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NCL2: Run Feast at Lord's

Monday, August 18 2003

England reject Owais Shah was the driving force behind Middlesex's high-scoring win over Nottinghamshire at Lord's, hitting a sensational 56-ball 91* including 11 fours and 2 sixes as the hosts set a daunting 300-5, Chad Keegan contributing 50 at nearly a run a ball and Oxford Blue Jamie Dalrymple hitting 14* off just seven balls after Paul Weekes' solid 72 at the top of the order. Kiwi Chris Cairns' nine overs went for a huge 78 runs, though he did bowl Weekes. Paul Franks, with 2/53, was the pick.

Nottinghamshire's reply was nothing if not spirited, but it was also consistent and inconsistent in equal measure as six of the top seven scored between 29 and 38, none of them going on to make the big score needed to challenge the target. Keegan (3/38), Dalrymple (2/29) and Weekes (2/34) were the stars with the ball as well as the Outlaws were bowled out with 11 balls to spare with their score at 263, 37 behind the Crusaders.

Meanwhile at the Rose Bowl, there were nothing like as many runs on show. Hampshire saw off the challenge of Derbyshire as Dmitri Mascarenhas put in a fine display. The all-rounder bowled exceptionally economically to return figures of 9-5-11-2 as he and Chris Tremlett (4/26) reduced the visitors to 73/6 before Graeme Welch (24) put on 53 with Dominic Cork for the seventh wicket. When Cork was caught by John Crawley off Chaminda Vaas' final ball of the innings, 158/9 was a lot better than it could have been.

However, it still was nothing like enough as, despite Welch's tight 1/16 off seven overs and Lian Wharton's two wickets, Mascarenhas once again played a decisive part in the innings. He struck 28 off 25 balls with five boundaries including one maximum as the Hawks soared past the Scorpions' target with 9.2 overs remaining to record their tenth win from eleven games and all but seal promotion.

CricketWeb Player of the Round - Dmitri Mascarenhas

Posted by Neil