Date-stamped : 14 Jul97 - 10:21
McCain Trophy: Maddy a winner all round

By Andrew Collomosse at Scarborough

Leicestershire (247-4) bt Essex (246-6) by one run

DARREN   MADDY   emerged   as the unlikely hero as Leicestershire
lifted the McCain Challenge Trophy by the narrowest of margins.

Maddy had already claimed three wickets for 20  runs   from   his
first  four   overs   when  he began the last over with Essex re-
quiring nine for victory. The occasional seamer kept his head  to
deprive  Darren  Robinson  of  a century and Essex of the victory
that had looked a formality when Maddy began his spell with   the
opposition  on 204 for two, needing 44 from the last eight overs.

That  position  of  strength  had been established  by  a  third-
wicket  partnership  of  130  in 18 overs by Robinson and  Ronnie
Irani, whose 68 came from 56 balls and included  five  sixes  and
three fours.

Yet   once  Maddy  had taken a fine diving return catch to remove
Irani, the  Essex  innings   folded   with   Maddy,   Leicester`s
eighth  bowler,  removing  Paul  Grayson  and Danny Law, and Neil
Johnson snapping up Stephen Peters.

Maddy duly lifted the Man of the Match award, yet  in  truth  Es-
sex  contributed   to  their own downfall with a series of lapses
in the field.

For Leicester, who won the toss and chose to bat in  a  game  re-
duced  to 40  overs  by  morning rain, should never have been al-
lowed to reach such a formidable target built  around  a  fourth-
wicket  stand   of   67  in  eight overs  by  Ben  Smith and  Jon
Dakin. Dakin was missed three times, and  Paul  Nixon  and  Maddy
were also put down.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)

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