FRIENDS PROVIDENT TROPHY, GROUP B, The Grange
Warwickshire 242-6 beat Scotland 187 by 50 runs (D/L) (Warwicks 2pts)

Jim Troughton hit seven fours in his 77 off 125 balls at The Grange

Warwickshire gave their hopes of making the last eight of the Friends Provident Trophy a boost by dodging the showers to beat Scotland in Edinburgh.

Jim Troughton top scored for the Bears as they ran up 242-6 from 50 overs.

But, chasing a reduced target after a rain break, Scotland were bowled out for 187 to lose by 50 runs.

South African all-rounder Ant Botha, who had earlier hit an unbeaten 37, was the Bears' most successful bowler, taking 3-27 from his nine overs.

The Saltires put in a vastly improved fielding performance to restrict Warwickshire to 242-6.

Having won the toss, the Bears were put in on a pitch soaked by early morning Scotch mist.

Craig Wright and Gordon Drummond made the most of the conditions, being rewarded when England's Ian Bell skied a simple catch to Jan Stander at mid-off.

After Tim Ambrose was caught in the deep by Fraser Watts, Troughton and skipper Ian Westwood were content to bide their time. But when they tried to lift the tempo they came unstuck.

Westwood miscued a cut to Gavin Hamilton on 25 and when Drummond was brought back to the attack he clean bowled Rikki Clarke and Troughton in his first over.

Once Troughton departed, the rain came down and the Warwickshire innings might have fizzled out but for an astonishing 26 off Stander's final over.

Botha cracked him for three consecutive boundaries before Stander inexplicably decided to end the innings with a bouncer so short that it cleared the keeper's head and went to the boundary.

The free hit from the resulting no-ball also went to the rope, to continue a late assault that saw 43 come off the final three overs.

Scotland began brightly under a dark sky, Irishman Boyd Rankin's first three overs being despatched for 30 before being retired to the third man boundary.

Gavin Hamilton and Ryan Watson continued to attack, with one eye on the Duckworth/Lewis machine.

But, once Watson had his middle stump uprooted by Keith Barker on 16, the runs dried up and Scotland fell behind the required rate.

The Scots' cause was not helped when a visiting supporter ran onto the pitch and made off with one of the bails.

The man left The Grange by climbing over a wall. And, two balls later, Neil McCallum departed the arena in a more conventional fashion, caught at square leg sweeping.

Stander was then caught behind, Simon Smith caught on the boundary. And, although Wright came out swinging, to hit 28 from 19 balls, Borgas threw his wicket away on 35.

And Warwickshire wrapped up the points with 20 balls to spare.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version