Bears Savage Toothless Vikings

Depressingly, it remains a case of one step forward and one a half steps back for the misfiring Vikings. Of course, their cause is not assisted by foreign imports who are not pulling their weight, with one glorious exception from the otherwise dismal Maxwell. Furthermore, the Vikings will never succeed at Twenty20 cricket as long as Andrew Gale erroneously persists in opening the batting.

Any opening batsman in Twenty20 needs to be consistently batting for at least ten overs, scarcely a demanding challenge, and contribute forty runs or more. Gale usually hits fifteen or twenty runs and rarely delivers the kind of dynamic and prolonged start that is much required. He is a liability at the top of the order, and the Vikings will never succeed as long as he stays there. Maybe, with the real possibility of failing to qualify from the Northern section for the third consecutive year, the Vikings are just not as good at Twenty20 as they think they are or they ought to be.

Anyhow, the Birmingham Bears made relatively short work of a less than adequate runs total. Bresnan was uneconomical again, Lees failed again, Maxwell was dismissed for yet another duck, and the top order collapsed, with Gale predictably helping himself to a measly nine runs, which will convince him that he should remain as the opener! At least Steven Patterson made a welcome return to the Twenty20 team.

Otherwise, it was mainly doom and gloom in south Birmingham against the accomplished reigning champions. The Vikings must now pull a rabbit out of the hat and string a couple of wins together. Having now lost in four of their last five Twenty20 outings, one wonders with some desperation whether this bunch can even manage that.

Birmingham Bears versus YORKSHIRE VIKINGS; in Birmingham; Sunday the 21st of June 2015. YORKSHIRE VIKINGS won the toss.

YORKSHIRE VIKINGS: 132 for seven (off twenty overs)

Gale c Ambrose b Clarke 9 (17-1)

Finch b Poysden 30 (79-5)

Hodd c Clarke b Hannon-Dalby 2 (20-2)

Lees c Ambrose b Gordon 4 (36-3)

Maxwell c Evans b Gordon 0 (36-4)

Leaning c Clarke b Gordon 45 (132-7)

Bresnan c Ambrose b Hannon-Dalby 16 (118-6)

Pyrah not out 13

Extras: 13

Gordon 4-0-30-3

Birmingham Bears: 136 for four (off 18.2 overs)

Bell b Maxwell 5 (6-1)

Chopra c Finch b Maxwell 3 (15-2)

Porterfield c Leaning b Middlebrook 42 (66-3)

Ambrose b Patterson 46 (132-4)

Evans not out 32

Clarke not out 4

Extras: 4

Birmingham Bears win by six wickets. Birmingham Bears two points, YORKSHIRE VIKINGS no points.

CURRENT NORTHERN TABLE:

Worcestershire - ten points from seven matches

Warwickshire - ten points from seven matches

Leicestershire - nine points from eight matches

Durham - eight points from eight matches

Northamptonshire - seven points from seven matches

Lancashire - six points from seven matches

YORKSHIRE - six points from seven matches

Nottinghamshire - six points from seven matches

Derbyshire - four points from eight matches