Leicestershire 267 for 7 (Swindells 117*, Evans 60) beat Hampshire 265 for 8 (Dawson 57, Prest 51) by two wickets
Leicestershire produced a stunning performance to win the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final, coming back from the brink of ruin after being reduced to 19 for 4 by Hampshire to triumph by two runs off the very last ball.
The scale of this achievement has many strands. This is the county’s first List A trophy since 1985, and first trophy outright since lifting the T20 Blast in 2011, which was also their last visit to a final. But a much-maligned club, often the first to be mooted for the chop during the annual idle chats of trimming the County Cricket fat, have been driven to success by hometown heroes.
Harry Swindells carried the fightback with a maiden List A century, taking the score from 89 for 6 to 267 for 7 with an unbeaten 117. The guts of that rebuilding effort came in a 151-run stand with Sam Evans, whose own 60 was also a career-best in this format.
Both Evans and Swindells are Leicester-born and bred, having come through the age-group set-up at Grace Road. And it was another academy product, Josh Hull, who held his nerve to defend eight off the final over, which included dismissing Liam Dawson for 57, just as it looked like the England allrounder was about to take his side over the line.
Keith Barker, who took three of those opening four Leicestershire wickets inside 40 deliveries under overcast skies, had the opportunity to finish what he had started, but could only work a low full toss from Hull to midwicket when four was required off the final ball. Hull finished with 2 for 75, the first of which was the valuable scalp of Tom Prest for 51.
Full report to follow.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo
