Birmingham Bears Triumph in Local Derby, Top Northern Group

Birmingham Bears emerged victorious in their local derby against Worcestershire Rapids, securing a five-wicket triumph at 'Visit Worcestershire New Road.' The Bears' victory propelled them to the summit of the Northern Group in the Vitality Blast, while Worcestershire's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals dwindled.

Sam Hain and Jacob Bethell played pivotal roles in Birmingham's success. Hain struck a fluent 76, while Bethell remained unbeaten on 71, guiding the Bears to their fourth consecutive win. Their 148-run partnership for the fourth wicket set a new record against Worcestershire in the competition.

Worcestershire's batting display was disjointed, with several players contributing to their own dismissals. The Bears' spinners, Danny Briggs, Jake Lintott, and Dan Mousley, kept a tight grip on proceedings, restricting the Rapids to 155 for 7.

Adam Hose led the Rapids' batting, but his former club proved too strong. Kashif Ali returned for Worcestershire after a break, while Michael Booth replaced Richard Gleeson in the Bears' lineup.

Birmingham captain Alex Davies elected to field first on a new hybrid pitch. Kashif struck a six off Michael Booth but perished attempting to repeat the shot. Ed Pollock attacked George Garton, hitting a six and two boundaries, but Jake Lintott dismissed Josh Cobb with a superb catch.

Gareth Roderick hit Bethell for a six but was bowled by Briggs. Briggs also dismissed Hose, while Ethan Brookes fell to Bethell. Nathan Smith's attempted big hit was caught at long-off by Lintott. Rob Jones and Tom Taylor provided some late impetus for Worcestershire.

Worcestershire needed early wickets, and Smith delivered, dismissing Ed Barnard and Dan Mousley in the opening over. Hayden Walsh held onto a low chance to remove Alex Davies, leaving the Bears at 7 for 3.

However, Hain and Bethell launched a recovery, rebuilding and then accelerating. Bethell brought up his fifty in 37 balls, hitting three sixes. Hain and Chris Benjamin were dismissed by Tom Taylor, but the Bears sealed victory with 2.1 overs to spare.

Tags: #VitalityBlast, #BirminghamBears, #WorcestershireRapids, #SamHain, #JacobBethell