Media Release: AON Semi-finalists have ultimate incentive (26 July 1999)

26 July 1999

AON Semi-finalists have ultimate incentive

ECB

The England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) Director of Cricket Operations John Carr has made the draw for the Aon Trophy semi-finals. It is as follows:

Hampshire v Durham at Southampton on Monday 16 August
Kent v Warwickshire at Canterbury on Tuesday 17 August

All four remaining sides in this year's competition have the ultimate incentive to make further progress following the draw as none of them has ever won it.

Kent (twice), Hampshire and Durham have all managed to reach the final before falling at the last hurdle, while Warwickshire are unique among the remaining teams as they have never gone beyond the semi-finals of an event which began back in 1986.

Hampshire come into the semi-finals as the side with the best record, having lost just one of their eight qualifying matches from a South West zone including Gloucestershire, Glamorgan, Somerset and Worcestershire.

Their main contributor has been Matthew Keech, with two fifties, while Jason Laney weighed in with 93 in one of two wins over Gloucestershire.

Durham topped a tight Northern zone, mainly thanks to their prolific batting. Nicky Peng made 103 and 51 in the two defeats of Nottinghamshire, Chris Hewison weighed in with 98 against the same opposition, the NatWest England U19 captain Michael Gough scored 99 against Yorkshire, and Jimmy Daley made 83 against Lancashire.

The other semi-final sees Kent entertain Warwickshire, with the home side boasting one of the competition's most prolific batsmen, Chris Walsh.

Walsh, 23, an old boy of Tonbridge School and Exeter University, has three scores of over fifty to his credit in the South East zone, including an unbeaten 104 against Surrey, as well as 43 not out in the return fixture.

Warwickshire topped a tight Central zone, with all-rounder Mike Edmond weighing in with two half-centuries, including 85 in a crucial win over Leicestershire.

The one-day competition is made up of twenty teams - the second teams of all eighteen first-class counties plus the MCC Young Cricketers and the Minor Counties.

The Final will take place on Monday 6 September 1999 on the ground of one of the finalists.

For further information, please contact:

ECB Corporate Affairs on 0171 432 1200.

Source :: ECB