Dominant Birmingham Bears Cruise to 90-Run Victory over Northamptonshire
On a thrilling day of backyard cricket action, the Birmingham Bears showcased their prowess in a dominant 90-run victory over Northamptonshire. Batting first, the Bears got off to a blistering start thanks to an 80-run opening stand between Ed Barnard (T20-best 48) and skipper Al Davies (36). The middle order also chipped in, with Dan Mousley’s 43 off 29 balls setting the stage for a late onslaught by Bethell.
Bethell’s remarkable 16-ball knock, which included an “other worldly half-century of pure range hitting” featuring seven sixes, propelled the Bears to a season-high total of 219-4. The hard-hitting all-rounder credited his offseason work and the resulting confidence for his impressive display, telling BBC Radio WM, “I put in a lot of work over the winter which I spent over here rather than going away, and I think that work is paying off.”
Despite two early wickets from the miserly England paceman Richard Gleeson, who has been averaging less than five runs per over in this competition, Northamptonshire’s challenge faltered, and they were restricted to 129-9, losing by a significant margin of 90 runs.
The Bears’ triumph, however, came at a cost, as Gleeson sustained a side strain, further depleting their bowling options ahead of the Midlands derby against Worcestershire on Friday. The absence of England all-rounder Chris Woakes, who was rested, also left the Bears’ bowling lineup in a slightly weaker position.
Yorkshire Secure Victory Over Lancashire Despite Late Scare
Elsewhere, Yorkshire’s batting effort against Lancashire was underpinned by a solid 104-run stand between skipper Shan Masood (61) and former England captain Joe Root (43), guiding them to a competitive total of 173-8. Saqib Mahmood’s three-wicket haul and Chris Green’s impressive figures of 2-21 from four overs kept the opposition in check, despite Lancashire’s bright start. Ultimately, Lancashire fell short by seven runs, finishing on 166-8 and failing to achieve the 20 runs needed off the final over.
“I put in a lot of work over the winter which I spent over here rather than going away, and I think that work is paying off.” – Bethell
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