JAKE Lintott admitted he was happy to ‘tick off a milestone’ after guiding Warwickshire to a tense three-wicket Metro Bank One-Day Cup win.
The Taunton-born Lintott returned ‘home’ to hit the half century that earned the Bears victory after Somerset had posted 309 for eight.
It was Warwickshire’s third win in the competition and takes them to third spot in Group B.
After scoring his maiden List A half-century, Lintott told the Bears’ offcial website: “I took up our entire quota of complimentary tickets!
“Mum, dad and my girlfriend were here and it was great to see them part of such a big crowd, which created an awesome atmosphere for a 50-over game.
“I have been working hard on my batting because it’s an area of my game I need to improve if I am to add value to teams.
“It’s great to tick off a milestone in my career with a first List A fifty.
“We thought at halfway in the game that Somerset’s score was around par and that the pitch would get easier to bat on as the day went on. There was a very short boundary on one side, so we were quite confident of reaching the target.”
Somerset lost the toss, but opener Tom Lammonby scored exactly 100 from 111 balls, with nine fours and two sixes. James Rew contributed 81, while younger brother Thomas made a rapid 41.
In reply, Warwickshire reached 310 for seven with three balls to spare – Lintott ensuring victory with a quickfire 50 after important contributions from Kai Smith (45 not out), Rob Yates, Zen Malik and Hamza Shaikh.
Somerset’s Lammonby and Archie Vaughan took the score to 42 in the 11th over before the latter was bowled for 20 attempting to drive a ball from Michael Booth.
It was 69 for two when Lewis Goldsworthy was also bowled trying to slog-sweep Taz Ali in the young leg-spinner’s first over. But Lammonby was already looking in dangerous form as he moved confidently to a half-century off 65 balls.
At the halfway stage of their innings, Somerset were 102 for two. It was then that Lammonby and James Rew began to cut loose, the two left-handers delighting home supporters with some glorious stroke-play on both sides of the wicket in a partnership of 143 in 21.2 overs. Both cleared the ropes in the same over from off-spinner Yates.
Skipper Rew cruised to a 46-ball fifty, with 5 fours and 2 sixes before Lammonby reached three figures with a single to the leg side off Oliver Hannon-Dalby. It was an innings of numerous sweetly-timed cover drives and very few errors.
The scoreboard read 212 for three in the 38th over. Without a run added Lammonby top-edged a pull shot off a slower ball bouncer from Ed Barnard to be caught at short fine leg. Rew quickly followed, bowled aiming across the line to a ball from Booth having faced 69 deliveries, and Somerset’s hopes of reaching 300 looked in jeopardy.
They got there thanks to some quality hitting from Thomas Rew, including two reverse-swept sixes in the same Ali over, and a career-best 30 not out from Alfie Ogborne off just 16 balls. Josh Thomas, Ben Green and Jack Leach fell cheaply, but JT Langridge cracked 11 off four balls to end the innings with a flourish.
Warwickshire’s reply had reached 36 when Ogborne struck with the last ball of the sixth over, Barnard being pinned lbw on the back foot for 14. Batting was looking straightforward in the bright sunshine as Yates and Malik brought the hundred up in the 17th over.
Yates had moved comfortably to 47 off 52 balls when caught behind looking to drive Green, who struck again soon afterwards when Malik offered a low return catch, having hit 6 fours and a six in moving smoothly to 44.
It continued to be Lammonby’s day when his left-arm seam accounted for Alex Davies, who edged a pull shot through to wicketkeeper James Rew having made 17. At halfway in their innings, Warwickshire were 144 for four.
Shaikh and Smith looked to be tilting things the way of the visitors with a solid half-century stand, but Shaikh became their third player to fall in the forties when caught behind off Langridge to make it 205 for five with the required run-rate around eight an over.
Vaansh Jani pulled a flat six off Ogborne, who responded by having him caught by the diving James Rew in the same over. That brought in Lintott, who wasted no time clearing the ropes off Green.
Smith was content to play a supporting role in a match-clinching stand of 65 in 8.1 overs, which saw Lintott race to a maiden List A fifty off 34 balls, with seven fours and a six, before falling with just two runs needed.
