Pennington's debut week: four wickets in two overs

Worcestershire 130 for 3 (Head 37, Whiteley 36*) beat Northants 89 for 6 (Wakely 54*, Pennington 4-9) by 41 runs
Scorecard

Dillon Pennington picked up four wickets in two overs as Worcestershire Rapids maintained their 100 per cent winning start in the Vitality Blast in a rain-reduced encounter with Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Blackfinch New Road.

The England Under-19 paceman destroyed any hopes the Steelbacks had of reaching a steep 131 target in nine overs after taking the new ball.

Pennington, who only made his debut in the competition against Derbyshire Falcons on Sunday, dismissed Ben Duckett, Josh Cobb, Richard Levin and Steven Crook and finished with 4 for 9.

His efforts helped the table-topping Rapids to make it four wins out of four with a 41 run success in a competition where they have never reached finals day.

A mid afternoon downpour left the ground under pools of water but umpires Jeremy Lloyds and Ian Blackwell decided that play could finally get underway under leaden skies at 7.30pm.

The Rapids were put into bat on the same wicket as had been used for last week's thrilling success over Birmingham Bears.

Northants paceman Ben Sanderson gave the Rapids a helping hand by conceding four wides from his second delivery in an opening over costing 11 runs.

Joe Clarke set the tone for the Rapids innings by smashing Rory Kleinveldt over long off for six but in the same over fellow opener Martin Guptill holed out to mid off.

Australian left hander Travis Head, on his Blast debut for Worcestershire, flicked Brett Hutton through mid-wicket for four to get off the mark and the powerplay of 2.4 overs realised a total of 39 for 1.

Clarke and Head both hit a six in Graeme White's first over before the former on 28 from 13 balls perished off a skier to long on.

Head hammered three sixes and four fours in his 37 off 14 deliveries before he sliced a catch to backward point off Seekkuge Prasanna. Then Ross Whiteley carried on the display of powerful hitting with an unbeaten 36 from 15 balls with one six and five fours.

Pennington made a quickfire breakthrough for the Rapids as Duckett nicked his first delivery through to keeper Ben Cox. Then later in the same over Cox went away to his right to pull off a superb catch to account for Cobb with just one run on the board.

Pennington's second over brought another double success as Levi (14) was caught at deep mid wicket and the next delivery trapped Crook leg before.

Pat Brown then got in on the wicket-taking act by bowling both Prasanna and Kleinveldt.

Steelbacks skipper Alex Wakeley hit a 20 ball half century but it was too little, too late as his side closed on 89 for 6