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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe one-man army called Davey Jacobs put it beyond Victoria, with the bat and then in the field•Getty Images

Davey Jacobs began with a blitz filled with audacious enterprise, followed up with two sensational catches inside the circle, and finished off with perceptive bowling changes to lead Warriors to a 28-run win over pre-tournament favourite Victoria. Jacobs charged out of the blocks with 59 off 39 balls and, though his batsmen let him down, his bowlers responded in clinical fashion as Warriors became the first side to register two wins in the Champions League.Pursuing a middling target of 159, Victoria held all the aces despite the early loss of Rob Quiney. Warriors had lost the momentum following Jacobs’ assault in the Powerplay overs, and Brad Hodge was settling in to put the chase on course. And then Victoria ran into the one-man army for the second time in the match: in the fifth over, Jacobs back-pedalled furiously at mid-on before leaping up and back to pluck Hodge’s mow that was headed to the boundary, reducing Victoria to 20 for 2 after 4.1 overs.Aaron Finch tried to counterattack, launching the spinners for two sixes as things looked up, but Jacobs was not done. In the ninth over, he flew across from extra-cover towards wide mid-off to intercept Finch’s carve in acrobatic fashion. With nine overs gone and the score 59 for 3, Victoria had seen enough of Jacobs for a lifetime.David Hussey and Andrew McDonald searched desperately for an escape route. The Warriors bowlers, though, were not about to repeat the mistakes of their batsmen. Nicky Boje and Johan Botha, two of the best spinners to have emerged from South Africa, rose to the occasion with a series of tight overs as the pressure mounted.Things tipped over in the last ball of the 14th over, Justin Kreusch pinging Hussey’s stumps with a yorker. Rusty Theron effectively ended the game in the next over, removing McDonald and Matthew Wade as Victoria slunk to 94 for 6. The lower order did not come in the way as Theron and the remaining seamers hit the stumps with monotonous regularity as Victoria finished well short.Right through the game, Jacobs sported the mentality of someone who knew he was up against a team with serious Twenty20 pedigree. He set the tone early in the piece, and came out throwing punches in all directions: after Dirk Nannes sprayed the first ball of the game down the leg side for four leg-byes, Jacobs drilled him through point, pulled uppishly past square-leg and punched on the up through the covers to loot 17 from the first over. Shane Harwood also began in wayward fashion and Jacobs crashed two more boundaries to pick 12 from the second.Nannes’ reworked lengths and Clint McKay’s close-to-unpickable slower balls allowed Victoria to slip in two quiet overs before the mayhem resumed. Jacobs, who had initially bristled with nervous energy – on a couple of occasions, he had exposed all his stumps against Nannes operating at 145+ kph – settled down to play the bowling on merit. What followed was a series of explosive and well-placed cover-drives along the ground, as Harwood bled 31 from two overs. The Powerplay overs had gone for 62, and round one to Warriors.With the field spreading out, Hussey resorted to Plan B – taking the pace off the ball – and it helped Victoria switch the momentum around. McKay, McDonald and John Hastings proved tougher to get away, and the pressure led to a run-out. Jacobs was caught short at the striker’s end after responding late to Ashwell Prince’s call for an impossible single.Victoria had found an opening into Warriors’ castle, and three overs later, they claimed full ownership. Prince could not compensate for the run-out, succumbing to a clumsy paddle-scoop off McDonald in the 11th; Colin Ingram holed out in the 12th; Justin Kreusch over-balanced in the 13th and Warriors had lost 4 for 35 in 39 balls following the Powerplay.Mark Boucher and Johan Botha ensured the Warriors innings was not a complete failure and salvaged them to a fighting score. All the same, the dice was still loaded in Victoria’s favour and a total of 159 should not have bothered their experienced line-up. However, one Warrior had completely different plans and that made all the difference.

Match Facts

Saturday August 14, Rose Bowl
1st semi-final: Hampshire v Essex: 11.30am (10.30am GMT)
2nd semi-final: Nottinghamshire v Somerset: 3.00pm (2.00pm GMT)
Final: 7.15pm (6.15pm GMT)

Big Picture

Nottinghamshire

The return of Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann to Nottinghamshire’s ranks for finals day has left the selectors with the pleasant problem of deciding who will play out of a fearsome bowling pack that also includes Ryan Sidebottom, Dirk Nannes and Darren Pattinson. Their bowling depth rather puts Nottinghamshire’s batting in the shadows, although David Hussey certainly brings a touch of Twenty20 pedigree to their middle order. His 497 runs in the competition so far place him fourth in the run-scorers’ list, and on finals day only Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams will have more competition runs under his belt. Alex Hales has also been in decent nick in the tournament with four half-centuries to his name so far, and although Nottinghamshire stumbled slightly at the tail-end of the competition their early-season form and bowling strength makes them serious contenders for the title.

Watch out for…

Nottinghamshire haven’t seen much of Graeme Swann in 2010, but despite the fact that Finals Day will be his first Twenty20 match for his county this season he remains a threat, as is evidenced by his 71 T20 wickets at an economy rate of just over a-run-a-ball, and won’t be put off by the short boundaries at the Rose Bowl.

Somerset

With a line-up that includes Marcus Trescothick, Craig Kieswetter, James Hildreth and Kieron Pollard, the ability of Somerset’s batsmen to clear the boundary was always expected to be their strength. Trescothick continues to show no signs of slowing down, launching Somerset’s innings with gusto time and again, and although Kieswetter’s form has been disappointing the solidity of the middle order has more than made up for his frailties. Hildreth has proved adept at accumulating runs and rotating the strike, while Pollard has done all that was expected of him in striking his runs at the lofty rate of 174.57, and Jos Buttler is already starting to make a name for himself as an unflustered finisher. But Somerset’s bowling also deserves an honourable mention. Alfonso Thomas has been a revelation with the new ball, his skiddy pace bringing him 31 wickets – the most by anyone in the tournament – at barely more than a-run-a-ball. Just behind him is Pollard, proving his allround worth with 28 scalps, and Somerset also have a gaggle of run-choking spinners – most recently the left-arm spin duo of Murali Kartik and Arul Suppiah set up a confidence boosting win over Northants at Taunton by giving away a frugal 29 runs in their combined spells. This will be the third time that Somerset has reached the finals of the Twenty20 Cup and after winning it once in 2005, with no clear chink in their armour, this could well be their year again.

Watch out for…

Marcus Trescothick continues to lead Somerset from the front by giving the ball a hefty thump at the top of the order. If he gets anywhere near the brutal form that saw him smash a 27-ball 78 to help Somerset breeze past Hampshire’s 216 for 5 with overs to spare at Taunton in July then almost no total will be out of his side’s reach.

Essex

Essex head to finals day looking to make it third time lucky. Twice they have reached the semi-finals and both times they have failed to progress. After a tricky start to the season – that saw their captain Mark Pettini resign and the team lose three of their first four games – they have been a powerful force. Their strength lies in a batting line-up led by Ravi Bopara, with a resurgent Pettini at the top of the order and an ageless Grant Flower bringing a wealth of experience to the middle. Bopara will be joined by Dwayne Bravo, who was parachuted in for a fleeting finals day visit, Ryan ten Doeschate, who was in sizzling form before tearing a calf muscle two months ago and Alastair Cook. Despite Cook’s horrendous Test outings this summer he has had a productive FP t20 competition, making 350 runs at 38.88. The bowling is more of a liability but the imported duo of Bravo and the returning Danish Kaneria could give them a chance. Spinners have proved pivotal in the shortest format and Kaneria has experience and class.

Watch out for…

Ravi Bopara’s languid talent has never been in doubt. After a stuttering start to his international career, however, he needs to prove he has the temperament to succeed when the pressure is on. He is Essex’s leading scorer in the competition with 471 runs and a big score at the top of the order, in front of capacity crowds at the Rose Bowl, will both help silence the doubters and be key to his side’s hopes of progressing to the final.

Hampshire

Hampshire are the romantic’s team for the finals. A side packed with youngsters and led by a veteran in Dominic Cork, they are looking to become the first host side ever to win on finals day. Winning just eight of their group games Hampshire had been the least impressive of the four semi-finalists and have lost the services of Michael Lumb to a broken foot. They would undoubtedly be strengthened by Kevin Pietersen but the county would rather stick with the players who have got them this far. In Jimmy Adams they have the competition’s top scorer and he is backed up Michael Carberry, Neil McKenzie and 19-year-old James Vince. Vince starred with an unbeaten 66 to coolly guide Hampshire past Warwickshire in the quarter-finals and his effortless talent could be a revelation. Behind the evergreen Cork in the bowling ranks, 19-year-old left-arm spinner Danny Briggs could be Hampshire’s most potent weapon. He has nous and plenty of audacity and has been in a rich vein of form recently. The captain’s relish for the big occasion and home advantage will be in Hampshire’s favour.

Watch out for…

There are few cricketers in the English game who so instinctively enjoy the attention and pressure of showpiece events as much as Dominic Cork. Though he delivers his verbals quicker than his outswingers these days his competitiveness could make him an irresistible force in front of his home crowd.

Quotes

“A lot of our players have had the experience of playing in big finals and hopefully, that experience under pressure, will stand us in good stead.”

“I hope that by the end of Saturday we will have our hands on that big silver cup – as well as a couple of bottles of champagne to help us celebrate.”
“It’s been a challenging year for everyone at the club. We’re involved on the cricket side and things haven’t panned out as we expected but everyone has shown a lot of character and fight.”

ScorecardThere was never a realistic chance of play at Titwood as the rain lashed down•Grameenphone

Heavy rain forced Scotland’s match against Bangladesh to be abandoned without a ball being bowled at the Titwood ground in Glasgow.Having recently shared a two-game contest 1-1 with Ireland, Bangladesh would have been looking forward to impressing the Glasgow crowds but were denied a chance. The two teams hadn’t met since 2006 when Bangladesh won by 146 runs in Dhaka.If the weather improves, however, they will have an opportunity to showcase their talent against a competitive Netherlands team at the same ground on Tuesday which will conclude their tour. The two teams haven’t previously met at ODI level.

ScorecardJames Tomlinson took three wickets as Hampshire seized the upper hand in their County Championship Division One clash with Essex at the Rose Bowl. The hosts added only two runs to their overnight 298 for 7 as Maurice Chambers snared the last three wickets, including veteran Dominic Cork for 55, to finish with figures of 5 for 49. But Essex slipped to 209 for 7 in reply as Matt Walker was left to lead the resistance with an unbeaten 60.Cork made the initial breakthroughs, removing Jaik Mickleburgh for 21 with the help of wicketkeeper Nic Pothas to leave the visitors 51 for 1 at lunch. Tom Westley had been Mickleburgh’s partner in an opening stand of 48, but became Cork’s second victim via a sharp return catch at knee height.There followed a stand of 62 between Ravi Bopara and Walker, the latter taking the stand beyond 50 with a six off Danny Briggs. But Tomlinson then stepped up to make an impact, with Bopara cover-driving loosely to provide Pothas with his second routine catch of the innings.The in-form Ryan ten Doeschate quickly followed, trapped lbw for just six to leave his side 135 for 5 by tea. A rash swing by Walker off the bowling of Briggs sent the ball looping just out of Jimmy Adams’ reach, but the miss did not prove costly as Briggs soon got his reward with the wicket of keeper James Foster, clean bowled for a painstaking 14 by a ball that kept low.Mark Pettini lasted just two balls before tamely prodding into the hands of Neil McKenzie to help Briggs towards figures of 2 for 33. Walker reached his half-century from 126 balls but saw David Masters nick a second catch to McKenzie in the slips after making 15, leaving Tomlinson with 3 for 51.Graham Napier took his side to their first batting point with a cover drive for four but otherwise reined in his attacking inclinations to reach an unbeaten nine by the close. With only Chambers and Danish Kaneria to come, much depends on Napier and Walker as Essex look to cut the deficit tomorrow.

ScorecardNathan McCullum picked up 3 for 31•Getty Images

A rapid half-century by Warwickshire’ left hander Jim Troughton went to waste when rain ended Lancashire’s reply in the Friends Provident t20 clash at Edgbaston.Openers Tom Smith and Paul Horton made three runs in a solitary over from Neil Carter before the match was abandoned with each side taking one point to stay in contention in a congested North group. A pitch which produced 415 runs in the previous match against Durham again rewarded the batsmen as Troughton, with 66 from 37 balls, took the Bears close to 200 for the second time in three days.The hosts closed on 196 for 9 after a rampaging start in which Carter hit Glen Chapple for six, six, four, four off successive deliveries while making 39 in an opening partnership of 54 from 4.5 overs. The all-rounder crashed six fours and two sixes in 15 balls before he was caught at backward point off Sajid Mahmood, but the early surge was sustained as the home side reached 114 for 2 at the halfway point.Although Ian Bell quickly fell to Nathan McCullum, making room to carve the New Zealander to deep cover, opener Jonathan Trott (42) and Troughton also put on 54 prior to a middle-order slump. Troughton’s charge to 50 off 26 balls included 20 runs in four balls from Steven Croft before Lancashire found a way to check the onslaught.Tom Smith, the seventh bowler tried by captain Chapple, benefited from Trott’s skier to Stephen Moore at cover as Warwickshire fell back to 131 for 5. McCullum needed only three balls to dislodge Darren Maddy and Rikki Clarke, the latter stunned by Smith’s leaping one-handed overhead catch at long-off.Off-spinner McCullum’s figures were 3-0-13-3 until his final over cost 18 runs and James Anderson, on release from England commitments, finished with 2 for 38 after conceding 14 in three balls to Chris Woakes.Warwickshire were only two short of equalling the highest total against Lancashire in the competition when Troughton was run out off the last ball, having hit four sixes and four fours in the highest of his seven half-centuries in this format.

ScorecardTim Linley took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as Surrey struggled to fight their way back into the County Championship Division Two encounter with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Northamptonshire, who saw former Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas in action for the first time, could only add 67 to their overnight total as they were bowled out for 397, with their last five wickets tumbling for just 35 runs. Paceman Linley finished with figures of 5 for 105 as the Northamptonshire batting corps faltered. Surrey made 210 for 7 in reply at stumps, with Mark Ramprakash making 70 off 159 balls.Northamptonshire started the day on 330 for 5, with Mal Loye looking to build on his 121 and ex-captain Nicky Boje resuming on 77. South African Boje added 11 to his overnight total before he was run out by Chris Schofield at mid-on via a direct hit at the stumps when he tried to run aquick single off Jade Dernbach.That ended a fabulous sixth-wicket stand of 193, and just four balls later a full toss by Dernbach trapped James Middlebrook lbw for 1. Out came Vaas, but he failed to score off nine balls before his off-stump was sent tumbling by Linley before the same bowler did for David Willey, who was caught by Arun Harinath at cover. Linley claimed his five-for when he took out Loye’s off-stump the batsman had spent over six hours at the crease in making 164 off 298 balls.Vaas then had a dream start to his spell in Surrey’s reply when, with just his third delivery, he forced Harinath to edge his first ball to Middlebrook at third slip. Wicketkeeper Steven Davies helped steady the Surrey nerves by making 33 before he was caught behind by his counterpart Niall O’Brien off Lee Daggett.Boje then claimed the wicket of Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown (30) when he forced him to nudge to O’Brien. Ramprakash, who struck centuries in both innings against Middlesex last week, then reached his half-century off 105 balls.In the third over after tea, Daggett bowled Usman Afzaal and Ramprakash made it to 70 before he sliced Middlebrook high into the air, giving Vaas an easy catch at point. Captain Andrew Hall took two late wickets in bowling Chris Schofield and pinning Tom Jewell lbw, leaving Matthew Spriegel unbeaten on 25 with Andre Nel yet to score.

Pakistan women eased to a six-wicket victory over West Indies in a warm-up game at Basseterre. In a fourteen-member-a-side match, the home side posted 117 after choosing to bat, with in-form opener Stafanie Taylor top scoring with a brisk 41. Medium-pacer Sania Khan and legspinner Urooj Mumtaz combined for five wickets to derail the West Indies middle order after Taylor provided a solid start. Pakistan had little trouble chasing down the target, after each of their top three made substantial contributions. Opener Nain Abidi shepherded the chase with a patient 48, and was only dismissed in the 19th over with victory two runs away.New Zealand maintained their Twenty20 dominance of Australia with an 18-run win in Molyneaux. Opener Suzie Bates made a half-century to guide New Zealand to a competitive 136, a total boosted by the 20 wides bowled by Australia. Sarah McGlashan also chipped in with 29 and was involved in a 56-run stand with Bates for the second wicket. Australia’s reply got off to a poor start as they slipped to 24 for 2. Shelley Nitschke (31) and Alex Blackwell (44*) tried to revive the chase, but the scoring wasn’t at quick enough a pace to force a win.World champions England had an easy outing against India, winning by 25 runs at Basseterre. England’s openers, Sarah Taylor and Charlotte Edwards, put on 46 at nearly a run-a-ball after they chose to bat. The dangerous Claire Taylor was bowled by Amita Sharma for a duck, but Edwards’ 41 took England to 133. India looked in with a chance only during the 48-run third wicket stand between perennial top scorer Mithali Raj (44) and Harmanpreet Kaur (28). With none of the other batsmen making it to double digits, India’s hopes faded and they finished well short.In a low-scoring match at Molyneaux, Sri Lanka pulled off a four-wicket victory over South Africa. After being sent in, Trisha Chetty and Susan Benade were the only South African batsmen to cross 10, which meant they could only set a small target of 94. Medium-pacer Eshani Kaushalya did the damage for Sri Lanka, taking four wickets in two overs to limit South Africa to only 13 runs in the final four overs after they had been 80 for 4. She then helped put Sri Lanka on course for victory with a patient 18 after coming in at 13 for 2. Suwini de Alvis made 31 to guide Sri Lanka before Deepika Rasnagika’s eight-ball 16 sealed the win.

Northamptonshire have received a No Objection Certificate for Virender Sehwag from the BCCI, but his arrival for the Twenty20 in June is still dependent on whether he is selected for India’s one-day commitments in Zimbabwe.There is a thought that India will send a second-string side to contest the triangular series at the end of May while the trip also includes two Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe. The English Twenty20 tournament starts on June 1.The other issue facing Northamptonshire is the Asia Cup which has yet to be confirmed in the schedule, but will impact on Sehwag’s availability should it occur in June or July. His NOC from the India board confirms that national duty must come before his county commitments.It was a significant coup for Northamptonshire to secure Sehwag’s signing as they aren’t classed as one of the main forces in the domestic game. He joins a list of high-profile players who are coming to England for the Twenty20 including Shahid Afridi, Herschelle Gibbs, Adam Gilchrist and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

On the eve of the opening clash against Deccan Chargers, Sourav Ganguly made his point straightaway that the best way to progress is by “executing” and not wasting time “planning.” The Kolkata Knight Riders captain felt there was no point dissecting the past, and the better alternative was to go out and play. It was trademark Ganguly – he did not spell out his enemy, but he made his point, subtly, leaving no doubts in anyone’s mind as to what he was referring to.Ganguly, along with the new coach Dav Whatmore and the entire Kolkata management have been working hard on an entirely new platform, which from the outset has been more transparent and importantly, simpler, compared to the Sudoku grid John Buchanan had asked the squad to solve in order to excel in Twenty20 cricket. Ganguly hasn’t forgotten the confusion and controversy that was created in the first two years of the IPL, but as the team’s seniormost player, he understands he cannot afford to create any further haze when his primary job is to lead the team in the right direction.”One needs to plan, especially when you are on the park. But I believe in execution. I don’t believe in too many ideas or team meetings,” Ganguly said, with a stern face, after a two-hour long training session at the Bandra-Kurla Complex ground. “I believe planning is 10% and execution 90%.”So batsmen played with straight, slanting and even upside-down bats as Whatmore offered them the freedom and space to understand what they were doing. At the other end, Wasim Akram mentored the bowlers including Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Mashrafe Mortaza and Jaydev Unadkat, the Under-19 bowler. Clearly, there was a sea change in the way the training session went about in the past.In the first two years, various coaches would be spotted, busy noting down various things, just like a nurse records a patient’s heartbeat, pulse etc. The paraphernalia was conspicuously absent today, replaced by more word-of-mouth signals, creating a different kind of buzz.”I would like to leave the player to play to his strengths. That’s how everybody has played and been successful. Maybe you can just tell them the amount of runs needed on the board or what has to be chased,” Ganguly said. “Other than that, if I keep changing (the player’s style) at this minute, it’s not going to help.”While the majority of the teams managed to devise the right processes, along with the right combinations in the first two years of the IPL, Kolkata were affected by a lack of clarity. As a consequence they have underperformed in first two editions. Still, there is hope. Ask Adam Gilchrist, the Deccan Chargers captain, who said he could relate to his opponent’s circumstances as he had been in the same spot that Kolkata now find themselves in: bottom of the barrel.”I know that feeling. I’ve started the tournament like that before,” Gilchrist said, denying the opening clash of the IPL tomorrow was a mismatch considering Deccan, the defending champions, are playing last year’s wooden-spoon holders. “I don’t think you can take it for granted that there are any mismatches in the tournament. Everyone starts afresh.”Ganguly has been stressing the same in his interactions with the squad, out in the open and behind closed doors. It is now up to the players to go out and express themselves.

Michael Atherton, the former England captain, has won the UK’s top honour for a sports writer, being named Sports Writer of the Year for 2009 by the Sports Journalists’ Association.Atherton, cricket correspondent of , was acclaimed for his coverage of the 2009 Ashes, with one of the judges, a sports editor, describing him as “peerless in his own sport, entertaining, thought-provoking and challenging on any other subject,” and another saying “his elegant style, thoughtful but incisive opinions were, in an Ashes-winning year, indispensable.”In a good evening for Atherton, he was also named Sports Columnist of the Year, highly commended in the Specialist Correspondent category, and took some credit for his commentary work as Sky Sports’ Test cricket coverage won the TV Sports Programme award.Atherton was in Chittagong covering England’s tour of Bangladesh when the awards were announced at a gala dinner in London.Cricket also featured in three other awards, with Gareth Copley winning Sports Picture of the Year for his photo of Jonathan Trott being run out at The Oval, while Lawrence Booth, writing for the , won the online award for a Regular Blog or Column and the BBC’s Tom Fordyce took the best Live Blog award.