Worcestershire Rapids regained the Norman Gifford Trophy when they defeated Vitality Blast North Group leaders and local rivals Birmingham Bears by 55 runs under the Edgbaston floodlights.
A superb all-rounder performance by Matthew Waite helped the Rapids triumph for the second time in 24 hours after last night’s win over Leicestershire Foxes.
The Rapids final total of 187-6 was boosted by a remarkable display of hitting from Waite who smashed 34 off the final over from George Garton with FIVE sixes.
He then again showed his prowess with the ball by finishing with 4-29 as the Bears were bowled out for 132 in the final over.
Waite had returned the most successful bowling figures in the Rapids T20 history with 5-21 versus the Foxes.
Kashif Ali, Josh Cobb, Ethan Brookes and Nathan Smith also made important contributions with the bat against the Bears.
Then Tom Taylor again showed his class with the ball and the Rapids leading wicket-taker took his tally for the season to 17 with a return of 3-31.
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It was an excellent display and achieved despite Smith being unable to bowl after picking up an injury while batting.
Worcestershire made two changes from the side which defeated the Foxes with Rob Jones and Smith replacing injured Club captain, Brett D’Oliveira, and young pace bowler Harry Darley.
Worcestershire T20 vice-captain, Adam Hose, won the toss against his former club and opted to bat in a match reduced to 17 overs per side because of pre-match rain.
Included in the Warwickshire side was Moeen Ali who was playing against Worcestershire for the first ever time after 16 years as a player at New Road.
Ed Pollock (0) was caught at mid wicket off the second delivery of the innings from Zak Foulkes.
Kashif Ali onto a short ball from George Garton, who shared the new ball, and smashed it over the mid-wicket boundary.
He then angled a delivery down to the ropes at wide third man and also pulled Garton for four in an over costing 15 runs.
Cobb got into his stride by lofting Foulkes straight back down the ground and then carved him away for another boundary.
The Rapids 50 came up in exactly five overs after Kashif swept spinner Danny Briggs backward of square for another maximum.
Birmingham put the accent on spin despite the handicap of a wet ball.
Cobb, having played well to make 24 off 16 balls, was caught at cover off Moeen after adding 56 with Kashif who then pulled Jake Lintott for his third six.
Kashif’s fine knock – 46 off 30 balls – came to an end when he aimed to cut Moeen and was caught behind by Chris Benjamin at 82-3 in the 10th over.
Hose (8), in fine form in recent matches, tried to hit through the off side and picked out cover off Briggs and Gareth Roderick (1) fell to a top edge sweep behind the keeper in the same over.
The Rapids 100 came up in 11.2 overs before Brookes took advantage of the short legside boundary to collect a maximum off Dan Mousley and he batted fluently against his ex club.
Smith was also soon into his stride as he struck Moeen for a big six over mid wicket and raced into the 20s.
But he pulled up sharply after going for a quick single off the bowling of Foulkes and required a runner in Pollock.
Smith, having made 33 off 16 balls, was pouched at backward of square off a short ball from Mousley.
But then came Waite’s remarkable hitting in the final over from Garton which brought him a sequence of 6-4-6-6-6-6.
Smith was unable to take his place in the field with Jake Libby substituting but Worcestershire were soon amongst the wickets.
A superb swinging delivery from the Rapids leading Blast wicket-taker, Tom Taylor came back prodigiously and bowled Bears captain Alex Davies with the second ball.
Then Cobb held onto a superb one handed return catch away to his right off a leading edge by Rob Yates at 3-2.
Waite came into the attack for the third over and was ecstatic after Sam Hain (14) chopped a delivery onto his stumps.
He then returned for the ninth over to break a half century stand between Mousley and Moeen (16) by hitting the off stump of the latter at 72-4.
Chris Benjamin helped Mousley give the innings momentum by striking a series of boundaries but he fell for 21 off eight balls at long off against Brookes at 100-5 in the 11th over.
Taylor came back and was rewarded when Jacob Bethell (7) sliced a catch to Jones at deep cover and he then bowled Foulkes (1) after he made room to force the ball away.
The all-rounder then reacted quickly to run out Mousley for an excellent 68 off 44 balls after attempting a quick single.
Waite polished off the innings by yorking Garton and trapping Lintott lbw without either of them troubling the scorers.
Waite said after his latest superb display: “It’s a funny old game. I’ve been worrying a bit about my batting because I’ve not done as well as I would have liked to.
“I’ve been trying to tinker with stuff but tonight it just came off. I played on instinct.
“Not a lot was going through my mind that last over. I was just thinking stand still. I worked on a technique a few years back and I went back to that tonight and it seemed to pay off.
“Especially in T20 cricket, momentum is massive and you can feel it shift sometimes and then it is hard to get it back.
“It was definitely I reckon a big momentum shift.
“I feel like I’m living the dream at the minute. I don’t know what is going on but long may it continue.
“It was nice to get a win last night and again tonight, especially in the derby against the Bears.
“I don’t think we’ve come here very often and won so it is nice to get one over on them as well.
“We pride ourselves on togetherness and we did it really well tonight.
“Smudge (Nathan Smith) went down with an injury and we were down to five bowlers but everyone did really well.”
