Bears break their duck

Ian Westwood's patient innings led Warwickshire to the victory

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Ian Westwood’s go-slow 64 from 116 balls proved more than enough for Warwickshire Bears to record their first win of the season in the Midlands Division of the Friends Provident Trophy.

The diminutive right-hander was the cornerstone of a Bears total of 173, which looked well short of what was required when Nottinghamshire Outlaws reached 61 for one off just 11 overs.

But the hosts then suffered a spectacular collapse, losing their last nine wickets for just 60 runs to hand Warwickshire victory by 52 runs.

Seamers Neil Carter and James Anyon starred with the ball, left-armer Carter finishing with 3-25 while Anyon demolished the tail with career-best figures of 3-6 from five overs.

Warwickshire hit only nine boundaries in their 50 overs, a total equalled by Notts just before the wickets began to tumble.

Opener Will Jefferson shrugged off the early loss of partner Matt Wood with eight fours in 41 from 42 balls but then pulled Carter to midwicket, the first of three wickets to fall in 13 balls.

Adam Voges played on to Naqaash Tahir and Mark Wagh was yorked by a Carter in-swinger.
Outlaws captain Chris Read responded in confident fashion with a bullish front-foot cut off Tahir before Samit Patel cut to the waiting point fielder.

Read then received a dubious lbw decision after being hit on the pad playing well forward and outside off-stump to Chris Woakes.

James Anyon removed the dangerous Mark Ealham on his way to a career-best 3-6 © Getty Images

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That left only Graeme Swann and Mark Ealham as recognised batsmen and when Ealham became the first of Anyon’s three victims, the writing was on the wall.

Anyon, 25, bowled Darren Pattinson and had Luke Fletcher leg before off consecutive balls with Swann last to fall lbw to Ant Botha as Notts suffered their first defeat in the competition this season.

Warwickshire went into the game still looking for their first win after five matches but there was little sign of that run ending when seamer Pattinson picked up three early wickets.

And when Westwood and Jim Troughton got involved in a horrible mix-up looking for a third run off the bowling of Fletcher, the resulting run-out left the Bears at 36 for four.

Westwood looked like the culprit and dug in to try to rescue the situation, eliminating almost all attacking shots.

The score slowed to a crawl before the introduction of Patel’s left-arm spin removed Mike Powell leg before, while Richard Johnson tamely flicked Swann to midwicket.

Westwood then gave Patel a return catch and Woakes was bowled after missing an attempted slog-sweep.

Pattinson returned to run out Tahir backing up to an Botha drive before the innings was closed with a spectacular leaping catch by Voges on the long-on boundary to remove Botha for 27.