Bears hammer Gloucestershire for second cup win

Warwickshire all-rounder Ed Barnard hit 36 and two wickets in the Bears’ thumping of GloucestershireWarwickshire made it two One-Day Cup victories out of two as they went top of Group B by bringing previous leaders Gloucestershire’s winning start to an end.Gloucestershire had also won their first two games going into Monday’s meeting at Edgbaston.But they were well beaten by eight wickets in a contest that went only just over half the distance, after the Bears made the most of winning the toss and putting the visitors in.Pacemen Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Ed Barnard reduced Gloucestershire to 10-4 inside four overs before bowling them out for 120 in 33.4, then reaching their target in the 26th over of their reply on 123-2.”That’s two really good results,” said Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes. “We have already found a nice blueprint for how we want to bowl in this competition.”To have them 10-4 was a fantastic start. You don’t want to tempt fate but the game’s almost over after four overs there. From that position you should kill the game and that’s what we did.”120 was well under par and it was then just about us getting over the line.”Gloucestershire never recovered after Barnard, opening both the bowling and the batting, and Hannon-Dalby both struck twice inside the first 15 balls, despite brave resistance from Jack Taylor with 55. Hannon-Dalby led the way with 3-12, well supported by Barnard (2-40), fit-again Craig Miles, who took 3-23 on his first List A appearance in over a year, and spinners Jake Lintott (2-14) and Danny Briggs (1-26).They were backed up by some sound catching, four for keeper Michael Burgess, two in the slips for Rob Yates and two for Ethan Brookes, one at slip and the other a superb effort diving forward at extra cover to remove the dangerous Taylor – and end his hopes of getting Gloucestershire back in the game.Barnard, getting back to the all-round form that won him an England Lions call in his Worcestershire days, then supplemented his two wickets with 36 off 39 balls in an opening stand of 46 with Rob Yates in 12 overs.He was lbw, missing a reverse sweep at Ollie Price, before Tom Price rattled Yates’ off stump for 18 with the score on 78.But Rhodes (36 not out) and Michael Burgess ( 33 not out) finished the job, sharing five sixes between them as the game ended in glorious mid-afternoon sunshine.”We were a little bit disappointed with the toss being such a big factor,” said Gloucestershire coach Dale Benkenstein. “Warwickshire bowled well but there was definitely moisture in the wicket.”We would have bowled if we’d won the toss. It would have been nice to have that advantage but they had it and made the most of it.”The table-topping Bears now face Glamorgan at Neath on Thursday, when Gloucestershire, who have dropped to third, face second-placed Worcestershire at New Road. Tuesday’s fixtures(11:00 starts)Southampton: Hampshire v EssexLeicester: Leicestershire v NottinghamshireNeath: Glamorgan v Durham .

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