Clarke best blows Worcestershire away

Rikki Clarke's limited-overs best figures of 5 for 26 set Warwickshire cruising to an eight-wicket Royal London Cup victory over Worcestershire at Edgbaston.

Clarke's first List A five-for, which included three maidens as he bowled his 10-over allocation straight through, reduced the visitors to 19 for 6 - a position from which they could recover only partially to 115 all out. Will Porterfield and Tim Ambrose then shared an unbroken partnership of 79 as the Bears coasted home with more than 27 overs to spare.

They now join their neighbours on five points in a group table which remains very tight due to so many early matches having been washed out.

Worcestershire chose to bat but had cause to regret that decision when they crashed to 19 for 6 in the ninth over. The havoc was wreaked by a spell of superb, straight seam bowling from Clarke who took wickets with his fifth, 17th, 20th, 27th and 28th balls.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore edged the allrounder to first slip and then, after Tom Fell was lbw to Keith Barker, Clarke dismissed four batsmen in 11 balls with a lethal blend of accuracy and pace. Alex Kervezee was bowled and Ross Whiteley, Daryl Mitchell and George Rhodes were pinned lbw, the last two with successive balls.

Ben Cox and Joe Leach took the score to 41 to at last force a bowling change but Recordo Gordon came on and struck with his fifth ball, which Cox drove straight to Sam Hain at cover.

Leach made a patient 29 from 65 balls with only two fours and Ed Barnard added 38 from 64 deliveries as the pair combined for 60 runs in 18 overs for the eighth over before the former, having batted with impressive restraint, was bowled on the back foot by Oliver Hannon-Dalby.

Barnard perished in the next over when he drilled a return catch back to Jeetan Patel and when Jack Shantry lifted Patel to mid-off, where Keith Barker took a sharp head-high catch, the innings ended with 70 balls unused.

Warwickshire openers Porterfield and Sam Hain reduced the target by a third before Hain edged Charlie Morris behind for 21. Morris made it two wickets in six balls when he trapped Jonathan Trott lbw but Porterfield finished on 37 not out, playing the perfect anchor role while Ambrose thrashed 54 from 42 balls to inject impetus to the chase.