WORCESTERSHIRE RAPIDS (A) – 15 JUL 2016
One of the highlights of any season is Birmingham Bears’ NatWestT20Blast visit to their old rivals. A full house, a sunlit evening (fingers crossed!) and some great T20 cricket. And frequently, over the years, the right result for the Bears’ fans to cheer in the shadow of the cathedral.
It has been by no means one-way traffic, of course, with the Rapids having enjoyed their share of T20 success.
Brian Halford, Club Journalist
Here’s one piece of good news for the Rapids supporters – Darren Maddy is no longer with the Bears. That should cause a bit of rejoicing beside the Severn because, when it came to T20, ‘Mads’ was invariably the man at New Road.
In 2010, it was his century partnership with Jonathan Trott which set up a nine-wicket win for the Bears. Two years later, after Jeetan Patel stifled the Rapids’ innings with 4-0-15-1, Maddy and Varun Chopra put on 83 in 11 overs to seal an eight-wicket victory. Twelve months on from that, it was Maddy and Chopra again, this time adding 119 in 12 overs, Maddy’s share an unbeaten 84, in a seven-wicket win.
It has been by no means one-way traffic, of course, with the Rapids having enjoyed their share of T20 success over the Bears, not least in tussles at Edgbaston. One thing’s for sure, the date July 15 was pencilled in a lot of diaries around the West Midlands very soon after the 2016 fixtures came out. All set for another New Road cracker!
