Knight's shining stand reaps dividends

Cricket: NatWest Trophy

JON CULLEY

reports from Edgbaston

Warwickshire 357-3 Somerset 339-9 Warwickshire win by 18 runs

Nick Knight, who rejected a new contract with Essex to join Warwickshire on reportedly lucrative terms during the winter, delivered a significant pay off on his new county's investment here yesterday with a superb match- winning innings of 151.

In perfect batting conditions, the 25-year-old left-hander batted almost throughout his side's 60 overs, losing his wicket with three balls left as Warwickshire recorded their highest score in the competition against another first-class county.

Knight shared a partnership of 178 for the first wicket with Andy Moles, another county record in 60-overs cricket, which ended on the stroke of lunch when the latter, 10 short of his century, fell attempting to sweep the leg spinner, Mushtaq Ahmed. His colleague, on 77 then in the 38th over, moved into three figures himself in the 50th out of 241 for 1.

The final 10 overs proved to be the decisive phase, during which 118 runs were added, mainly the result of Knight and Dominic Ostler extending their partnership to 146 over 20 overs in a ferocious assault on a depleted Somerset attack, of which Jason Kerr and Graham Rose bore the brunt.

Ostler's 76 came off only 59 deliveries with seven fours and four sixes, causing Somerset to regret deeply Kerr's spilled catch at deep backward square when he had made 22. Knight's final 51 runs came off a mere 24 balls and included three sixes.

Somerset began shakily, losing two wickets for 32, but scented an unlikely victory while Richard Harden and Keith Parsons were putting on 134 in 22 overs for the fourth wicket. With 20 overs left, Somerset needed 141, which made it quite possible they would reach their target, even though it was 36 more than any side batting second had scored to win a match in this competition.

But a moment's indecisiveness against the off-spin of Neil Smith cost Harden his wicket just after he had reached his century and sparked a collapse from 227 for 3 to 235 for 7 after which, despite Piran Holloway's unbeaten 50, Somerset could not quite get close enough to prevent Warwickshire's progress in the one trophy to escape them last season.