Report: Bears v Steelbacks, Second XI T20

Preparations for Saturday’s Blast Off are well set after the Bears secured their third Second XI T20 win out of three.
Having beaten Gloucestershire by 72 runs on Tuesday, Bears made it a double-header delight against Steelbacks on Wednesday, securing a 78-run win in the first game and three-wicket victory later in the afternoon.
With the visitors choosing to bat first, Che Simmons was the pick of the bowlers, getting David Willey out for seven and free-flowing Chris Lynn for 44, to finish with figures of 4/45. Olly Hannon-Dalby, who opened the bowling with Craig Miles, also impressed, taking 3/26 from his full quote of four overs, to restrict Steelbacks to 151 all out.
In reply, Chris Benjamin struck 42 off just 17 balls (4×4, 3×6) as the Bears cruised to their 152 target. Jacob Bethell (28), Ethan Brookes (25) and Will Rhodes (23) all made strong contributions at the top of the order, to ensure the home side completed the task with 6.2 overs spare.
Four Teams. Two Matches. It’s Blast Off!
2023 Vitality Blast competition is set to start in spectacular style with a new double-header at Edgbaston Stadium on Saturday 20 May.
Blast Off will see Bears host Yorkshire Vikings and Derbyshire Falcons host Lancashire Lightning as part of an action-packed day of T20 entertainment. Early Bird tickets are on sale now from £25.