‘The Hundred’ Leeds Sunrisers v Welsh Fire at Headingley August 9th

Neil Whitaker reports

    SUNRISERS Leeds beat the Welsh Fire by 71 runs at Headingley to maintain second place in the table while the Welsh Fire have to beat London  Spirit on Wednesday and hope that other results go in their favour.

    Welsh Fire Captain Phil Salt said: “Headingley is a hard place to come and get a win.  They showed that they are a good side in home conditions.  At the halfway stage we thought that a victory was achievable but credit to their bowlers. They  looked a very good organised side.   But  we do need other results to go our way, and this season we have adapted well to the different conditions.  This season  I think that every team has been capable of beating each other.  At the start of the season if you had told me that we would be battling for either second or fourth place I would have bitten your hand off.”

    Mitch Marsh top scored for the Sunrisers with 50.  After the Sunrisers had been put in he was soon carrying on from where he left off last Tuesday night when he pulled Chris Woakes over square leg for a six into the East stand.  He effortlessly placed Sam Cook over long-on for another six followed by a cut to the point boundary.  Jordan Clark’s appearance to the attack was greeted by another Marsh six.

    Ryan Rickleton clipped Marco Jansen for consecutive sixes over mid-wicket, the latter brought up the fifty partnership with Marsh off 23 balls.  He took a couple of paces down the pitch and launched him a straight six into the Howard stand. 60 out of their first 80 runs came in boundaries.

    On 39 Rickleton swung Locke Ferguson to the extra cover boundary looking for another six but Cook on the boundary edge prevented the six he hurt himself when he landed.  

    The Welsh Fire  managed to break the partnership when Rickleton got an outside edge to a drive off Woakes and the ball flew to Ferguson at short third man.   

    Harry Brook got off the mark with a delicate late cut off Woakes which ran to the third man boundary. He hit consecutive sixes off Clark: the first was an edge drive that flew over the point boundary, the second was a flat batted six that went over long-on.  After a dot  ball he drove Clark to Woakes at mid-off.

    Marsh pushed Ferguson to Woakes at mid-off a soft dismissal for an explosive innings but despite losing  him  for 50 the Sunrisers still managed to pass 200 thanks to explosive knocks from Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence helped by local boy  atty Revis. 

    Crawley flicked  Cook off his toes for a six and drilled the next ball straight. He flicked the next ball over square leg which teased the fielder whether it would drop short or creep over the boundary. In the end it cleared the boundary by a mile.  He hit consecutive sixes off Woakes: the first was straight, the second was over long-on and brought up the fifty partnership with Lawrence off 23 balls.  The next ball went high and he picked out Cook on the long-off boundary.

    Lawrence got off the mark when he edged Cook just wide off stumper Salt and the ball ran to the third man boundary.  He helped a short ball from Ferguson on its way to the fine leg boundary.

    For the Welsh Fire,  Woakes took two wickets and held two catches, while Ferguson and Clark took a wicket each.

    The difference between both sides batting was the opening pair as the Welsh Fire pair of Salt and Matty Short didn’t hit sixes as easily as the Sunrisers pair.  Short lofted  Matty Potts for a one bounce four to the deep mid-wicket boundary.  Salt helped a short ball from  Brydon Carse on its way to the fine-leg boundary.  Two balls later he pulled Carse to Revis on the square leg boundary.

    Short edged a drive off Tom Lawes that just made it over the third man boundary for a six.  He scooped Lawes to the fine leg boundary for a one bounce four.  He threw the kitchen sink at Carse as he got the ball to the long-off boundary.  Two balls later looking for a six he found Brook on the long-on boundary.

    Joe Root went down the pitch to Abra Ahmed and hit him straight for a six. He clipped Nathan Ellis off his toes over the mid-wicket boundary.  Having  a swing at the next ball he got an inside edge to stumper Rickleton.  Two balls later Rachin Ravindra tried to make some room to cut a ball that was too close to him and was bowled.

    Cox pulled Lawes over the square leg for a six just clearing the fielder.  He pulled Potts straight down Revis’ throat on the mid-wicket boundary.  Two balls later Jansen drove Carse and Lawes ran round and in from the cover boundary and dived to his right to take a fantastic catch.
  

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