Rocky Flintoff hits 88 but Lancs lose to Middlesex

Rocky Flintoff’s maiden half-century for Lancashire could not prevent his side slumping to their sixth One-Day Cup group defeat out of six against Middlesex.

The 16-year-old son of former England captain Andrew Flintoff made 88 as bottom-of-the-table Lancs posted 233-9, but Middlesex reached their target with relative ease thanks to half-centuries from Joe Cracknell (98) and Sam Robson (90 not out).

Middlesex’s third win in six matches lifted them to within a point of the four sides tied on eight points at the top of Group A – Somerset, Hampshire, Worcestershire and Derbyshire.

In Group B, the big disappointment was the top-of-the-table clash between 100% pair Warwickshire and Glamorgan being ruined by rain at Edgbaston.

They are now both on 11 points and remain on course to qualify, but holders Leicestershire beat Yorkshire at Scarborough to boost their own hopes of making the knockout stages.

Flintoff Jr became Lancashire’s youngest-ever player, aged 16 years and 113 days, when he made his debut against Kent in this List aA competition on 28 July.

He has already scored a hundred for England Under-19s in a youth Test against Sri Lanka and in red-ball cricket for Lancashire 2nd XI this summer, and has signed his first professional contract with Lancashire.

Batting at number four, Flintoff came to the wicket with Lancashire struggling again at 25-2 and, with wickets falling around him, he needed to be the mainstay. He reached 50 from 77 balls and then found good support from experienced paceman Tom Bailey (30) as they put on 61 for the eighth wicket.

Flintoff needed to hit both the last two deliveries of the innings for six to reach his century but he failed to score off the penultimate ball.

From the next ball, he was caught on the long-off boundary, ironically by Josh de Caires, son of another former Lancs and England captain, Michael Atherton.

He was then was eclipsed by a stand of 175 between Cracknell and former England Test opener Robson for the Middlesex second wicket.

The visitors lost four wickets late in their innings to spark a few nerves but Robson saw his side to victory with eight balls to spare.

While Manchester was a surprise contender to be the only place to survive Thursday’s bad weather, it was a different story in rain-hit Birmingham.

After an already late start at Edgbaston, Glamorgan rattled along to 131-4 off 17 overs against Warwickshire until another half-hour rain break.

When they resumed, after a quick consultation with the calculators, it was decided that the visitors could face one more over in what would now be an 18-over contest.

That produced one more wicket, Dan Douthwaite, caught on the mid-wicket boundary off Olly Hannon-Dalby, leaving Sam Northeast stranded on 68 out of his side’s total of 143-5.

But it then began raining again. And, with a cut-off time of 17:48 BST to get even a 10-over thrash started, the game was abandoned.

Although both sides lost their 100%, they each took a point to stay well on course for qualification for Group B.

Neither side is back in action until Sunday, when the Bears host Yorkshire at Rugby School and 2021 winners Glamorgan head for Leicester to take on last year’s winners Leicestershire.

Leicestershire warmed up for that by winning another rain-affected game by eight wickets against Yorkshire at Scarborough.

The hosts rallied from 118-6 to reach 236-7, thanks to a List A best 60 from Dom Bess and 55 not out for Matthew Revis, as the seventh-wicket pair added 112.

Rain at the mid-innings interval forced a two-hour delay before the Foxes re-emerged chasing a revised 22-over target of 150.

All-rounder Ian Holland, who had earlier taken 2-39, made 42 off 25 balls, while captain Lewis Hill hit an excellent 71 not out as the Foxes won for the fourth time in six group games to go third in Group B, while Yorkshire are still not out of it on six points, with two games left.

Group A

Derby: Derbyshire v Kent

Chester-le-Street: Durham v Hampshire

Taunton: Somerset v Worcestershire

Group B

Chelmsford: Essex v Surrey

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Gloucestershire