Patel helps Warwickshire maintain winning habit

Warwickshire 149 for 2 (Chopra 87*) beat Northamptonshire 148 (Wakely 62, Patel 4-27) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Jeetan Patel's four wickets helped Warwickshire make it three wins from three Clydesdale Bank 40 Group C games with an easy eight-wicket victory over the Northamptonshire.

The New Zealand spinner took a superb 4 for 27 and Keith Barker 3 for 27 as Northamptonshire were bundled out for only 148, with only Alex Wakely providing any resistance in making 62 off 78 balls.

Warwickshire were comfortably able to chase down their small target with 44 deliveries to spare as Varun Chopra made an unbeaten 87 from 117 balls.

Northants won the toss and chose to bat in the hot conditions but they lost David Willey for 24 in the eighth over when he was trapped leg before by Chris Wright. Scotland international Kyle Coetzer then departed for 15 when he launched Patel to Ireland captain William Porterfield at square leg.

Captain Andrew Hall made just 5 before he hammered Patel to Porterfield, who took a good catch at deep midwicket. Niall O'Brien could only reach 11 on his return to the side before he was caught and bowled by Patel to become his third victim.

Opener Wakely hung around to reach 50 off 62 balls but Rob White (nine) was the next back to the pavilion when he was trapped lbw by Patel. Wakely then walked when he dragged Chris Woakes on to his stumps before James Middlebrook fell to a fantastic one-handed catch by Warwickshire captain Jim Troughton off Barker.

Darren Maddy was brought on in the 34th over and removed Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy (11) with his first ball when he was chipped to Rikki Clarke at midwicket. Oliver Stone went for a six-ball duck when he was taken by Clarke at midwicket off Barker before the same bowler pinned Lee Daggett lbw to end the hosts' sorry innings.

Chasing just 149, the Bears were given a let-off when Porterfield was dropped on 18 by Stone at long-on after launching Con de Lange into the air. Porterfield plundered another 12 before Stone made amends in the 15th over when he snared him at mid-off off the bowling of de Lange.

This broke an opening stand of 70 with Chopra, who later completed a patient half-century off 80 deliveries. Troughton came to the crease and was on 27 when he played Wakely onto his stumps just before Chopra struck the winning two runs off Stone in the 33rd over.