Keedy turns Lancashire's fortunes

Lancashire 154 for 7 beat Worcestershire 146 for 9 by eight runs
Scorecard

Spinner Gary Keedy produced a stunning spell as Lancashire Lightning secured their first win in the Friends Life t20 with an eight-run victory over Worcestershire Royals.

Keedy claimed 3 for 15 in his four overs at Old Trafford to help turn the match around. At the end of the seventh over Worcestershire were coasting at 72 for 3 in reply to Lancashire's 154 for seven. But Keedy, along with wicketkeeper Gareth Cross who made three stumpings, changed that as the Royals finished on 146 for 9.

Moeen Ali hit six boundaries off as many balls in the opening two overs as the Royals raced to 26 at the end of the second. But he did not add to his 24 as he was trapped lbw by Kyle Hogg in the third.

Vikram Solanki and Alexei Kervezee kept the run rate above 10 as the Royals passed 50 in the fourth. But Lancashire began to turn the game in their favour when Simon Kerrigan bowled Solanki for 13.

Kervezee's innings of 21 from just 10 balls ended in the next over as he chipped Hogg to Stephen Parry. Keedy then ripped the heart out of the Royals. James Cameron was caught in the deep by Steven Croft in Keedy's first over, then Cross stumped Aneesh Kapil off the first ball of his next as Worcestershire slumped to 83 for 5.

Cross struck again in Keedy's final over as Ben Scott went for 6, and he made it a hat-trick of stumpings in the 16th as Gareth Andrew fell to Croft. Parry ended Daryl Mitchell's resistance before Chris Whelan was run out in the penultimate over as Worcestershire fell short.

Earlier, having won the toss, Tom Smith and Stephen Moore put on 38 in the opening four overs for Lancashire, with Moore smashing five boundaries against his former employers. Jack Shantry broke the partnership in the fifth when Smith was caught by Kervezee for 18. Moore followed in the next over from Whelan for 28.

Paul Horton and Croft put on 42 for the third wicket in six overs before they both went in the space of three balls. First Horton was bowled by Ali for 20, and Croft followed in the same over lbw for 14.

Solanki claimed his only wicket of the innings when Mitchell pulled off a brilliant catch to send Cross back for nine. Jordan Clark was dropped twice in successive balls in Shaaiq Choudhry's last over by Shantry and Solanki, but he fell two overs later for 15, bowled by Andrew.

Luke Procter led a late Lancashire rally, smashing 17 from just seven deliveries before he was bowled by Shantry, with Hogg's 14 from 12 balls taking Lightning over the 150 mark.