Yorks, Glos & Somerset maintain winning cup starts

Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset produced dominant displays as they all made it two wins out of two to begin their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaigns.

Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq struck a superb 159, his highest List A score, to set up a comprehensive Yorkshire victory over Northamptonshire by 202 runs in Group B.

Also on Friday, Surrey suffered a second successive Group A defeat, Ben Charlesworth hitting 80 as Gloucestershire triumphed by 85 runs in Guildford.

A day-night game at Taunton saw Somerset teenager Thomas Rew hit 84 not out as they chased 256 to beat Durham by four wickets.

At Wantage Road, Ul-Haq’s innings propelled Yorkshire to a mammoth 374-5, their highest ever team total against Northamptonshire in List A cricket – and just five runs short of their highest against any first-class county.

Facing 130 balls, he hit 20 fours and two sixes, beating his previous highest score of 151 against England in 2019, and following up the half-century that steered Yorkshire to victory against Warwickshire at Scarborough on Tuesday.

He was well supported in stands of 83 with Will Luxton (41), 158 with James Wharton (66) and 75 with a belligerent Matt Revis who smashed 69 from 33 balls.

In reply, Northamptonshire were never in the chase, all out for 172 inside 39 overs.

George Bartlett (30) and Justin Broad (24) forged an enterprising stand of 49 in eight overs but no one else contributed anything of substance. Dan Moriarty (4-38) was the pick of Yorkshire’s attack.

Elsewhere, Ollie Sykes struck a defiant 97 off 94 balls but Surrey were still overpowered by a far more experienced Gloucestershire.

Charlesworth hit four sixes and top-scored with his 83-ball 80 in Gloucestershire’s 293-9, before Josh Shaw spearheaded an excellent collective display with the ball to restrict Surrey to 208 all out in reply.

Somerset’s Alfie Ogborne took 5-41 to restrict Durham to 255-9.

Will Rhodes made 100 off 120 balls but received little support with six batters scoring 13 or less.

Somerset were wobbling after falling from 173-3 to 189-6.

However, 17-year-old Rew held his nerve superbly and put on 69 with Ben Green (34 not out) as they took the hosts to victory in the 47th over.