Birmingham Bears 169 for 9 (Hain 83 *, Brathwaite 52 *) beat Worcestershire Rapids 152 for 6 (Libby 36, Briggs 2-18) by 17 runs
The Birmingham Bears kept their Vitality Blast qualifying hopes alive with a 17 run win against arch-rivals Worcestershire Rapids at Edgbaston.
A win would have secured the Rapids a place in the quarter-finals, but they still have work to do on Sunday in Leicestershire. The Bears, meanwhile, must beat the Northamptonshire Steelbacks at home, hoping other results will come their way.
After deciding to hit, the Bears made 169 for 5, thanks to Sam Hain’s classic unbeaten 83 of 53 balls. Hain was recently overlooked by England’s voters and struck wonderfully with Carlos Brathwaite in an uninterrupted sixth wicket stand of 106 in 67 balls.
The Rapids’ response fell short of 152 for 6. Jake Libby scored the best at 36 balls out of 34, but the chase never quite escaped the shackles put in place by the spin of Danny Briggs, who took 2 for 18 from his four overs.
Losing the early wickets was a recurring problem for the Bears in the group stage and it happened again when they lost both opening games in the first eight balls when Ben Dwarshuis and Dillon Pennington smashed the stumps of Ed Pollock and Adam Hose respectively.
Pennington struck again in his second over when Will Rhodes undercut the third man. Kyle Mayers, who made his debut, picked Ed Barnard for six but was killed trying to repeat the shot when he only found long.
When Rob Yates chipped a return catch against Brett D’Oliveira it was 63 for 5, but Hain and Brathwaite countered with momentum and 40 of an angry attack in the last two overs gave their bowlers something to work with.
The Rapids then also lost both opening games cheaply when D’Oliveira was fouled by Briggs and Jack Haynes lifted the spinner into the deep center of the wicket.
Daryl Mitchell and Libby cleverly rebuilt 53 to 39 balls before both perishing trying to increase their run rate. Mitchell pulled Craig Miles by the rope to his pants and Miles was the catcher when Libby hoisted Rhodes by the leg.
Ben Cox beat Jake Lintott for short third man and Ed Barnard’s dangerous cameo ended when Miles tore out his middle stump. A goal of 29 from the last two overs turned out to be way beyond the Pears after Brathwaite’s first of those overs cost only six.