Bears enjoy innings win in Trophy

WARWICKSHIRE sealed a historic first-class double as they claimed the Bob Willis Trophy with an innings-and-199-run victory over Lancashire at Lord’s yesterday.

Needing four wickets to collect another honour a week after being crowned winners of the County Championship, Warwickshire took just 70 minutes on day four to bring the curtain down on the English season.

Resuming on 171 for six, Lancashire needed 269 runs just to make their opponents bat again and while there was some spirit among their lower order – Luke Wood making 28 and Tom Bailey 24, they subsided to 241 all out.

In truth, the Red Rose, the championship runners-up, were second favourites after they slipped to 12 for six on the first morning and, while they battled to 78, Warwickshire racked up 518 to underline their superiority.

Danny Briggs and Liam Norwell finished with three wickets apiece in Lancashire’s second innings as Warwickshire scooped a trophy named in honour of their ex-fast bowler, who served with some distinction from 1972 to 1984.

Any thought of victory for Lancashire had long since gone when Rob Jones and Wood came out to bat on an overcast Friday morning, now only seeking to avoid their heaviest ever firstclass loss. Some lusty blows from their lower order ensured they progressed past the innings-and220-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies in 1950.

Warwickshire had to wait 11 overs for the initial breakthrough but it came via first-class debutant Manraj Johal, whose fuller length delivery clattered into the leg stump of Wood. Jones missed a tentative prod forward to go lbw to Briggs, who had Jack Blatherwick stumped in his next over before Bailey got a top-edge to Norwell, with wicketkeeper Michael Burgess taking a superb catch.