BEARS’ PICNIC by Marcus Hook
Warwickshire Bears 244-4 (42.1 overs) v Surrey Lions 242-9 (45 overs). Warwickshire Bears win by 6 wickets.

Surrey suffered their first National League defeat of the season as the Warwickshire Bears romped home with 17 balls to spare after the visitors had made what they probably felt was a challenging 242 for nine.

The Bears’ six-wicket victory was built on the foundation of a second-wicket partnership of 131 in 23 overs between Nick Knight and Jonathan Trott – a club record for this fixture, beating the previous best set by Dennis Amiss and Andy Lloyd at The Oval in 1981.

Three wickets then fell in seven balls as Knight, who had just been dropped by the keeper (who was standing up to Martin Bicknell), swept Ian Salisbury to short fine leg. Trott drove the leg-spinner to long-on and Bicknell then had Jim Troughton leg before third ball. But with Bell and Powell combining for an unbeaten 92 in just 14 overs, the result was never again in doubt.

Warwickshire, who, like Surrey, have qualified for next weekend’s Twenty20 Cup finals’ day and have also won their last four National League games, are currently the form side in one-day cricket – which is a blessing given their showing in this season’s County Championship.

After Neil Carter had edged Azhar Mahmood to slip in the sixth over of the reply, things began to look discouraging for the visitors when Jonathan Trott drove Martin Bicknell through extra cover for four and then pulled him for two further boundaries in the eleventh over.

Having hit just one four in the first 16 overs, Nick Knight led the assault on Jimmy Ormond – who conceded 61 off his full allocation. At one point the former England opener launched him over long-off. But, arguably, the best innings came from Ian Bell who drove and cut his way to an undefeated 59 off 47 balls.

Earlier, thanks to their old boy, Waqar Younis, Surrey were 45 for three in the twelfth over. Mark Butcher was lbw without scoring, Alistair Brown was brilliantly caught at slip – to give Waqar his 100th wicket in one-day league cricket – and Graham Thorpe got the thinnest on thin edges to the keeper.

Mark Ramprakash then shared in stands of 42 and 47 with Ian Ward and Adam Hollioake, both of whom were conquered by spin. Ward, who made an attractive 21, was stumped by the Bears’ makeshift keeper Trevor Penney off the bowling of Neil Smith. Hollioake, who struck Collins Obuya’s first ball straight down the ground for six, was bowled for 25 attempting to do likewise four overs later.

But Ramprakash cut and pulled his way to his fifth score over fifty this season – 57 off 84 balls – in ten one-day innings before getting an inside edge on to leg stump in the 33rd over, bowled by Dougie Brown.

However, with three fours coming off Brown’s next over, he was pulled out of the attack. After Azhar was caught by Troughton running in from long-off, Jonathan Batty and Martin Bicknell combined for a valuable 32 in five overs, but the innings ended with a real flourish when Salisbury hit three sixes off the last five balls.

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