U19s with upper hand before rain
ENGLAND U19s warmed up for their first fourday match against India with a promising batting display in a two-day fixture against the Unicorns in Loughborough.
This encounter with the Unicorns was reduced to a oneday affair because of rain on Thursday, but with almost 100 overs on the opening day, there was plenty for England to take out of the fixture.
They will play the first of the two four-day games against the Indians at Chesterfield, with the game starting on Sunday.
Here they were able to call on skipper Max Holden, dubbed the next Alastair Cook for his exploits with Northamptonshire this season, who top-scored with 64 as England declared on 270-7.
However, it was contributions lower down the order which will have been just as pleasing for Young Lions coach Andy Hurry before the clashes with the Indians.
Although each of the top four had managed to get themselves in, two wickets apiece for Cumberland’s Toby Bulcock and Herefordshire’s Peter Burgoyne left England 166-4 and in need of a stabilising partnership.
They got more than that as Will Jacks and Ben Green came together to crack 79 off just 12 overs, with the former making 63 from 62 balls.
Green was even more attacking, ending up unbeaten on 56 from just 48 deliveries to take England to a sizable total before they called time on their innings.
That left them with 40 overs to bowl at the Unicorns, and in Worcestershire’s Josh Tongue and Warwickshire’s Henry Brookes, they had a promising opening bowling pairing.
While both looked threatening, neither could find the breakthrough, and instead it was Durham’s Matt Potts who broke the deadlock.
Having been the last man out before the declaration, making two, Potts showed his ability with the ball, removing both Edward Kilbee (20), bowled, and Sam Arthurton (22), caught behind, to leave the Unicorns at 52-2.
Green followed up his fine knock by removing Unicorns skipper Chris Whittock LBW for 18 and the Minor Counties side looked to be in trouble at 79-3.
They then mounted something of a fightback though, with Waqas Hussain (32no) and Michael-Kyle Pepper (36no) coming together and putting on an unbroken stand of 57 to end the day.
The game looked to be perfectly poised heading into the second day, however rain put paid to any hopes of a result, with England now turning their attention to India.