Rob Yates said the Metro Bank One Day Cup win at Glamorgan was his favourite in a Bears’ shirt as he and new opening partner Ed Barnard laid the foundations for a pulsating win.
The pair put on 188 for the first wicket – agonizingly just one run short of Warwickshire’s best List A opening stand – as the new-look top-order dazzled in the Neath sunshine.
They’ve now amassed a partnership worth 267 in the first three One Day Cup games and the combination has helped propel the team top of Group B after a blemish-free start to the campaign.
“As an all-round package that’s probably the favourite game I’ve played in,” said 23-year-old Yates following his 102 in South Wales. “It had a bit of everything, lots of twists and turns, and we dug in when it looked like the game was ebbing away.
“It was a tough start, the ball was nipping around, and after the power play (10 overs) we were something like 36/0. It goes against the man on your shoulder who’s saying you should be blazing away, you can easily get frustrated and hack one up. That wasn’t the right option so we dug in, took it as deep as we could, and it paid off.
“Barney is doing alright as an opening batter isn’t he! We’ve seen what he can do down the order and it’s great to see him firing at the top. I think he might be staying there for a while.
“It would have been nice to get that List A record (set by Chopra and Porterfield at Grace Road in 2011) but to put a partnership together that’s helped us win the game is the most important thing. Maybe we’ll have a chance later in the comp to beat it.”
Barnard – who returns to New Road for Sunday’s One Day Cup clash for the first time since becoming a Bear – said he’s quickly struck up a good understanding with Yatesy out in the middle.
He added: “Rob’s been great. He’s been doing it (opening) for a long time and been really successful. Obviously the right-left combination always helps in a pairing, makes it a bit harder for bowlers, but also you saw in the Glamorgan innings at one stage I was scoring quite quickly and Rob kept things ticking over and then we switched.
“It’s nice to keep that momentum going with both of you, sharing the pressure, Rob’s brilliant to bat with. Mostly!
“Me and Rob are two of our more senior players in this comp, it’s nice to take on that role, there’s more responsibility to perform but also we’re helping some of the youngsters where we can that are coming through.
“They’re really exciting, some of the knocks from Hamza, Kai and Ethan, there’s some serious talent in the Club. It’s a great opportunity for them and they’re making the most of it, and helping towards a great team performance and long may it continue.”
Additional tickets released for first three days of West Indies Test
A small number of tickets have been released for the first three days of our Men’s Test against West Indies this summer (26-30 Juy).
Tickets are limited for these day and are expected to sell quickly. Early Bird tickets for Day Four are still available if purchased before midnight on 31 March.
