Trent Rockets stay cool to win men's Hundred as Manchester Originals are stunned

Sam Cook claimed 4 for 19 but it took back-to-back boundaries in the final set from Lewis Gregory to secure victory an a first title at Lord's

ECB Reporters Network | 03/09/2022 at 22:19

Lord's: Manchester Originals 120-9, Trent Rockets 121-8 - Trent Rockets won by two wickets

Scorecard

Seamer Sam Cook tore through the Manchester Originals batting line-up with a devastating four-wicket haul to set up Trent Rockets' maiden success in the men's Hundred final.

Cook, who starred with a triple-wicket maiden on his last visit to Lord's while playing for Essex in the Vitality Blast, prospered again on the big stage to take 4 for 18, the best figures of the tournament by a Rockets bowler.

He was backed up by spinner Samit Patel, who finished with 3 for 23 as the Originals stumbled to 120 for 9 – but the Rockets made heavy weather of the chase, eventually squeezing home with two balls to spare.

They needed 11 off the final set, but captain Lewis Gregory rose to the challenge with an undefeated 20 from six balls, hitting Richard Gleeson into the grandstand for a maximum before following it with a four and a single to seal his side’s dramatic victory.

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^{Sam Cook ripped through the Originals to seemingly set up a routine win (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

Originals skipper Laurie Evans – whose majestic 72 had set up his side’s Eliminator success against London Spirit – lasted just four deliveries after deciding to bat first, trapped lbw by Cook.

The Rockets paceman followed that by knocking back Wayne Madsen’s off stump as he attempted a paddle and the Manchester side were in difficulties at 22 for 3 when Phil Salt obligingly steered Daniel Sams to mid-on.

Ashton Turner, who struck 26 from 13, and Tristan Stubbs (18 from 18) staged a recovery with their partnership of 35, but that was brought to an abrupt halt as Patel snared two wickets in as many balls.

Wicketkeeper Tom Moores took a skier to remove Stubbs before the dangerous Paul Walter miscued his first ball to mid-off – and Turner, who had already dispatched Patel ruthlessly into the grandstand, holed out trying to repeat the trick.

Tom Lammonby (21 from 18) looked lively until Cook prised him out with an astute yorker and an even more clinical version accounted for Gleeson as the Originals clambered up to 120.

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^{Lewis Gregory celebrates securing victory for the Rockets (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

Gleeson sent down two economical sets of five to begin their defence of that total, but it was Josh Little (2 for 18) who made the breakthrough, tempting Alex Hales to hit him over the top and finding Walter at cover.

Although the in-form Dawid Malan saw little of the strike in the powerplay, Tom Kohler-Cadmore consistently picked out the gaps and the Rockets’ task appeared to be plain sailing.

However, when Matt Parkinson successfully reviewed a not-out lbw decision against Kohler-Cadmore and Walter (2 for 21) collected the scalp of Malan, neatly scooped up by the diving Stubbs at short cover, the Originals were back in the hunt.

Colin Munro slammed 16 from only seven deliveries before holing out off Parkinson and that pattern continued, with Moores (16) and Sams (13) also caught in the deep before Gregory’s late intervention tilted the game decisively in the Rockets' favour.