Following Middlesex Women's League Two Vitality Blast Finals Day victory over Yorkshire which saw them lift the trophy, and Middlesex Disability Super 9s’ National title win last month, the Middlesex Under 14 Boys team secured the Club's third piece of silverware of the summer yesterday, when beating Lancashire at Attenborough in Nottingham, to win the National ECB Under 14 County Cup.
Middlesex's youngsters topped group four of the divisional stages of the competition, winning seven of their nine groups matches, to qualify for the knockouts in a closely fought group where only five points separated Middlesex in top spot and Kent in fifth.
With the top two qualifying, Sussex claimed their place alongside Middlesex in the quarter-final stage, finishing as runners up in group four, with Middlesex’s reward for finishing top being a home quarter-final tie at Merchant Taylors’ School.
There they faced Glamorgan, in a thoroughly one-sided encounter, which saw Middlesex run out winners by 229 runs, before then overcoming Sussex in the semi-final, by three wickets, to earn themselves a place in the National Final where they’d face Lancashire.
The final began with Lancashire winning the toss and asking Middlesex to bat first, although it was the Middlesex batters who made the most of the early conditions, putting on 47 for the opening wicket in quick time, before the first wicket fell in the ninth over of the innings.
Three further early wickets fell in the opening seventeen overs of the Middlesex innings, with the key wickets of Omar Shah coming in the fourteenth over, with the opener having hit 46 from 43 deliveries to continue his fine recent form with the bat.
Middlesex, with the score on 83 for 4, needed a partnership, and thanks to Rishane Wijeratne and Zak Farthing, they got one, as the pair added 78 for the fifth wicket, before Farthing fell, for a patient, yet crucial, 33 from 40 balls.
Wijeratne was next to go, for an equally critical 55 from 69 balls, with the score having been pushed on to 177 for 6.
With the Lancashire bowlers now into the lower order, Middlesex needed the tail to wag, and a useful unbeaten 29 off 37 from Ishaan Adatia and 20 off 19 balls from Thomas Verwey helped push the score along, with Middlesex eventually dismissed for 229 in the 45th over of the innings.
Lancashire needed a strong start to their reply, although Middlesex had other ideas, as three early wickets in the opening seven overs saw Lancashire fall to 44 for 3 and needing to consolidate the run chase.
Middlesex’s bowlers didn’t let up however, and picked up regular wickets throughout the Lancashire reply, dismissing the northerners for just 170 inside 36 overs to seal a 59-run victory.
It was a thoroughly disciplined performance with the ball from Middlesex, with both Mark Rey and Roman Razik taking three wicket hauls, finishing with respective figures of 8-1-29-3 and 7.3-1-43-3. Having contributed with the bat, Verwey capped a fine game for himself personally, returning impressive figures of 5-0-20-2.
It was a thoroughly deserved win for the Middlesex youngsters, with the honour of lifting the National Cup being due reward for an outstanding campaign across the season.
Congratulations from everyone at Middlesex Cricket goes to the players, coaches and support staff who have played their part in the Club securing another piece of silverware for the Lord’s trophy cabinet.
