JEETAN Patel’s four wickets helped the Warwickshire Bears make it three wins from three Clydesdale Bank 40 Group C games with an easy eight-wicket victory over the Northamptonshire Steelbacks. The New Zealand spinner took a superb four for 27 and Keith Barker three for 27 as the Steelbacks were bundled out for only 148, with only Alex Wakely providing any resistance in making 62 off 78 balls.
The Bears were comfortably able to chase down their small target with 44 deliveries to spare as Varun Chopra made an unbeaten 87 from 117 balls.
Meanwhile, Gary Ballance’s unbeaten century carried Yorkshire to an eight-wicket win over the Unicorns at Scarborough.
Left-armers Ryan Sidebottom and Mitchell Starc took three wickets apiece as the visitors were bowled out for 184 despite an unbeaten 83 from keeper Tom New. The Tykes slipped to 26 for two but Adam Lyth (60 not out) joined Ballance – who hit 103 from 91 balls with eight fours and four sixes – in an unbroken stand of 160.
A Michael Carberry hundred and a fluent half-century from Jimmy Adams led Hampshire to a comfortable nine-wicket Group B win over Somerset, their third in succession. Somerset had posted 212 for nine after losing the toss, with Nick Compton (81) and Jos Buttler (71) sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 121.
Scotland’s second highest 40-over total proved nowhere near enough to test Durham in their Clydesdale Bank 40 League match at Chester-le-Street.
A century by South African Jean Symes propelled the Saltires to 258 for four after being put in. But on a run-laden pitch, Durham cruised to an eight-wicket victory with 6.3 overs to spare. Mark Stoneman made his maiden one-day hundred, remaining unbeaten on 136 off 117 balls, and Phil Mustard contributed 91 to an opening stand of 207.
Phil Hughes marked his return to county cricket after a two-year break by blasting a century on his Clydesdale Bank 40 debut for Worcestershire against former club Middlesex in Group A.
Three days after flying into England, the Australian batsman led the Royals’ late dash to 235 for five and left-arm paceman Jack Shantry sealed a 56-run victory with three wickets in an over as Middlesex folded for 179.