Trott runs hot as Bears take title

The jubilant Warwickshire players celebrate winning the Second Division in the final season of the NatWest Pro40

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Jonathan Trott hit a fine 86 as Warwickshire clinched the NatWest Pro40 Division Two title with a last-ball victory over Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Trott’s summer will surely be remembered for his debut century in England’s Ashes triumph at the Brit Oval, but his contribution today was equally crucial to the Bears’ ending the season with a trophy.

Although he fell to the first delivery of the final over, with five runs required, to induce a bout of nerves amongst his colleagues, and Ant Botha was run out two balls later, Rikki Clarke showed sufficient presence of mind to seal a three-wicket win and usurp Middlesex at the top of the table.

His scampered single to backward square-leg off Tom Smith brought the curtain down on an absorbing game – and the final season of Pro40 cricket, with the competition being jettisoned next year.

Trott’s was an innings of immense composure, at least until he swung Smith to a leaping Paul Horton at midwicket. He had faced 122 balls and struck six fours en route to his highest score in this competition, and deserved the standing ovation he was afforded by the Lancashire members.

Trott received relatively little assistance from his colleagues – Ian Bell’s 28 was the next highest contribution – but he was rarely troubled after he was dropped on four by Paul Horton at slip off Kyle Hogg in the first over of Warwickshire’s reply.

He saw Neil Carter glove Sajid Mahmood’s first ball to a diving Horton moments later, then had his second-wicket stand of 61 with Bell broken when his England team-mate pulled Gary Keedy to midwicket.

Although Jim Troughton swung Keedy to deep backward square-leg and Parry pinned Tim Ambrose in front as Warwickshire slipped to 88 for four, captain Ian Westwood kept Trott company for the addition of 47 runs for the fifth wicket.

Jonathan Trott fell with five runs required, but his mature 86 was central to Warwickshire's pursuit of 167

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When Westwood lifted Steven Mullaney to Hogg at long-off, there seemed little doubt over the outcome of this game, but Lancashire’s discipline with the ball and athleticism in the field left Warwickshire needing five off the final over to win.

Despite Trott’s uncharacteristic heave to leg, and Botha being run out attempting a fanciful single to the wicketkeeper after he had hit his first ball for four, Clarke kept his nerve to make the game safe and spark jubilant scenes on the Warwickshire balcony.

That Lancashire posted a respectable target owed much to the efforts of Steven Croft and Gareth Cross, who made 70 and 34 respectively to help restore stability after they slipped to 47 for four.

The tone was set as early as the fifth over, when Tom Smith was lbw half-forward to Neil Carter.

Luke Procter suffered a miserable debut – he suffered a suspected broken thumb and made just two before he was hurried into a pull by Chris Woakes, and Horton and Mark Chilton lifted Clive Barker to Woakes at deep square-leg in the space of four overs.

Cross relied on careful placement and aggressive running in his mature innings, which featured just three fours, but he was trapped in front by Steffan Piolet before Mullaney perished attempting to sweep Botha.

The left-arm spinner gained further reward for maintaining a disciplined line when he bowled Hogg, Croft having brought up a 75-ball half-century moments earlier.

Circumstances dictated that his innings was a largely composed affair, although he broke with habit by launching Piolet for three perfectly straight sixes in a row in the 38th over.

He was caught by Troughton running in from long-off as he chased another maximum, and Parry and Mahmood offered minimal resistance before succumbing in successive overs.