RESULT
Group B, Radlett, July 31, 2015, Royal London One-Day Cup
(41.2/50 ov, T:261) 173

Middlesex won by 87 runs

Report

Gubbins and Rayner shine in all-round success

Middlesex produced an excellent all-round performance to beat Kent by 87 runs at Radlett and pick up their first victory in this year's Royal London Cup

ECB/PA
31-Jul-2015
Middlesex 260 for 9 (Gubbins 56, Franklin 50) beat Kent 173 (Billings 68, Rayner 4-45) by 87 runs
Scorecard
Middlesex produced an excellent all-round performance to beat Kent by 87 runs at Radlett and pick up their first victory in this year's Royal London Cup.
Half-centuries by Nick Gubbins and James Franklin underpinned Middlesex's 260 for 9 and only Sam Billings, with 68 from 83 balls, threatened in Kent's reply of 173 all out.
Gubbins included four leg-side sixes in his 56 from 64 balls, Franklin hit 50 from 59 and Toby Roland-Jones also struck two sixes and two fours in an unbeaten 31 from 22 balls which contributed to Middlesex taking 89 from the last 10 overs of their innings.
Dawid Malan's 47 was Middlesex's best top-order effort and, with the ball, offspinner Ollie Rayner's 4 for 45 stood out while Roland-Jones and James Harris took two wickets apiece.
Middlesex made a sluggish start against some accurate new-ball bowling from Darren Stevens and Matt Coles and the total was only 25 when Mitch Claydon, brought on for the ninth over, struck with his second ball by nipping one back off the seam to have Sam Robson leg before for 15.
Nick Compton, on 17, looked aggrieved to be adjudged lbw to James Tredwell when he shaped to play to leg, and Eoin Morgan fell for 3 when Coles leapt high at deep mid-on to take a stunning one-handed catch off Tredwell.
Middlesex were 97 for 4 when Malan, having reached 47 from 67 balls, pulled a long hop from Fabian Cowdrey straight to deep midwicket. Cowdrey added a smart caught and bowled to send back Franklin and finish with 2 for 37 from his 10 overs.
Tredwell finished his skilful 10-over spell with the superb figures of 2 for 24 and with 10 overs to be bowled, Middlesex were only 171 for 4 and in need of some urgent acceleration.
Gubbins provided it, pulling the returning Stevens for two sixes and also taking Coles and Ivan Thomas for maximums. A brilliant sliding catch by Alex Blake, sprinting in from long-on, ended the left-hander's effort one ball after he had escaped a half-chance to Claydon at short fine leg.
John Simpson holed out to Blake at long-on off Claydon but another 38 runs came from the last four overs as Coles was hit for two straight sixes by Roland-Jones, the second going through Stevens' hands at long-off.
Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly began Kent's reply confidently, with Bell-Drummond driving Junaid Khan for two fours and Denly thrashing Roland-Jones to the extra cover boundary.
Denly, though, mishit a pull at Khan to be caught at mid-on for 11 and Sam Northeast, edging Harris on 17, was brilliantly held low down by Simpson.
Kent were 69 for 3 when Bell-Drummond ran himself out for 23 after Billings sent him back following a dab to short third man. Stevens, on 14, then holed out to long-on off Rayner's offspin, leaving Billings to shoulder Kent hopes.
He dominated a fifth-wicket stand of 49 with Cowdrey, but once Cowdrey had edged Roland-Jones behind on 16 and Billings had departed in the next over, top-edging a reverse-slap at Rayner to short third man, the end was not long in coming as the lower order perished to a variety of desperate swipes.

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Royal London One-Day Cup

Group A
TEAMMWLDPTNRR
SURR8610131.079
GLOUC8520110.069
YORKS8420100.536
DURH843090.402
NHNTS84309-0.458
SOM844080.814
DERBS844080.151
WORCS81603-0.629
LEICS80701-1.914
Group B
TEAMMWLDPTNRR
NOTTS8510120.755
ESSEX8420100.480
HANTS833090.554
KENT833080.031
LANCS83308-0.034
WARKS83308-0.765
MIDDX83407-0.224
GLAM822030.160
SUSS80503-1.063