Warwickshire fight back from a nightmare start to seal win
Northamptonshire’s relegation from LV=Insurance County Championship Division One was effectively sealed by a two-wicket defeat to Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
The home side overcame a top-order implosion caused by a hat-trick by Ben Sanderson (five for 42) to chase down an artificially created target of 176 in 60 overs.
They lurched to 24 for five following Sanderson’s hat-trick, but sixth-wicket pair Michael Burgess (78 not out,rom 128 balls) and Ed Barnard (41, 71) added 70 and Burgess batted with skill and composure to see his side home in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 52 with Olly Hannon-Dalby.
Needing a win to preserve any realistic hopes of survival, the visitors had to accept any equation offered to them on the last day of the rain-affected match.
Warwickshire demanded a generous 176 from 60 and vindicated their caution by collapsing early on, but recovered to record a win that pretty much buries Northants. Jon Sadler’s side is not mathematically relegated but needs a highly unlikely combination of maximum-point wins from their last two games (Surrey and Essex) and Kent or Middlesex collecting no points at all.
Warwickshire coach Mark Robinson said: “From 20 for five you don’t win many games so it was an excellent comeback. Burgy and Barny batted really well.”
