Birmingham Bears v Worcestershire Rapids 2018

Eighty guests enjoyed the cricket in style as Birmingham Bears took on local rivals Worcestershire Rapids in a crucial derby match, with international cricket star guest Jonathan Trott! Having won the first tournament in 2014, Birmingham Bears again reached the final in 2017, where they were defeated by Notts Outlaws, so hopes were high for a bold showing in the big group game.

Our great value hospitality package was within the salubrious Edgbaston Wyatt Suite for this compelling derby match which included food, complimentary drinks and superb balcony viewing for the match. It was fantastic to hear from Trotty who talked about his career with Warwickshire, including the run to the Final of the T20 Blast in 2017, and his escapades as one of the best English Test batsmen of the last decade or so.

In a typically hard-fought and exciting encounter the Bears were to suffer a defeat at the hands of the Rapids in a thrilling high-scoring match, with the Worcestershire team sealing victory on the back of a brilliant 115 off just 56 balls from England star Moeen Ali. The Bears came up agonisingly short on 194-7 chasing 209-5, having looked well set at one stage to chase down the imposing total.

With over 400 runs scored in the designated 40 overs in the match, this was T20 blast cricket at its very best. The Bears made a valiant attempt to chase down such a huge total with all top seven batsmen reaching double figures but ultimately they came up just short.