Heroic last-wicket stand sees Warwickshire to victory

Charlie Dagnall and Mohamed Sheikh took Warwickshire into the Benson and Hedges Cup quarter-finals with a dramatic last-wicket partnership of 37 in 13 overs against local rivals Worcestershire.

Dagnall, a singer in a soul-funk band in his spare moments, hit the right notes with an unbeaten 21 - the highest score in the innings - and won the gold award after taking 2 for 18 in the home side's struggle to 138 for 9.

Warwickshire also had their problems on an unpredictable pitch. Stuart Lampitt took wickets in three overs in succession and David Leatherdale weighed in with two after their batting heroics in a stand of 58 in 16 overs.

Graeme Hick then sent Warwickshire tumbling to 105 for 9 before Sheikh, unbeaten with 19, shepherded a nervous partner to an unlikely victory. "I was a bag of nerves when I out to bat," said Dagnall, with a previous best score of 6 not out.

But the moment he enjoyed most was earlier in the day when Hick inside edged on to his middle stump to complete an unhappy series in the competition with only 50 runs from five innings.

This sparked a Worcestershire slump to 10 for 3 as Dagnal's partner, Vasbert Drakes, went through his first seven overs for four runs and the wicket of former Warwickshire batsman Anurag Singh.

Skipper Michael Powell bowled instead of off-spinner Neil Smith to make up a full hand of five seamers on a poor pitch, but Leatherdale gave his side a score to defend with four boundaries until he was bowled by Drakes for 55.