford in this RL one-cup match the Vikings won by 16 runs with an over to spare. 

The result that the Vikings hopes of reaching the knockout stages are still alive it also means that  Lancashire haven’t beaten the Vikings in a List A match at Emirates Old Trafford since 2008.  From the moment the Vikings won the toss and decided to bat everything went their way.  They amassed their highest List A score.  They hit the highest List A score against Lancashire beating the 360 also made at Emirates Old Trafford by Hampshire in 1990. 

Adam Lyth top scored with 144, his highest List A score and shared in a record breaking second wicket partnership of 235 with David Willey. Not only was it the Vikings highest second wicket partnership it was their highest partnership for any wicket against Lancashire in List A cricket and during his knock Lyth reached 3500 runs in List A matches.

Lyth said: “Before today we knew that two wins would see us through so we knew that we needed to come here and win.  We hope that Northamptonshire rest a few on Thursday.”

Lancashire skipper Liam Livingstone said: “It was a great game of cricket, but we were unhappy with the way we fielded, we were a long way below par and put our ourselves under pressure.  It was tough at times out there but the younger lads will learn from it.

We got ourselves into a winning position but we couldn’t get over the line.  I am disappointed that we lost but pleased with the way that we fought.  It’s exciting that we didn’t play to our full potential and we nearly chased 380 down.”

After losing an early wicket when when prolific run machine Tom Kohler-Cadmore was trapped leg before in the third over for a duck to Tom Bailey the records tumbled.  Lyth and Willey broke the Vikings record partnership for any wicket.  They beat the highest second wicket partnership of 214  by JP Stephenson and ME Waugh for Essex at Colchester in 1990.

At the beginning of the partnership Willey struggled to get the ball away and When Lyth reached his fifty with a gentle push on the legside the Vikings had scored 57 by their time the Vikings had reached the 150 Willey had overtaken Lyth.  Willey flicked Keaton Jennings for a six,  two balls later he hit Jennings for another six but this time more squarer.  He went down the wicket and smeared Jordan Clark through extra cover for a four to bring up the hundred partnership with Lyth.  Willey pulled Clark to the deep wicket boundary to only  bring up his fifty from just fifty balls and two sixes.

Lyth added: “Wiley’s role is as a pinch hitter, he told me he was going to bat for a time and it took us five overs to work out the pitch.”

He smacked Livingstone over long on into the second tier. Two balls later he was dropped by Josh Bohannon as he came in from the mid wicket boundary.  In the next over he lofted Stephen Parry into the old Pavilion and  drove the next ball to Jennings at short mid on who dropped it.

In Bohannon’s first over Lyth pushed to mid wicket  and set off for a single and just beat Haseeb Hamed’s direct hit and Willey finished the over by planting him 30 rows back into the  Party stand.

Lyth reversed swept Matt Parkinson to the boundary  to break the Vikings list A second wicket partnership against Lancashire.  He edged the previous ball a googly but stumper Dane Vilas couldn’t take the catch.  The partnership was broken when Willey was bowled by Livingstone after he had hit a straight six off the previous ball.

On 128 Lyth drove Clark to Bohannon at mid on but he couldn’t hold on to it yet another chance that went begging. Finally they got rid of Lyth  got too far under one from Tom Bailey  and skied it to Rob Jones at long on.

In the next over Chet Pujara turned Parkinson off his legs and set off for a single but was sent back as he turned he slipped and Hameed simply had to throw to Vilas.  Gary Ballance drove Parkinson to Livingstone at long on looking for a six and Harry Brook tried hit across the line to Parkinson and was bowled.

Needing a record chase in List A cricket Lancashire lost their first wicket in the sixth over when Alex Davies got a leading edge to Matt Fisher and the ball flew to Brook at point.  Livingstone got off the mark when he uppercut the next ball to Adil Rashid on third man boundary but he palmed it over the boundary.

After the departure of Davies, Jennings was joined by skipper Livingstone and a. Successive chase looked on with these two at the crease. Jennings made 69 despite being dropped by Liam Plunkett at cover off Fisher.  He reached double figures by stroking Willey through extra cover to the boundary.

Livingstone hit consecutive fours off Willey, the first was off his legs and the second was a straight drive. He pulled the fifth ball into the party stand for a six and ended the over with a four off his legs. In the next over from the James Anderson end he pulled Plunkett over square leg and just evaded Kohler-Cadmore on the boundary edge.

On 33 he pushed Steven Patterson to mid off and set off for a single.  Wiley’s throw hit the stumps but Jennings was given not out but replays showed him to be short off his ground.

Livingstone effortlessly drove Rashid off his toes for a six over cow corner. In the next over from Plunkett, Livingstone smashed three boundaries. Off his first three balls  but he got too far under the fourth ball and Fisher took a well judged catch at mid on.

Jennings was joined by Vilas and still the Vikings couldn’t stem flow of runs as Lancashire eased their way beyond the required rate.  Eventually they got rid of Jennings when he miscued  drive off Patterson and found Kohler-Cadmore on the square leg boundary.

Vilas top edged a pull off Rashid to give Pujara a simple catch at square leg.  Losing Jennings and Vilas within 14 runs the writing was on the wall for Lancashire.  Jones was the next to go after getting frustrated at not able to get Rashid away went down the wicket was beaten by the googly and was stumped miles out.

Two balls after Hameed pulled Willey to the boundary he was beaten by the pace of Willey and was yorked.  Bohannon chipped Rashid to the bowler and Clark, known for his big hitting, got a leading edge to an on drive and found Patterson at mid off.

From the last five overs Lancashire needed 57 to win and three got 18 off the 46th over bowled by Plunkett with three wides, one of which went for a four.  With two overs left they needed 21 after a dot ball  Bailey had a big swing at Willey and was bowled. Seven balls left 17 needed Willey trapped Parry leg before.

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