Bears book a home clash in the Blast quarter-finals
Birmingham Bears booked a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast by comfortably beating Derbyshire Falcons by 44 runs at Edgbaston.
The Bears piled up 198 for two thanks to powerful half-centuries from Dan Mousley (60no), Sam Hain (52no) and Moeen Ali (59).
A modest start (21 from four overs) turned into a daunting total of which the Falcons fell well short at 154 all out from 19.2 overs. No-one passed 30 as spinners Danny Briggs (three for 24) and Jake Lintott (two for 24) dismantled the top and middle orders to take their combined T20 wicket tally to 379.
The Bears can now look forward to a home tie in the last eight in which they will aim to avoid the choke which has afflicted them at that stage in the last three seasons. Despite this damaging defeat, the Falcons can still qualify but are under pressure to win their last two games, starting at Worcester next Thursday.
