Northern Supercharges v Welsh Fire July 24th

Neil Whitaker reports

JONNY Bairstow  returned to Emerald Headingley and top scored with 56 for  the Welsh Fire as they beat the Northern Supercharges by five runs in front of a crowd over 10,000.

The Welsh Fire were sent into bat and  made 173 in their hundred balls. The Visitors lost their first wicket with the score on 43 when Tom Banton was hit on his foot by Brydon Carse and was given not out, the Supercharges reviewed it  and Banton was back in the hutch.

Bairstow was in supreme firm as pulled Mujeeb for a huge six into the Western Terrace to bring up his fifty from 29 balls with three sixes and five fours.  When he was not hitting boundaries he was haring  between the twickets with Ben Duckett as the pair didn’t look in any trouble until Bairstow pulled Ben Stokes to David Willey on the mid wicket boundary. With Duckett they added 50 for the second wicket.

Duckett didn’t t seem to be scoring but he was, and was the next to go when he bottom edged a pull off Adil Rashid and and found Marty  Potts running in from the deep mid wicket boundary.

The runs for the Welsh Fire kept coming  as Glenn Phillips  hit Rashid straight for a six into the middle tier off the Emerald stand and slapped Marty Potts to the long off boundary.  Trying to repeat the shot he found Adam Lyth  at mid off.

The Welsh Fire innings was finished off when Ian  Cockbain straight drove Carse for a six off the final set of five balls and two balls later he pulled him effortlessly for a four and pulled the final ball for a six.

A target of 174 looked a big ask  but Lyth got the Supercharges chase off to a good start by clipping the second ball from David  Payne off his legs to the square leg boundary and driving the next ball to the long on boundary.  After a quiet over from Matt  Critchley, Lyth drove Ball’s second ball for a six over mid wicket but Lyth was the first to go  when he sliced a drive off Critchley to Banton at point.

He opening partner Chris Lynn was the next to go when he pulled Qais Ahmad to Cockbain on the square leg boundary.  Lynn was the first of Qais Ahmed’s three victims for 13 off his 20 balls.

Ben Stokes went for a big hit off Ball but found Phillip running in from the cover boundary.  Three runs later on Qais Ahmad got his second wicket when Willey cut him to Critchley at deep point.

Harry Brook who has been in brilliant form  for the Vikings top scored for the Supercharges with 62.  Both Tom Kohler-Cadmore  and Brook hit sixes using the pace off Ball and Liam Plunkett but it was  Brook who took charge of the partnership.   His second six was a graceful one over cover then he blasted  Jamie Neesham for a straight four and rubbed salt into the wound by pulling the next ball for a six. Brook brought up his fifty 21 balls when he swept Ahmad for a couple  with three fours and four sixes. 

The partnership was broken when Kohler-Cadmore  was run out going for a second by a combination of Phillips and Bairstow after adding 69 for the fifth wicket.

John Simpson drove Ahmad to Cockbain on the long on boundary.  After adding a single to the total Brook tried to work Ahmad towards leg but missed the ball was leg before for 62.

Brook said: “I felt like I was in good nick out there, it was just a shame I couldn’t get us over the line.  I’ve said a few times I want to be a match winner, and in the end I wasn’t. I batted nicely, but it wasn’t enough.

I had the same method. I was seven off seven balls and tried to kick on. I felt like I knew what they were trying to bowl all the way through - cutters into pitch. That opened up the off-side if they got it slightly wrong.  Then I tried to beat the deep square men when they went straight.

It’s always an amazing crowd here when it’s packed. I can’t wait for some more.”

The match looked over for the Supercharges but they kept finding the boundary. Carse got under one from Critchley and got a straight six but he couldn’t get a touch to the next two balls but lofted the next ball for a six leaving the Supercharges to get 23 from 10 balls.

On seven Potts top edged Payne over short third to Ball but as he fell he dropped the ball.  He top edged the next  ball over Bairstow’s head for a six. The Superchargers needed 11 from 5 balls to be bowled by Payne.  The first four went for singles and the fourth smashed into Payne’s head before rebounding off for a single. Potts went for a big shot of square leg but it fell short.

FULL SCORECARD