Worcestershire Seconds gained a thrilling double over their Leicestershire counterparts in the Second Eleven T20 competition at Chester Road, Kidderminster today.
The home side won the opening game by three runs and then secured a four wicket win with five balls to spare in the second encounter.
Worcestershire collected a total of four points from their two matches in a competition where the top two from each group go into the semi-finals.
Leicestershire put Worcestershire into bat in Game One and openers Tom Fell (18 off nine balls) and Joe Clarke (27 off 12 with five fours a six) gave the innings early momentum.
Alexei Kervezee (32 off 23) and Alex Gidman (27 off 27) added 52 in seven overs for the third wicket and then Will Fraine pushed the final total up to 164-7 by striking an unbeaten 27 off 16 balls.
Leicestershire looked to be in control as a second wicket stand of 77 between Lewis Hill (44) and former New Road batsman Neil Pinner (45) steered them to 97-1 in the 11th over.
But then wickets started to tumble, with paceman Chris Russell claiming 3-24 on his return from an ankle injury.
Leg spinner Darrel Williams also bowled tightly and Leicestershire fell just short on 161-8.
The visitors again won the toss in Game Two but this time elected to bat and openers Aadil Ali (61 off 51 balls) and JD Marshall (65 off 53) put on 123 for the first wicket.
But the three spinners, Williams, skipper Shaaiq Choudhry and George Rhodes, kept the innings in check and conceded only 66 runs in their combined 11 overs as Leicestershire closed on 161-2.
Clarke was again in ultra aggressivemood as he raced to 30 off just 10 balls with three sixes and two fours.
Gidman (36 from 35 balls) steadied the innings during a fifth wicket stand of 43 with Rhodes.
But it was the aggression of Rhodes and, for a second time, Fraine which saw Worcestershire over the finishing line.
Fraine collected 4-2-4-1 from the opening four balls of the penultimate over from Alex Wyatt and Rhodes 4-1 off the remaining two deliveries.
A boundary from the first ball of the final over by George Corbett by Rhodes clinched victory.
Rhodes finished unbeaten on 46 from 32 balls with six boundaries and Fraine 11 not out from four.
GAME ONE
Worcestershire 2nds
Fell c Marshall b Corbett 18
Clarke c Marshall b Wyatt 27
Kervezee c Hill b Ali 32
Gidman c Chappell b Ali 27
Hepburn run out 7
Choudhry st Swindells b Pinner 5
Rhodes c Hill b Wyatt 8
Fraine not out 27
Russell not out 2
Extras 11
Total (for 7 wickets) 164
FOW: 35, 46, 98, 112, 124, 130, 143
Bowling Pinner 1-27, Wyatt 2-26, Corbett 1-22, Ali 2-10.
Leicestershire Seconds
Ali c and b Russell 11
Hill b Williams 44
Pinner c and b Choudhry 45
Sayer c and b Williams 1
Chappell b Russell 12
Marshall c Fell b Rhodes 11
Kurtz not out 8
Freckingham b Rhodes 5
Corbett b Russell 3
Swindells not out 6
Extras 15
Total (for 8 wickets) 161
FOW: 20, 97, 99, 119, 127, 138, 149, 155
Bowling
Kervezee 1-0-11-0
Choudhry 4-0-28-1
Russell 4-0-24-3
Hepburn 1-0-17-0
Rhodes 3-0-20-2
Wade 2-0-20-0
Gidman 1-0-9-0
Williams 4-0-24-2
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GAME TWO
Leicestershire 2nds
Ali c Hepburn b Williams 61
Marshall c Williams b Russell 65
Pinner not out 27
Sayer not out 6
Extras 2
Total (for 2 wickets) 161
FOW: 123, 128
Bowling
Kervezee 1-0-13-0
Wade 3-0-30-0
Russell 4-0-36-1
Hepburn 1-0-14-0
Williams 4-0-32-1
Choudhry 4-0-20-0
Rhodes 3-0-14-0
Worcestershire 2nds
Clarkec and b Wyatt 30
Choudhry b Wyatt 12
Gidman c Pinner b Sayer 36
Kervezee c Marshall b Sayer 11
Fell b Sayer 1
Rhodes not out 46
Hepburn c Swindells b Hurt 12
Fraine not out 11
Extras 5
Total (for six wickets) 164 in 19.1 overs
FOW: 44, 44, 66, 75, 118, 143
Bowling: Sayer 3-19, Hurt 1-45, Wyatt 2-39
