Ricardo Vasconcelos top scored with 79 while Nirvan Ramesh and Dom Leech took two wickets each to help Northamptonshire 2XI to a professional 55-run win against London Schools.
On a serene day at The County Ground, there was established first-class quality on show with Ricardo Vasconcelos and James Sales opening the batting for Northamptonshire.
Vasconcelos’ controlled 79, with eleven boundaries, set the tone for the innings, playing positively through both sides of the wicket as he and Sales got the score into the forties before Sales was caught at slip.
Stuart van de Merwe struck a confident 41 as he and Vasconcelos added 95 for the second wicket before a stuttering middle order display saw London Schools re-emerge in the contest.
Spinner, Zaid, bowled with control as he picked up the wicket of van de Merwe, bowled attempting a scoop, before Rob Keogh suffered the same outcome when reverse-sweeping.
It looked like a day where ball would dominate bat after Northamptonshire’s strong start. Vasconcelos was removed 21 short of a century, leaving the Steelbacks 178-4 when he was bowled by Fowler looking to accelerate.
When a young middle order of Buchake, Sharma and Horsley all fell after getting relative starts, it was up to Dom Leech to ensure a competitive total was set as he entered the middle with his side stuttering on a good pitch at 218-6.
It took Leech at the back end of the innings to propel Graeme White’s side into the ascendancy, crashing 29 from 19 balls as they finished 275-8 from 50 overs.
It looked as if London Schools were behind the game from the off despite the run rate being a favourable objective. The dangerous Oldershaw was trapped in front by Leech for just 5 before the theme of getting in before getting out continued as Dunne, Tangirala, Patel and Strydom all fell despite starting fluently. Nirvan Ramesh stood out with the ball as he and Taylor took two wickets apiece.
Muhammad Ahmad offered impressive resistance with the bat when he arrived at the crease 84-4. An eye-catching 57 offered hope of a late run-chase after he and Fowler added 70 for the seventh wicket.
Before the loss of Fowler for an enterprising 34, at 201-6 with seven overs remaining, there truly was a game on with London Schools threatening to up the run rate to what was required, needing to strike at just over ten an over with two set batters at the crease.
However, Northamptonshire were clinical at the death, picking up the final four wickets for just nineteen runs as they ran out winners by an eventually comfortable margin.