Neil Whitaker reports from Chesterfield

YORKSHIRE Vikings kept their hopes of reaching the knock out stages of the Royal London cup alive with a one wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons at Chesterfied with 18.1 overs remaining.

However the pitch was not suitable for a one day match because the ball kept low and the next ball rose well above head height.only two batters scored above 20 and those were Vikings Matthew Waite who top scored in the match  with 23  George Hill who made 21. 

But Vikings Royal London coach Ali Maiden said: “We found  a way to win it.  It was a tough chase and both teams did everything to win on it, there was always a ball with your name on it.  I thought we made the most of bowling first on it.”

The Falcons were put in by Vikings skipper Jonny Tattersall and they were dismissed for 109 in 42.4 overs. Harry Came top scored for them with 19.  Matty McKiernan hit 17, talender  Ben Atchson,  who was ninth man out, made 16, Billy Godleman reached 16 and   Brooke Guest who hit 12 were the only Falcon double figure scorers. To make matters worse for the Falcons they could also face a points deduction. For the second time in a week a Falcons batter went to the crease with an over sized bat this time it was Shan Masood.

The state of the pitch  was soon evident when Falcons opener Luis Reece was hit by a rising ball from Ben Coad before he had scored.

Godleman, on nine went the pitch to Waite and managed to get an outside edge to drive him to the extra cover boundary.  In the next over he went down the pitch to Coad and got an outside edge to third man for a couple.  He never looked comfortable as he fiddled and nibbled at a couple of balls outside his off stump and soon he was back in the hutch when he got a leading edge to give  Coad a simple return catch.

Reece was done by another leading edge when Waite angled one in at him and the ball speared out to Tattersall at backward point.

Waite put down a difficult return catch in his follow through from Shan Masood on five.  But the drop wasn’t expensive, without adding to his score Shan Masood got an inside edge to Waite and stumper Harry Duke took a good catch moving to his left.

The Falcons’ batters couldn’t put bat to ball as they scored one run in six overs. Waite bowling from the Lake end got one that didn’t bounce but in the next over from the Lake end Revis got one to bounce well over  Guest’s head and Duke had to leap miles in the air to take the ball, evidence of the state  of the pitch.

A cover drive from Guest off Revis to the boundary was the first Falcons boundary in 10 overs. Came edged another one that kept low but ran to the fine leg boundary. Guest cut Loten to the point boundary before he fell leg leg before to Coad to one that kept low.

Anuj Dal edged a drive off Revis and Tattersall at point took a low catch. Came pushed forward at slow left arm spinner Harry Sullivan and was bowled. Mark Watt played down the wrong line to Revis and was comprehensively bowled.

McKiernan swung a full toss from Sullivan over square leg for the only six of the Falcons innings, which took the pitch out of the equation. He hung around for 15 overs, got the Falcons past the hundred mark and reached 17 when he drove over Revis and was plumb leg before. 

Atchison was bowled by Sullivan by one that shot along the ground. Potts tried to sweep Shutt but missed the ball and was plumb leg before.

In the Vikings chase after hitting a quick 12 in 13 balls Will Fraine was bowled by Sam. Conners with another  one that didn’t rise at all.

The state of the pitch was evident again when Duke was nearly beaten by one that rolled on the ground, he hit a a four through square leg, hit in the box and on the head all by Atchison in one over.

On five Duke chipped Atchison to Reece at mid on but he couldn’t hold on to it.  He atoned for that drop when Duke mistimed a pull off Conners and Reece at mid on scrambled to take the catch.

Atchison angled one across the left handed Finlay Bean took the shoulder of his bat and Dal at point took a brilliant one handed catch.

Tattersall drove Potts to the extra cover boundary to relief the pressure on the Vikings and in the next over he pulled Atchison to the mid wicket boundary. He tried to turn the next to leg but hit a leading edge and Atchison took a return catch diving to his left.

Waite thumped two boundaries in two overs, the first off Potts and the second off Atchison.  Hill edged a four off Atchison that ran along the ground through the slips.

Waite powered Potts to the extra cover boundary.  In the next over he edged Watt between stumper Guest and Atchison at slip and the ball ran to the boundary.  He pulled Conners to the mid wicket boundary to take him into the 20’s.  Waite tried to cut the next ball but it was too close to him and he played on.

Revis went to drive Conners but edged him to Watt at first slip. Hill went  down the pitch to Watt and drove him to the extra cover boundary.  After Tom  Loten had clubbed Conners to the cover boundary, Conners came back and bowled Loten.  With nine runs needed Hill top edged Aitchison to keeper Guest.

After Potts had bowled a wide, Sullivan edged the next ball to the boundary to take the Vikings two short off victory.  He drilled the next ball to mid on for a single. With the last ball of the over Potts came back and yorked Coad.  But 19 year old Sullivan kept and scrambled the single to take the Vikings over the line.
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